Larissa
Asking for help felt scary — but reaching out to Gidget Foundation Australia turned out to be one of the best decisions I've ever made.
When my daughter was born, I expected the usual challenges of new motherhood. What I never expected was sitting in a hospital room six weeks later, hearing the words: “Your baby has cystic fibrosis”.
In that moment, my whole world tilted. One day I was learning how to settle a newborn — the next I was learning how to manage a lifelong medical condition. Everyone was focused on my daughter, which made sense. But no one saw what was happening quietly inside me. The shock, the fear, the grief I didn't know how to name.
My sleep suffered, my confidence crumbled, I struggled to connect with my baby and husband, and some days even breathing felt like a task. This wasn't just new mum worry — this was postpartum depression, but I didn't have the words for it. I felt alone in a world that no longer made sense.
Asking for help felt scary — but reaching out to Gidget Foundation Australia turned out to be one of the best decisions I've ever made. For the first time, I felt truly seen as a person carrying trauma, fear and overwhelming emotional weight.
With my Gidget Clinician, I had a safe place to speak honestly, to cry, unravel and learn to rebuild. The support I received didn’t just help me, it made me a better mother and partner.
Asking for help isn't weakness. It's courage.