Journey to Motherhood - Interview with Cat Strawbridge

Today Zoe talks to Cat Strawbridge, trying to conceive community advocate and fellow podcaster, about her personal experiences in becoming a mum; starting right from the beginning, through some very difficult times to where she is now. Listen in today for both an emotional and humorous insight to Cat’s journey to motherhood.     KEY TAKEAWAYS   Motherhood comes in so many different forms, ‘everybody has a different kettle of fish’ to be contending with. Cat and her partner were diagnosed with unexplained fertility – they believe often this is actually just a ‘lack of knowledge’ about infertility. The progress in fertility is very limited compared to other healthcare areas, there is so much more research that needs to be done. Women need to be given more information and be more prepared about miscarriages, it’s something that isn’t spoken about enough and this and the lack of preparation given to women makes it even more traumatic. Finding a sense of mindfulness really helped Cat. She discovered that when she drew she didn’t think of anything else and this really helped her in emotionally recovering from the trauma of infertility and miscarrying. It’s very hard having fertility problems and being pregnant. You often feel like you don’t belong in pregnancy spaces even though you are pregnant. There’s a stronger link between women who have fertility issues and post-natal depression.  Just because you have had a more difficult time ‘getting the baby’ it does not mean that you have to enjoy every single moment of motherhood. Cat found there was a lack of support when she became pregnant after fertility issues. So, she created something called ‘the hangout’ as a safe place for exactly that. A place where women can share worries, anxieties as well as celebrate without worrying about upsetting the TTC community who are still trying so hard to become pregnant.     BEST MOMENTS   ‘It’s something people don’t speak about enough…it’s a massive event, it’s huge and it hurts, it hurts physically and emotionally”   “Slowly but surely I rebuilt myself”   “I loved being pregnant and I made the most of it as much as I could”   “It’s ‘AND’ not OR’. You can love them AND you can be really pi**ed off because they are not sleeping…there are a lot of emotions that come with having a baby it is really bloody hard”     VALUABLE RESOURCES Eggsnsoldiers.com Eco-aware and sustainable baby shop in Dubai. Use ZOECM10 for discount.   ABOUT THE GUEST Cat Strawbridge   IG @tryingyears IG @itscatandalice Podcast Finally Pregnant www.catstrawbridge.com   Cat is a leading advocate of the trying to conceive community after her own experience of infertility. She talks about her journey to motherhood and the birth of her little girl Wren.    ABOUT THE HOST Zoe Cresswell Devoted mother of two (and a big hairy dog), UK trained midwife, doula and personal trainer, specialising in pre and postnatal fitness. Zoe was born in the UK and before moving to Dubai in 2013 and worked as a midwife in central London, both in a birth centre and a very busy NHS hospital. Although late to the scene, Zoe is an aspiring athlete having won numerous triathlons and representing Great Britain where she placed within the top 10 on the world stage. With her husband James, the couple will soon be launching their cloth nappy company, Bop & Bee, where they hope to inspire families to swap a few disposable nappies a day for the more planet friendly option of cloth. Zoe’s goal is to share her knowledge and experience, tell real life stories, manage expectations and open up those often difficult conversations. Zoe’s own motherhood journey has been full of twists and turns as she put everything on hold and went through numerous miscarriages and rounds of IVF.   CONTACT DETAILS  Instagram : @zoecresswell_me Facebook: Zoe Cresswell LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-cresswell