I have been commissioned to write articles on a range of topics. I also write about various aspects of parenting, often sparked by something I have read for example, my piece in The Guardian. Plenty is written and said about motherhood, but not always by the mothers themselves. It is more likely that their thoughts are recorded retrospectively, if at all. Some of these can be seen here Mothers Uncovered.
UK Alerts: What’s Your Emergency…?
Last weekend saw another Emergency Alert test in the UK; a government service that brought a loud beeping noise to all smartphones. I’d been driving up to Blackpool a week or so prior to this, noticing the plentiful signs on [...]
The Importance of Creativity for Mothers
A friend once said to me the act of creation signalled the end of creativity. The bone-crunching tiredness that hangs over you, day in, day out. The almost constant anxiety of something disastrous happening, meaning rational thoughts are driven out, [...]
My petition on the new work requirements for parents on universal credit
I’m the founder of Mothers Uncovered, a peer-led organisation that supports mothers in matrescence. I set up a petition in April, when I heard there were changes planned for universal credit in the autumn. Parents were required to work 16 [...]
The mental health of mothers is a serious business
In the UK, suicide is the leading cause of direct deaths 6 weeks to a year after the end of pregnancy. In 2020, women were three times more likely to die by suicide during or up to six weeks after the [...]
If Matrescence were given the same significance as adolescence….
Guest Post Mumsnet Aug 2023 When I gave birth to my first child in 2004 I remember feeling like I wasn’t in the room, but stuck in a big tunnel, cocooned from reality by the effects of the epidural. The [...]
A letter to the health professional: Beware the mum who says she’s ‘fine’
In 2004 I was that mum. I wanted my child so much and had planned everything. For the birth. Beyond that, I hadn’t wanted to tempt fate. Like many women, I didn’t quite believe the baby would exist. When he [...]
