As I was birthing my son, I had an epiphany — a moment of deep clarity that made me realise just how important it is to speak on this topic. That moment stirred something in me, something that needed to be shared. It’s what inspired this blog, and why I feel called to deliver this message to the collective.

Mental health has always been something exceptionally important to me, especially as someone who struggled as a teenager and adolescent, and continued to face challenges into adulthood. It was only after receiving therapy — many times — and navigating through my healing journey that I was able to find ways to cope, uplift myself, and most importantly, take myself out of that energy.

I founded Poem Stellium in 2021 — not knowing that it would also be the year I became a mother. The following year, I gave birth to my son.

I’ve always understood how significant a woman’s psychological health is, especially during pregnancy. But becoming a mother gave me a much deeper insight. So much of the focus during pregnancy is on the physical — on what you eat, how much rest you get, how your body is changing. And yes, all of that matters. What we eat affects our baby’s development — biologically, physically, genetically. We’re literally helping to build their biology and setting the foundations for their life.

But what often gets overlooked is how mental and emotional health play a role too — not just during pregnancy, but especially after. We talk so much about what to eat, what to avoid, how to care for our bodies, but what about our minds?

The thoughts we think, the stress we carry, the emotional support we receive (or don’t receive) — all of it communicates with the baby. Not just through biology and DNA, but through energy and connection. And once that baby is born, the reality is that an unsupported, isolated, mentally depleted mother cannot pour fully into her child.

And I don’t say this to dismiss the mental health of fathers — they go through their own emotional journeys too. But biologically, a man does not carry a child to term. Only a woman can do that. Of course, birth happens in many different ways — natural, caesarean, chosen or emergency — but my focus here is the mental wellbeing of mothers.

There is a lack of resources. A lack of real, consistent support. And when a mother is left alone, neglected, and not emotionally nourished, it wears her down. It exhausts her. It affects her ability to show up as the mother she wants to be.

Many women experience postnatal depression — and not just in the early weeks. I’ve learned so much about how the brain works, not just in babies but in mothers. Did you know that it can take years for a mother’s brain to return to its pre-pregnancy state? I’ve heard it can take up to seven years — please correct me if that’s changed — but regardless, it’s a long-term process, and it’s not one we’re preparing women for.

So, my question to you is this:

How can you support the mothers around you to stay mentally well?

How can you contribute, in a healthy and conscious way, to reinforcing the next generation?

Because these babies being born — they are the next generation. And we cannot build a thriving future if we continue to overlook the mental health of the women bringing that future into the world.