Four months after her mother died from breast cancer, Rachel Clarke found out she was expecting her first baby. In this moving piece, Rachel describes how it feels to enter motherhood without your own mother there to guide you…
motherhood
Family
“Never had I contemplated the complete void that you fall into when you hear those words: “I’m sorry guys, there’s no heartbeat”. Writer Sarah Matthews writes about the deep pain of miscarriage…
Work Life
Stephanie Reed knew she’d like a baby at some stage so decided to go freelance, to make her working day more compatible with family life. Two years later, business in full swing, she gave birth. Here’s what Stephanie has learned about balancing motherhood with a freelance career…
Family
Charlotte Duckworth was looking for novels that reflected her experience of new motherhood but couldn’t find. So she wrote The Rival. It’s gritty, relatable in parts, shocking and has unbelievable twists. Here, Charlotte explains how she came up with the story…
Family
For some mothers, work is a financial necessity. For others, it’s a choice: they want to continue pushing their career forward. But Annie Ridout wonders whether sometimes mothers do paid work to feel appreciated…
Work Life
“I felt frustrated as I was working part-time in employed roles to fund the rest of my week, where I was pursuing music,” says Rosie Adediran, aka Mama Sings. So she bravely quit the office job and went full-time as a singer and musical workshop leader…
Work Life
As a single parent, the flexibility of freelance work enables Keryn Potts to drop her four-year-old daughter off at preschool and pick her up. “Childcare does not suit people who work late, weekends, or need flexibility,” she says…
Work Life
In this new series, we ask a freelance mum when and why she chose the freelance path. First up, Bristol-based graphic designer and mum-of-one Amy Goddall discusses her side-hustle taking over from her office job, and why she loves this way of working…
Family
When Annie Ridout told her husband she was concerned about how disorganised she’d become, his answered surprised her. He said he was pleased; that he prefers her now that she’s forgetful and messy. Here’s why…
Family
For many mothers, establishing breastfeeding is difficult and painful. But surprisingly, putting an end to breastfeeding can be a challenge, too. Here are some ideas for how to stop…