The first year.
What nobody tells you.
This page is not about maisie.
It is about you — and what you might be carrying
right now that deserves to be named.
The first year is the most
vulnerable of your life.
Nobody talks about that enough.
There is a word for what happens to a woman when she becomes a mother. It is called matrescence — and it is as seismic a transformation as adolescence. Your brain rewires. Your identity shifts. The person you were before is not gone, but she is changing at a pace nothing prepares you for.
This is normal. It is not weakness. And it does not mean something is wrong with you.
But it is also true that for many mothers, this transition tips into something heavier. Postnatal depression and anxiety are among the most common complications of new motherhood — and among the most silently suffered.
new mothers in Ireland experience postnatal depression — with many cases going unrecognised and untreated.
Source: Saolta Maternity Services / HSE — postnataldepressionaware.ie
of first-time mothers in Ireland reported depression symptoms in the first year postpartum — with 1 in 5 reporting significant stress.
Source: MAMMI Study (Maternal health And Maternal Morbidity in Ireland), published in PMC
women in the UK experience postnatal depression within the first year of giving birth. The Royal College of Psychiatrists estimates up to 85,000 mothers were affected in England in 2024 alone.
Source: NHS.uk & rcpsych.ac.uk
maisie is not a substitute for professional support — and if you are struggling, please reach out to your GP, midwife, or a perinatal mental health service.
What maisie is, is a daily practice of noticing. Of finding one thing — however small — that was worth something today. Research tells us that building this habit actively rewires how we experience our days. It does not cure. But it protects. It builds the muscle. And on the days when everything feels heavy, that muscle is what carries you through.
If you need support right now: