Natalie Nuttall
Founder & Chairperson
I look at my son and I cannot begin to articulate just how much I love him.
It is the kind of intense, infinite, unconditional love other mothers describe yet I knew very little of in the early days.
When I became a mum I mostly felt numb. Numb from the trauma of a brutal delivery and subsequent operation and blood transfusion. Numb with an exhaustion that didn’t really abate until Oscar was about nine months old and had (finally) learnt the value of sleep.
Suspected baby blues turned into something far more sinister for me. I would wake with a familiar dread, wired with anxiety, panic, and worst of all, a sense of detachment from reality. Thankfully I took swift action. Help was at hand but it took a number of trips to find an empathetic GP and a tougher battle to secure CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy).
My recovery took months not weeks, but the biggest realisation for me was the lack of community support for people with PND. I met another mum in the same boat and together Ruth and I set up The SMILE Group.
The journey has been a tough one. Without doubt the hardest thing I’ve faced in my life. I don’t regret it though. It gave me my beautiful son and hopefully it will help to bring others hope and support when they need it most.