Jami
Country is everything, it's family, it's life and it's connection.
My journey into motherhood was not what I had imagined and perinatal depression and anxiety took me by surprise.
My daughter came into the world after a long labour which ended in an emergency caesarean. I had requested my placenta be kept for burial — a common practice in my Aboriginal culture that connects us to Mother Earth and our Ancestors — but it was accidentally thrown out. I felt disrespected.
When I left hospital, things spiralled quickly. I felt lonely, the baby blues didn’t leave and I was experiencing intrusive thoughts every day. I birthed off country and my postpartum experience was sadly traumatic, which led to a decline in my mental health. I appeared well but I was breaking inside. Depression felt like a deep hole I couldn’t get myself out of.
I came across Gidget Foundation Australia and booked an appointment straight away. I was assigned a beautiful Gidget Clinician who made me feel seen and understood.
One of my totems is the kookaburra — the protector. Their strong presence around my family is a sign of powerful healing and safety. If you're having a tough time, look around you and connect with country — it has so much to give. Soak your face in sunshine, listen to the birds, listen to the leaves. We call this Dadirri.