We’ve been chatting a lot recently about schools and inclusion. I’m curious…
If you could tell every teacher and school one thing about supporting LGBTQ+ families, what would it be? Whether it’s forms that only say “Mum & Dad”, classroom conversations, Mother’s Day/Father’s Day or something else entirely. What’s one small change that would’ve made a big difference?
Anybody the non-birthing mother and really struggling to just exist after their child comes along? I have never felt worse than I do right now, the anxiety, intrusive thoughts and depression are very real. My child is now over 1 and I just expected it to get better but it has got worse. I am also the working parent and my partner wants me to get a second job to allow her to stay home. I am barely keeping myself afloat as it is, days are hard, waking up is hard, going to work is hard. All things I used to love are hard, I don’t know how I’ve got here but I hate it. I never expected parenthood to be like this. I do things purely for my child but I cannot put anything else on my plate or I’m afraid of the consequences for my already horrible mental health. If I did what my brain wants me to do at the moment I’d be staying in bed all day and sleeping but I can’t do that with a child so I continue to push no matter how I feel. I have mentioned some of my feelings to my partner but I don’t want to stress them out so have kept 90% of them to myself. I just don’t know how to cope anymore.
Hi everyone,
I'm a mom, counselor, and PhD candidate at Oregon State University. I'm conducting dissertation research exploring mothers' experiences of navigating and redefining motherhood over time.
I'm looking to connect with mothers who feel they've experienced a shift in how they understand or approach motherhood. This might include challenging expectations, trusting yourself more, setting boundaries, reclaiming parts of your identity, or redefining what being a "good mother" means to you.
I recognize that motherhood takes many forms and is experienced in diverse ways, and I'm interested in hearing from mothers with a variety of backgrounds and family structures.
If this resonates with you, I'd love for you to complete a brief screening survey to see if you may be eligible for an interview study.
Participant Screening Survey – Fill out form
Thank you for considering sharing your story.