"Being a 'good enough' Mum"

Tumbarumba is a quaint country town in rural New South Wales, Australia, flanked by the western slopes of the beautiful Snowy Mountains. This was the scene where I attended a community event to raise awareness of Postnatal Depression (PND). Following an ABC Riverina Radio Interview and Broadcast discussing PND, I attended as guest speaker at the local Elms restaurant for a gathering called the Beyond Baby Blues Blossom dinner where community showed support for new mothers and PND. The following is an excerpt my presentation published in the Tumbarumba Times Newspaper, which focused on the challenges of becoming a new parent.

'What is a 'good enough mum' this was the question addressed by Dr Mellanie Rollans... With so many variants and factors influencing each new parenting experience, it is impossible to define a 'good enough' mother. Often women, and indeed men, place huge expectations on themselves as they venture into this new role with so much unknown territory to be charted. Unrealistic expectations simply add to the stress of dramatically changed routines, lack of sleep, hormonal fluctuations and