Perinatal Stories Australia

25/08/2026

📣 NEW ARTICLE: What is a Mother and Baby Unit?

A Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) provides specialist mental health care while allowing mothers to stay alongside their babies — supporting both mother and baby during an incredibly important time.

But what exactly is an MBU? Who are they for, what happens there, and what can families expect?

In our latest article, we take a closer look at Mother and Baby Units, the support they provide, and why these specialist services can make such a difference. We’ve also answered some of the most common questions in our FAQs 👇🏻

🔗 www.perinatalstoriesaustralia.com/blog/what-is-a-mother-and-baby-unit

I created this guide because it’s something I wish I had before and during my own admission, so I hope it helps ease some of the uncertainty and overwhelm you may be feeling on your own journey 🤍

Rebecca x

Learn what a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) is, who it's for, what happens during an admission, and how these specialist services support parents experiencing severe perinatal mental illness.

05/08/2026

📣 NEW ARTICLE: Who's who on the MBU?

One of the biggest surprises for many parents admitted to a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) — myself included — is just how many different people become involved in their care.

Psychiatrists, mental health nurses, occupational therapists, social workers, psychotherapists, peer workers… I know just how overwhelming this feels at first.

But while every member of the multidisciplinary team has a different role, they all work towards the same goal: supporting your recovery while helping you care for your baby.

This guide explains the role of each member of the MBU team and how they work together to support parents recovering from severe perinatal mental illness👇🏻

🔗 https://www.perinatalstoriesaustralia.com/blog/mother-baby-unit-care-team

I created this guide because it’s something I wish I had before and during my own admission, so I hope it helps ease some of the uncertainty and overwhelm you may be feeling on your own journey 🤍

Rebecca x

Learn who's who on a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU), including psychiatrists, nurses, psychologists, occupational therapists, social workers, and other professionals who support recovery during an inpatient admission.

09/08/2025

🎉 Excited to Announce! 🎉

I’m so proud to say that Perinatal Stories Australia is an official sponsor of the upcoming Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Conference co-hosted by The Marcé Society (Australasian Chapter) and the Australian Association for Infant Mental Health (AAIMH).

This is a 3-day event for health professionals working with expectant parents, families with newborns, young children, caregivers, and researchers contributing to the evidence for best-practice perinatal and infant mental health care.

We may only be a very small sponsor, but we believe in the potential of this conference to help so many lives and feel so honoured to be part of this event - even in this small way!

~ Rebecca

Will you be attending? (I won’t be there but I cannot wait to see photos and hope to live vicariously through you all 😂)

📍 Pullman Melbourne Albert Park
🗓️ 4-6 September
🔗 Learn more: https://pecbookings.eventsair.com/pimhconference/

The Perinatal & Infant Mental Health ConferenceCo-hosted by Marcé Society Australasian Chapter and Australian Association for Infant Mental Health4 – 6 September 2025Pullman Melbourne Albert Park

04/08/2025

👏🏻🤍

29/07/2025

💭 When you think about perinatal mental health, does bipolar disorder even come to mind?

Pregnancy and postpartum include an increased vulnerability to the onset or recurrence of bipolar disorder, yet antenatal and postnatal screening tends to only focus on depression.

This silence has real consequences.

💥 When we don’t talk about something, people can fall through the cracks.
💥 This can look like being misdiagnosed, misunderstood, or untreated.
💥 And that can make recovery harder.

We need to change that.

I talk about what bipolar disorder is and why it NEEDS to be part of the conversation in my latest blog post👇🏻

🔗 Read the full article here: https://www.perinatalstoriesaustralia.com/blog/bipolar-disorder

Rebecca

🗣️ Share, comment, or tag someone who needs to see this. Awareness starts with a conversation.

Pregnancy and postpartum are times of heightened vulnerability for the onset or recurrence of bipolar disorder. Learn why open dialogue matters for early recognition, support, and better perinatal mental health care for all women.

17/07/2025

THEN AND NOW…

This post is inspired by the powerhouse Helen who shared an important reminder: birth trauma isn’t just something that happened THEN.

Like most of us with birth trauma, my THEN is still with me NOW. It’s not as loud as it used to be, but it shows up in quiet ways.

And of course it does. Birth trauma changed me. It wove itself into every cell.

The NOW always holds pieces of the THEN. But that doesn’t mean we’re not healing. It means we’re human.

Healing isn’t about erasing the THEN, it’s about learning how to live alongside it NOW. It’s possible to carry pieces of THEN and still move forward slowly, without THEN feeling as heavy as it used to.

If you’re struggling, remember that you don’t have to carry the THEN or NOW alone. There is help, there is hope.

These are some of the incredible organisations to reach out to:

• .org.au
•
•
• .org.au
•

Thank you Helen for this important reminder, and for giving me this opportunity to reflect on my NOW 🤍

How does your NOW look different to your THEN?

Rebecca x

17/07/2025

IT’S TIME TO SHIFT THE STANDARD . . .

In honour of Birth Trauma Awareness Week, I wanted to share these incredible words from my conversation with Amber-Lee in episode 45.

We hear it all the time: “All that matters is a healthy baby.”

And of course the baby matters!

But what about the mother? What about how she was treated, how she feels, how she’s healing?

Mothers tend to be sidelined during postpartum, which is hard enough. Now imagine being silenced too… and yet it’s an all too common experience when a mother is dealing with birth trauma.

This kind of silence around what’s “supposed to be the best day of our lives” can be isolating and deeply painful.

So that’s why we’re talking about it and why we won’t stop talking about it.

In this episode, we talk about exactly why phrases like “all that matters is a healthy baby” can be so damaging to a mother with birth trauma, and how it’s time to shift the standard.

Because when a mum is supported and well, EVERYONE benefits 🤍

So let’s shift the standard and let’s break the silence.

Rebecca & Amber-Lee x

🎧 Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts!

Has a phrase like this ever made you feel dismissed? Let’s talk about it 👇🏻

16/07/2025

THIS IS BIRTH TRAUMA…

In honour of Birth Trauma Awareness Week, I want to share the stories behind the statistics, the lived experiences, the stories we often keep to ourselves…

I’m eternally grateful to the incredible mothers who trust me to share their experiences of birth trauma and mental ill health on the podcast.

Holding space for these stories is something I don’t take lightly.

These are just some of the ways that birth trauma during the perinatal period can affect the lives of Australian mothers.

Be sure to go gently.

If any of this resonates, I’m sorry. And I know it may not feel like it right now, but there is help and there is hope.

The organisations tagged in the post are a great place to start if you’re needing support.

Thank you, truly, from the bottom of my heart, to these wonderful humans, for shining a much needed light on this topic:

🤍
🤍
🤍
🤍
🤍
🤍 .clair
🤍
🤍
🤍
🤍
🤍

We heal when we are heard, let’s keep the conversation going.

Rebecca x

For more stories of motherhood and mental health that we often keep to ourselves, tune in to the podcast - wherever you listen 🎧

14/07/2025

BIRTH TRAUMA AWARENESS WEEK

There are no words that truly express how much this week means to me - especially as it lands so close to my own birth trauma anniversary too.

Birth trauma and postpartum PTSD are topics close to my heart and etched into every cell of my body.

I want so badly to do this topic justice, to honour it properly, and to hold space for the lived experiences of mental health and birth trauma.

It’s a big expectation, but I can only try.

So today and for the whole week, just like I do everyday, I will share stories, advocate, educate, reduce stigma, raise awareness, and support the incredible organisations and individuals doing the good work - not just this week, but every week.

There is support available. These are some of the incredible organisations to reach out to:

• .org.au
•
•
• .org.au
•

We heal when we are heard.

Rebecca x

Listen to the podcast for the lived experiences of birth trauma and maternal mental health - AVAILABLE ON ALL PODCAST PLATFORMS 🎧

12/07/2025

Anyone else graduate with a major in overthinkology? 👀🙈😂

Sometimes we gotta laugh or we’d cry, right?

Laughs aside, overthinking is our brain’s way of trying to protect us. It gives us a fleeting sense of reassurance and control, like if we just prepare enough or consider every single possible outcome, we’ll be able to cope with anything, right?!!

The tricky part?

Overthinking can feel productive like we’re being responsible or proactive. But in reality, it can leave us feeling stuck, anxious, and even more unsure.

…because it’s not really clarity or preparedness that we’re chasing. It’s comfort and certainty.

Especially during big life transitions (like pregnancy or new parenthood), our minds crave certainty that simply doesn’t exist. And that can feel really uncomfortable.

It’s okay to want to feel prepared.

It’s also okay to take a breath and remind yourself that you don’t need every answer to take the next step.

(Yes, it’s easier said than done. Trust me, I know. I did also major in overthinkology 🙈)

I see you, doing your best in the unknown. And that’s more than enough.

Rebecca x

Tune in to the podcast for real talk, some tears, and even a few laughs along the way - because maternal mental health deserves a mic 🤍

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple and anywhere else you get your podcasts and don’t forget to follow, rate, and share with a fellow overthinker!