We always knew an afternoon talking with Dr Oscar Serrallach, author of The Postnatal Depletion Cure, to an intimate crowd at Sydney’s newest wellness hub, Bodylove Pilates, was going to be special, but we truly couldn’t have imagined the profound effect it would leave on us days later…
There were so many head-nodding moments throughout Dr Oscar’s talk – from his insistence that mothers need more support than ever, not just in the beginning of their motherhood journeys, but throughout the years that follow, to his research and insight into what happens to both the mind and body when a woman becomes a mother, that we were left to go home and reevaluate how our own journey throughout motherhood has played a part in our health and wellbeing as women.
We are tired. We are overwhelmed. We ignore pains and ailments in our bodies, and we put our family’s self-care over our own. Treating our mind and bodies as if we didn’t have children or experience childbirth is to the detriment of society, and Dr Oscar knows all too well of the consequences of mothers – new or old – running on empty. “Postnatal depression can present itself outside of the 6-month mark, even 4-5 years after birth. When a woman becomes a mum, her hormones change from ‘me’ to ‘we’. As a society, we need more ‘we’ than ‘me’.” It was sentences like this that struck a chord with all of our guests, who were furiously writing notes and asking questions throughout his thought-provoking and validating monologue. To be frank, we need everyone to think and care about mothers like Dr Oscar does, as his holistic and medical research into the postnatal period is what the world desperately needs to hear and understand.
If you couldn’t make it to our event at Bodylove Pilates, where guests mingled, connected and walked away with a bumper goodie bag, we’ve included some highlights below, and we’ll leave you with one of the things Dr Oscar mentioned that seemed to sum it all up for us. “Motherhood is a learned skill” – this simple reminder that one of the hardest jobs in the world doesn’t necessarily come naturally has shifted our entire perspective on, well, everything. Be kind to yourself, mamas.
Photography: Grace Alyssa Kyo | Shop The Postnatal Depletion Cure here | Vist BodyLove Pilates here
“ I so deeply believe that mothers are the fabric of our society – healthy society needs healthy families, and healthy families rely on healthy mothers. And yet I see so many women at my clinic who are chronically depleted, and only come to see me after years of being this way, at the point of desperation ”
“ Postnatal depression can present itself outside of the 6 month mark, even 4-5 years after birth. When a woman becomes a mum, her hormones change from me to we. As a society we need more 'we' than 'me' ”
