Perinatal Mental Health | Meet Izzy

2 May

In this blog we’re introducing you to Izzy Taylor. Izzy lives in Central Otago with her partner Hugo, their two dogs and their beautiful daughter Poppy. Izzy has been on a journey with Postpartum Anxiety and was happy to share her story in the hope to help other mums who might be feeling the same.

At what point did you realise you were suffering from Postpartum Anxiety?

We were very lucky and had a very good sleeping baby from newborn until about 6 months. Often getting 10-11 hours overnight. Suddenly the 6 month sleep regression hit and we were suddenly awake every 2-2.5 hours. After a few weeks of this I suddenly found myself feeling very overwhelmed with little everyday tasks. It wasn’t until I found myself suddenly bawling my eyes out while I was out walking one day that I realized this was more than just exhaustion and something wasn’t quite right.

At what point did you realise you were suffering from Postpartum Anxiety?

I found everything very overwhelming. The “invisible load” of motherhood (cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, laundry) plus trying to help my daughter to sleep better. I would often break down when I was alone. I would feel super anxious driving and being away from the house so I became very isolated. I never had any thoughts about harming myself but I would quite often think about just running away to get a break for a few days.

How did you take the first step to get help?

Firstly I opened up to my partner about how I had really been feeling, until this point I was blaming my mood and no energy on just being tired. I then made an appointment with my GP who referred me to a mental health team locally.

What did you find really helped you through this period of your life?

I set a plan with some small everyday tasks to set aside some time for just me everyday. It is so easy to get swept up in the day-to-day motherhood load.

For me doing some sort of exercise everyday (most of the time this has been a walk in the fresh air during my wee girl's first nap of the day) has been so important.

I try to get up before Poppy does to sit and do some journaling as it really helps clear my mind and give myself a clear slate for the day. I started to order a meal subscription service again to make dinner time a lot easier on myself.

Also just letting some things slide a wee bit, the house doesn’t need to be in tiptop shape everyday.

What advice would you give to another mum who might really be struggling with their mental health?

Talk to someone and be honest about how you have been feeling. It is not an easy step to take but it is an important one. You don’t need to struggle through this by yourself.

You are not weak for feeling the way you have been feeling, it is so important to put yourself first and get the help you need. Take things day by day and don’t overload your plate!