Lifestyle | Foodie | Family | Bryony on Instagram: "The post partum journey, the fourth trimester AKA welcome to the sh*t show.
2:48am, lying awake in a quiet room, white noise humming around me. The babyโs been waking all night and body aching from hours of feeding and rocking. My body feeling like a battlefield, stomach slack and unfamiliar, boobs aching, my 'lower parts' reminding me with every step that I had just given birth - and yet the world seems to expect mothers to bounce back - to smile, to "enjoy every moment", to somehow not unravel under the weight of it all. My mind wonโt settle. It spins with exhaustion, frustration, and a strange mix of love and rage I've previously experienced with all my other 3 children - welcome to Post Natal Depression.
On top of it all, Iโm adjusting to life as a family of five - with a newborn and three other children who need me in different ways every day. The juggle is real, messy and exhausting. Some days it feels like Iโm pulled in a million directions, and yet, Iโm learning to find moments of calm in the chaos.
But hereโs the truth: I am grateful. Not in the tidy, Instagram-ready way everyone talks about - but grateful for the mums who have messaged me late at night saying, โme tooโ after viewing one of my Instagram stories. The ones who donโt sugarcoat it. The ones whoโve been right where I am - raw, exhausted and real. I'm grateful for my healthy babies. I'm grateful to have a roof over my head and food I can cook and enjoy (let's not discuss whether my kids enjoy it, they'd be happy with a McDonald's ๐)
Our journeys might look different - different births, babies, battles - but the thread running through all of us is realness. The aching love. The silent frustration. The joy so fierce. The grief for who we were. And the strength we didnโt know we had.
If youโre in the thick of it - the foggy, messy fourth trimester - know this: I see you. I'm going through it. I honour your experience, whatever it looks like. You donโt need to explain or pretend.
This is your motherhood. And itโs enough.
And if no oneโs told you today:
Youโre doing amazing, sweetie. Even if you cried in the shower and you had cake for breakfast.
Because honestly? Same! ๐ค"
bryonyannie on July 31, 2025: "The post partum journey, the fourth trimester AKA welcome to the sh*t show.
2:48am, lying awake in a quiet room, white noise humming around me. The babyโs been waking all night and body aching from hours of feeding and rocking. My body feeling like a battlefield, stomach slack and unfamiliar, boobs aching, my 'lower parts' reminding me with every step that I had just given birth - and yet the world seems to expect mothers to bounce back - to smile, to "enjoy every moment", to somehow not unravel under the weight of it all. My mind wonโt settle. It spins with exhaustion, frustration, and a strange mix of love and rage I've previously experienced with all my other 3 children - welcome to Post Natal Depression.
On top of it all, Iโm adjusting to life as a family of five - with a newborn and three other children who need me in different ways every day. The juggle is real, messy and exhausting. Some days it feels like Iโm pulled in a million directions, and yet, Iโm learning to find moments of calm in the chaos.
But hereโs the truth: I am grateful. Not in the tidy, Instagram-ready way everyone talks about - but grateful for the mums who have messaged me late at night saying, โme tooโ after viewing one of my Instagram stories. The ones who donโt sugarcoat it. The ones whoโve been right where I am - raw, exhausted and real. I'm grateful for my healthy babies. I'm grateful to have a roof over my head and food I can cook and enjoy (let's not discuss whether my kids enjoy it, they'd be happy with a McDonald's ๐)
Our journeys might look different - different births, babies, battles - but the thread running through all of us is realness. The aching love. The silent frustration. The joy so fierce. The grief for who we were. And the strength we didnโt know we had.
If youโre in the thick of it - the foggy, messy fourth trimester - know this: I see you. I'm going through it. I honour your experience, whatever it looks like. You donโt need to explain or pretend.
This is your motherhood. And itโs enough.
And if no oneโs told you today:
Youโre doing amazing, sweetie. Even if you cried in the shower and you had cake for breakfast.
Because honestly? Same! ๐ค".