‘Someone told me I was a control freak around my baby’
Nothing prepared me for the unrelenting demands of motherhood: the realities of a 24/7 responsibility that left no time for myself, that lonely time after the front door closed behind my husband each morning while I felt like I just had to cope. I had wildly unrealistic expectations of myself as a perfect mother and […]
How is Dad going? PND and fathers

“I just want to support her, she’s the mum.” “The little one’s doing well, that’s the main thing.” “You just have to get on with it.” “I work really hard, then I get home and there’s more work.” “I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t – whatever I do is not good […]
‘Antenatal depression is not a myth, it’s real. It’s debilitating and horrible’

“Depression, it creeps up on you and puts its claws into you when you least expect it. I for one never thought it would happen to me. Was there such a thing as antenatal depression? I had never heard of it before. I knew others that had suffered varying types of depression but I didn’t […]
‘I was angry and crying and swearing every day’
Did you know that perinatal depression and anxiety can occur even if it isn’t your first child? It doesn’t just happen to new mums. It happened to Kelley. This is her story … “[With my first child] I had a good pregnancy and indulged my hot chips craving as much as possible. That moment, that […]
‘I have anxiety. I am the 1 in 4’
I have anxiety. I am the 1 in 4. I am one of the more than 6,000,000 Australians who suffer from a form of anxiety. Post natal anxiety. It’s the moments I feel like I can’t breathe. The moments the weight on my shoulders is so heavy I feel I could fall over at any […]
How to recognise a mental health issue in your child

Children can develop many of the same mental health difficulties as adults, but sometimes they can manifest in different ways, making them harder to recognise. If parents are unsure, there is no harm in having a conversation with their GP or school counsellor about any emotional, social or behavioural difficulties they think their child may […]
9 ways to help combat pregnancy anxiety

With all the changes happening to your body and to your life when you fall pregnant, it is natural to feel some anxiety about it all. However, there does come a point when the anxiety becomes more than just a ‘little worried’. Antenatal anxiety is just as common as antenatal depression, which affects 1 in […]
8 things kids stress about before school starts – and how to help them

The symptoms of anxiety about school can be broad and many, so it is important to take notice of any change in your child’s normal behaviour or temperament. Here are 8 things a child might worry about and how to help them
Anusaya’s antenatal anxiety and depression story

This is not an individual woman’s story, it represents the thousands of stories PANDA’s counsellors hear every year
6 ways to help your teen overcome school stress
Teenagers are particularly vulnerable to stress during assessment periods, when assignments are due and exams are closing in. How can parents help teenagers navigate through this stressful time?