Chelsea Pottenger

Working towards a Higher Love

I had a beautiful birth. My daughter Clara was born to the James Vincent McMorrow’s song ‘Higher Love’. She had a perfect button nose and cute blonde curls.

Soon after birth, I started experiencing severe anxiety, sadness, episodes of crying and guilt of not ‘getting it’ as a new Mum.

I started to lie to those around me. Even to the nurses at my six-week PND survey check. I’d snap out of it soon enough, I thought.

By week eight, I hadn’t snapped out of it. The exhaustion was taking its toll, and I fell into a storm of depression. I would catch myself staring in the mirror with tears in my eyes, begging myself to hold on and be strong.

The day I was meant to fly for a wedding, Clara was nine weeks old. I was ready to get on the flight with my bags and escape. On the way to the airport, I suffered a panic attack, fueled by fear and shame. My thoughts turned from, ‘I need to escape’ to ‘I hope the plane goes down on the way to Scotland… that would be the best outcome for everyone.’

I arrived home and told my husband how I was feeling. He told me that his life would never be the same without me, that he and Clara needed me, and loved me.

At this point, with his support I called the professionals. The next day, I started a stay at a PND unit. Over the next five weeks in the hospital, I met some incredible women going through the exact same thing, and formed a tribe of supportive friends. After two weeks of massaging, smiling and singing to my daughter I finally felt a real bond. I finally had insight into how Mums felt.

With my newfound insight, I went back to university to study psychology and became a mindfulness and meditation teacher, starting my own company as part of my mission to help others.

Unfortunately, some of us have to experience crushing hardship to grow. The good news is you don’t have to. With incredible organisations like Gidget Foundation Australia supporting and teaching coping tools to mothers, it’s a lot easier not to slide into the depths of PND.

Gidget Foundation Australia is a not-for-profit organisation very close to my heart. The inspiring work of Gidget Foundation Australia aims to support expectant and new parents by offering specialist care and support. Additionally, it promotes education and awareness programs for health professionals and the wider community. 

There is a lack of awareness surrounding perinatal depression and anxiety - we want to change that. 

When I was suffering from PND, I felt I needed to hide how I truly felt. I even tried to go back to work. I remember being at a business meeting, with my hair done, smartly dressed, pretending I had it all together, while on the inside I was crumbling. This feeling is familiar among sufferers. 

Perinatal depression and anxiety affect almost 100,000 expectant and new parents in Australia each year. One in ten women experience depression during pregnancy, and one in five experience it in the first year of birth. Although research is limited, evidence estimates around one in ten new dads experience anxiety or depression from pregnancy the first year of birth. If the mother is depressed, this can rise to one in five. As traditional parental roles have shifted in recent decades, dads’ are experiencing the challenges of early parenthood more than ever.

Perinatal depression and anxiety can be a terrifying and isolating experience. Gidget Foundation Australia undertakes several amazing initiatives to help those in need.

This Perinatal Mental Health Week, the EQ Minds team and I will be hiking to raise funds for Gidget Foundation Australia, and we would love for you to join us.

Our goal is to raise funds to cover the complete care for ten families this year. So grab a group of friends and wear a splash of red on the 13th of November to Hike for Gidget in your local area.

The difference we can make?  Only $1,500 can cover a family’s complete care, utilising Gidget Foundation Australia’s specialist perinatal team, for a whole year.

Register and start fundraising today!