Marcelle
So be brave, start talking, and build your village.
I'm not one to beat around the bush — five years of trying to conceive, six pregnancies, six early miscarriages, an ectopic pregnancy, two rounds of IVF and thousands of dollars on tests, only to be told there was no reason why we couldn't have a healthy baby. We were done. We donated our final embryo to research, bought a kitten, travelled the world.
Then — a positive test. I barely batted an eyelid as I waited for my seventh miscarriage. But there was a heartbeat. Our miracle baby daughter arrived healthy, happy and thriving.
And then the anxiety hit. I second-guessed every tiny decision, convinced I was going to ruin her life. One day I looked at my six-month-old and felt nothing. Nothing except a feeling of devastation that this baby deserved so much better than me. The sense of failure and guilt consumed me.
That was the moment. As soon as my GP mentioned Gidget Foundation Australia, I felt an instant sense of relief — I was no longer alone. My fortnightly sessions grounded me and gave me micro-goals to work on.
It wasn't until I put my feelings of failure and shame aside and asked for help that the wheels of change were set in motion. I wish I had sought help sooner.