Maternity leave – a year off work drinking coffee and playing with a cute baby – may sound like a nice extended holiday. But the reality is quite different, as French illustrator Emma relays in this revealing comic strip…
motherhood
Family
With the natural birth movement challenging the more medicalised model of birth, new mothers are feeling as if they’ve failed if they have an epidural, or need medical intervention during childbirth. Emma Svanberg explains why this is a feminist issue…
Mornings
“I spend 20 minutes getting ready in the morning; no more, no less. And I plan what I’m wearing the night before.” Charlotte Denn, the founder of kids’ clothing label What Mother Made, on mornings with her husband and their three children…
Work Life
Anniki Sommerville had spent nearly two decades working for a market research company but after maternity leave, found herself questioning whether there might be more to life. She quit, went freelance, continued as editor of Selfish Mother and wrote a book. Here’s her story…
Family
Being Asian and Christian meant there weren’t any matches for Ranji and her husband when they first tried to adopt. But they persevered and were given a son and daughter. She talks us through the gruelling process, difficult early days and their more recent relocation to Paris…
Wellbeing
Kerry Bartlett had her first child aged 21 and suffered with severe postnatal depression. To get through it, she focused on her new career as a freelance photographer. Here, she discusses her struggles and how she overcame them…
Wellbeing
Becoming a mum for the first time can be lonely and isolating. Especially if you don’t have a partner, or your own mother to help out. Aimee Foster opens up about the early days with her daughter, feeling as if her life had been turned on its head…
Family
High street stores are capitalising on mum style, with ‘mom jeans’ on offer, and the Breton stripes have long been associated with dungarees-wearing mothers. But what does it really mean to dress like a mum?
Wellbeing
Samantha Valentine was recovering well after childbirth until she started bleeding heavily. Following emergency surgery for a postpartum haemorrhage, Samantha developed PTSD and is now in the grips of postnatal depression. She talks us through her daily thoughts…
Wellbeing
Are you optimistic about everything, assuming it’ll live up to your expectations, or cautious – not getting too excited in case it doesn’t happen? Annie Ridout looks at when it’s good to lower, or manage, our expectations