This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Namita Mahanama will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
The children’s book that I wrote, My Mummy After Our Baby – A Journey of Hope and Healing, is an actual true story about my family. It is a story of ‘Aydan’, who is actually my eldest son Ari, navigating his way through my post-natal depression after I had my second son ‘Kameron’, who is actually Kaiyaan.
I wrote this book as one that I wished was available for me and Ari, when I was unwell, as it explains so eloquently through the illustrations and narrative exactly what was happening in a very gentle and soft way.
It helps to give so much understanding, compassion and hope around the whole experience of PND. This is why I needed to create this support tool, so that it could help other families through their difficult chapters; in hope that it gives some solace and respite to their situation.
I was riddled within my darkness of post-natal depression that came on suddenly and ferociously on day 5 after giving birth, which completely blind-sided little Ari at the age of 4 years old.
This story shows how he was the silent observer to my illness, and was completely confused about where I had gone and what had happened to me. Yet, this beautiful story shows how his unconditional love for me, became my strength and guiding light into walking towards my recovery.
His strength, his resilience, his ability to see me beyond the pain and darkness that the condition brought to me…and him searching for glimpses of my light within, gave me my ‘WHY’ to keep going day after day.
His character in this book as Aydan, and him in real life as Ari, have given me my greatest lessons. My boys have been my greatest teachers in life, thus far.
His unconditional love for me was the first lesson he taught me. He taught me that we do not need to be ‘perfect’ or have ‘Instagram worthy’ ‘picture-perfect’ moments, because unconditional love is always there between all of the cracks…and it lays waiting, ready to rekindled when the dust begins to settle.
He taught me the power of inner strength and gave me my reason to keep trying everything to recover from this silent, and very isolating disease.
I did it for him, knowing that he deserved to have a healthy mother who would do anything for him to live his best life. The thought of a life for him without a mother in it, crushed my soul and gave me every ounce of energy I needed to keep fighting another day.
His beautiful innocence allowed me to gather the courage to do everything I needed to do to recover from this illness.
He believed in me, he relied on me and he needed me to get better.
He taught me the lesson of tribal support, and that our children are our tribe.
He taught me that although this heart-wrenching condition cuts off our heart-centre and brain-centre; that our love and connection is always primal, there and runs through our veins…no matter what.
He taught me that patience is a virtue, and he patiently waited until I returned back into my light and that connection returned in abundance. We then savoured it a million times more, because we had lost it instantly, through no fault of our own, for those 11 weeks.
He was my strength, my purpose, the breath in my lungs to get me through one moment and day at a time.
I am so grateful for his love and for choosing me to be his Mummy, because without him, I would not have a ‘happily ever after’.
That part in the story, where I woke up that morning in week 11 post-birth, and ‘Aydan’ (Ari) held and sang to me the Noongar (Indigenous Aboriginal song) as I woke up, absolutely happened.
To this day, it brings me to tears; the emotion, the heart, the love that I felt in that moment, and I will never, ever forget the perfection and divinity that was.
‘Baby you are my heart…Baby you are my heart…Baby you are my heart…my star, my love, my life’
He is my star…my love…and he gave me my life back…and I will be eternally grateful.
My Mummy After Our Baby: A Journey Of Hope and Healing is a beautifully written and illustrated story, about the reality of post-natal depression setting in after the birth of their perfect little baby.
It is a gentle, soft, perfectly put together story, filled with an abundance of emotion and heart to explain what is happening at home, for all children who may be feeling lost and confused about what is happening to their Mummy after becoming unwell.It is written by a mother who experienced this twice herself and vowed to create a beautiful explanation and tool, in order to provide hope, solace and strength for other families, that she wished was available for her children.
This beautiful book is written in the hope of educating, as well as to be a connective and bonding tool, at a time when a family needs it the most. It is gently and eloquently written, with the most amazing illustrations, that will form the basis of a vital healing tool in the home of everyone who is going through this harrowing chapter.
The author has brought the prospect of hope in a perfect package here and is her gift to you and your family, to navigate through this chapter with as much peace and lightness as possible.
Enjoy an Excerpt
Once upon a time in a far-away town called Knocksville, there lived a little boy called Aydan. He was a very kind, fun, smart and sweet boy full of so much energy and brightness!
Aydan made friends with everyone that he met and he was always the bright spark in every room that he walked into.
Aydan lived with his Mummy and Daddy and they loved spending time together. They played golf, loved going to the beach or running around the park with their little doggy Rupert.
Every day felt like it was filled with so much joy and happiness.
Every night they always shared turns in saying three things that they were thankful for.
Most nights, Aydan would say that he was thankful for food in his tummy, a roof over his head and for having a family who loved and cared for him as much as all of the stars in the sky.
This always made his Mummy’s heart shine brighter, grow bigger and she would hold him tight until he fell asleep.
About the Author:
Namita is a mother of two boys and draws upon her heart-wrenching first-hand experience of
post-natal depression, after the birth of both of her children. She is creating a myriad of support tools for women and their families, to navigate through their journeys of PND with as much ease and grace as possible.
Namita is a registered pharmacist who has qualifications in Ayurveda and Ayurveda Yoga teaching, as well as being a PMC (paediatric massage consultant) and CIMI (certified infant massage instructor). She draws upon her professional knowledge as well as her own experience, to be the support lifeline at a time when families need it the most.
Her intention is that she can be a beacon of hope and shine much-needed light, on the road
towards the mothers and the entire family’s healing and recovery. She hopes to inspire and uplift you through this chapter in your life.
Buy the book at Amazon, Amazon CA, Chapters Indigo, Barnes and Noble, or Book Depository.
