Ivana Poku

18/08/2025

When did motherhood turn into a competition?

Why are we even arguing about which stage is the hardest?

Truth is though that having your first baby is the biggest and most brutal transformation you’ll ever go through.

That’s what makes it so damn hard.

And yet, people conveniently forget just how relentless those first weeks are.

So I have to ask: what’s the point of these “hardest stage” posts?

For likes?

For going viral?

At the risk of pushing a new mum, already at her most vulnerable, right over the edge?

That’s not awareness.

That’s reckless.

17/08/2025

Crazy isn’t it?

16/08/2025

When we give mums the knowledge, tools, and support they need, we don’t just prevent suffering – we help them feel seen, heard, and supported.

That’s why I speak up. That’s why I write, share, and support.

Because no mum should feel alone, broken, or afraid to say: “I’m not okay.”

Motherhood isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, but it shouldn’t be a secret.

Let’s start being honest, together. ❤️

14/08/2025

My latest blog post: Alex Jones shares what every mum feels but rarely admits👇

Motherhood has two sides: the one people show you, and the one they don’t. When Alex Jones, host of The One Show, opened up about her raw, emotional experience during those early months of motherhood, it struck a chord with so many women. Her honesty peeled back the polished image of motherhood an...

13/08/2025

When Eszter Kalman agreed to read a section of ‘Motherhood: The Unspoken,’ I knew it would be special, but hearing her voice breathe life into the words in the book is beyond incredible. ❤️ This audiobook project is growing into a chorus of real mums, real stories, all joining forces to shatter the silence around early motherhood and postnatal mental health.

It’s about making a difference, creating a legacy of lasting support for new mums around the world.

And with 80% of profits going to the incredible work of .foundation, every voice becomes a step towards saving lives.

Want to add your voice? Reach out!

Together, let’s rewrite the future for new mums so that they never have to struggle in silence.

12/08/2025

Magic is all around us. If you’re willing to see it 😉❤️

06/08/2025

I just want to take a moment to share some heartfelt love and gratitude. 🥰❤️

A few months ago, I began reaching out to people around the world to be part of Motherhood: The Unspoken - the audiobook project. The response has honestly left me speechless.

People, many of whom had never met me or even read the book, have said YES to narrating parts of it, simply because they believe in the mission. And to see so many incredible, successful individuals supporting this project with open hearts and expecting nothing in return… it’s beyond words.

80% of the profits will go to the amazing .foundation, and the fact that people are so willing to contribute their time, energy, and voices is something I’ll never take for granted.

To everyone who’s already involved, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. ❤️

And if this speaks to you and you’d like to support or be part of the project, I’d LOVE to hear from you. The more voices we have, the stronger the message. 🙏❤️

Here’s to the end of silent struggles in mums!

With all my love,
Ivana xx

05/08/2025

Let’s talk about the lie we’ve been fed for way too long: “mum guilt.”

There’s no such thing.

It’s just guilt — and most of the time, it has nothing to do with your child, and everything to do with you.

Your wounds.
Your insecurities.
Your unresolved traumas.

We throw the word mum guilt around like it’s something we should expect and accept.

Now, is guilt always bad? No.

Healthy guilt can be powerful. It can help us grow, course-correct, own our mistakes.

But chronic soul-crushing guilt?

That’s not growth.

That’s emotional self-sabotage dressed up as “good mum” behaviour.

If the guilt is eating you alive, making you question your worth or your choices, that is a red flag that something deeper is crying out to be healed.

You feel guilty for going back to work?
Saying no to your child?
Taking time for yourself?

Look closer.

Chances are, that guilt is linked to something from your past - a fear of being left out, not being enough, not feeling seen.

And motherhood has a brutal way of bringing all that to the surface.

They say when you become a mother, the child in you awakens.

And with her comes every unhealed wound you’ve tried to bury.

That’s why guilt hits harder now.

Because you’re not just mothering a child, you’re being pulled to mother yourself too.

So, let’s not normalise guilt.

Let’s name it.

Let’s trace it.

Let’s heal it.

02/08/2025

The tears, the rage, the numbness, the “I can’t do this anymore” moments… none of them make you a bad mum.

They make you a mum.

Somewhere along the way, mums were made to believe that struggling = failing.

That if we’re not glowing with joy 24/7, we’re not doing it right.

But here’s the truth:

Feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, or even resentful doesn’t mean you’re a bad mum.

And are carrying so much.

And what you really need isn’t fixing - it’s space to be seen.

To be heard.

To be held.

You need to be reminded that this is normal, expected, and so much more common than we’re told.

You don’t need advice.

You need someone to say, “Me too.”

And I’m here to say it to you now.

01/08/2025

Let’s stop calling it “baby blues.”

Better yet, let’s erase the term completely.

Because sadness, loneliness, regret, random tears… these are all natural and expected feelings of a new mum.

It’s what happens when your whole world shifts overnight.
When your body breaks and your heart expands in ways no one warned you about.

Giving it a label makes it sound like a condition. Something to avoid. Something to fix. A weakness.

It makes women question themselves for simply going through a very natural process.

If anything needs a label, it’s the rare case where these feelings don’t show up.
As THAT’S what’s unusual.

When we finally call it what it is we stop new mums from suffering in silence.

We stop “baby blues”from festering into something darker.

Because silence doesn’t protect women.

Truth does.

And saying it out loud?

That’s where everything starts to change.

31/07/2025

Love is when you’re terrified of flying, and so is your son, but you’re on a plane, and even though you’re on the verge of panic, you pretend you’re okay just to help him relax. This is what makes us superheroes, mamas!! ❤️