Mum Love was born from lived experience.
After facing her own identity crisis in early motherhood, Georgie Woollans realised she wasn’t alone. “It wasn’t until someone said, ‘It sounds like an identity crisis,’ that everything clicked,” she says.
That moment changed everything - naming it brought clarity, compassion, and the strength to move forward.
But no one was talking about identity loss in motherhood, and Georgie is determined to change that.
A Movemement for Mothersthe mum-love Story
THE VISION
Mum Love’s vision is a world where every new post-partum mum receives recognition, practical support, and evidence-based care for the emotional and identity changes following childbirth.
We aim to achieve this by listening to parents and sharing their stories. Through research and storytelling Mum Love advocates for new parents, to impact policy change, grow an empathetic community and provide accessible clinical tools.
The whole reason Mum Love was created was to change the narrative around motherhood. Yes, having a baby is beautiful, but let’s be honest, the journey comes with its fair share of challenges, including that tricky identity shift we all go through. Becoming a mother often triggers a profound identity crisis for many women, and guess what? This is something that just doesn’t get enough airtime!
The scientific term for this transformative experience is "matrescence," which involves some serious physical, emotional, and psychological changes that can leave you wondering, “Who am I now?” If you’ve ever found yourself staring in the mirror and not recognising the woman looking back at you, you’re definitely not alone! As you read through the stories of other mums, you’ll see that we all share this wild ride of emotions. It’s like a secret club where everyone’s asking, “Am I getting this right?” Spoiler alert: you are! We’ve all had similar feelings at some point; we just don’t talk about it enough.
Let’s face it, many of us feel like the spontaneous, fun, or career-driven version of ourselves just vanished overnight, replaced by routines filled with feeding schedules and constant vigilance. Remember that time you tried to swaddle your baby? You watched the videos, copied the nurse, and yet somehow, your swaddle never looked quite right. We’ve all been there!
And then there’s the pressure to be the perfect mum, competing in what Bluey calls the "Baby Race," trying to get everything right and making sure your child keeps up with the other babies. This can lead to a sprinkle of guilt when you take a moment for yourself, even just to wash your hair! It can feel like you’re losing bits of your identity along the way. Plus, as life priorities shift, it’s easy to feel isolated from your old friends, and many of us grapple with feelings of undervalue, especially those who are stay-at-home mums.
But here’s the good news: this identity crisis is a completely normal part of becoming a parent! It’s often just a temporary phase that can lead to a fabulous new version of you.
So, why not take a moment to reflect? Acknowledge those feelings of loss, and don’t be shy about sharing your story! Reading these experiences shows you’re not alone, and your journey can inspire the next mum out there. Practising self-reflection, journaling, and reaching out to fellow mums or a therapist can work wonders.
Remember to carve out time for your personal interests and embrace this change of identity as a fantastic opportunity for growth. By integrating the "old you" with the "new mum," you can emerge as a stronger, wiser, and even more confident version of yourself!
So, let’s celebrate this wild ride together - because every mum’s story is worth sharing!
“I CRY BECAUSE THE FEEL OF MY OWN BODY IS COMPLETELY UNKOWN TO ME AND NOBODY WARNED ME ABOUT THAT.”
Hollie McNish, Nobody Told Me