News from Mum Love
how we’re impacting the news agenda for mums
FROM A MOTHER TO ANOTHER
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FROM A MOTHER TO ANOTHER |
What really helps new mums: talking honestly about guilt, community and coming back to yourself
I sat down with Belinda Batt, coach and founder of The Flourishing Mother, and Louise Webster, founder of Beyond the School Run, for an honest conversation about modern motherhood. We talked guilt, identity loss, matrescence and why the system needs to do better for new mums.
What does real support for new mums actually look like?
"This is normal" can be reassuring to hear after having a baby. But for many new mums it's not enough, and sometimes it can make you feel more alone, not less. We look honestly at postnatal identity loss, why the support on offer often falls short, and what can actually help.
Insights from Conversations
Mum Love founder Georgie Woollams has spent months listening, learning and rethinking what support for new mothers could really look like. Here's what those conversations revealed, and why she believes real change is closer than we think.
Recognising and coping with maternal identity loss after birth
That quiet feeling of not quite recognising yourself after having a baby is more common than anyone talks about. It has a name, it's well documented, and there are gentle, practical ways through it. Here's what to look out for and where to start.
Mum Love and Motherkind, turning role confusion into support for every mum
Feeling lost after having a baby isn't a sign something is wrong with you. It has a name: matrescence. I sat down with Zoe Blaskey of Motherkind to talk about why naming that experience matters, what it feels like to lose yourself in early motherhood, and how Mum Love is trying to change the conversation around it.
What is Matrescence?
You've probably heard of adolescence. Matrescence is the same kind of shift, but for becoming a mother. It's gradual, sometimes disorienting, and completely normal. And most women go through it without ever knowing it has a name.
The maternity care crisis that's failing UK women, and what needs to change
One in three women describe their birth experience as traumatic. Maternal mortality has risen 20% in 15 years. Nearly 130,000 people have signed a petition calling for a Maternity Commissioner. This piece looks at what's going wrong, who it's hitting hardest, and what needs to change.
Who am I now? Making sense of identity loss after having a baby
After a baby arrives, it's common to find yourself wondering where you went. Not in a dramatic way, just a quiet, nagging sense that the person you were before is harder to find. You're not alone, and there are ways through it.
A Heartfelt Chat: Mum Love Meets PANDAS Foundation
Mum Love Founder, Georgie, sat down with PANDAS Foundation for one of those conversations that stays with you. They talked about identity loss, perinatal mental health and what it really means to support a mum who is struggling.
What Mothers bring back to the workplace: Lessons from the University of Motherhood
Feeling like you lost a part of yourself when you became a mum is more common than most people admit. But alongside that identity shift, something else is quietly happening, and it is worth paying attention to.
Advocating for Change: Recognising Motherhood and Role Confusion
Mum Love's 2026 YouGov research found that 74% of mothers experience role confusion after birth, yet matrescence, the word that describes this transition, is still not formally recognised in mainstream dictionaries. Without language, experience goes unnamed, and without naming it, it is much harder to seek support.
Embracing Matrescence: A Path to Maternal Well-Being
Only 20% of new mothers are screened for postpartum depression, despite research showing that understanding matrescence, the developmental transition into motherhood, significantly improves mindfulness, self-compassion and resilience in those who learn about it.
Navigating Role Confusion: The Identity Struggles of Postpartum Mothers
The transition into motherhood reshapes identity in ways that are rarely talked about openly, and our 2026 YouGov research shows that 74% of mothers experience role confusion after birth, with 55% reporting some form of identity loss.
Not Just You
Most mothers feel it, that quiet unravelling nobody warned you about, and new research from Mum Love confirms it. Our inaugural report, presented to 10 Downing Street in February 2026, found that 82% of new mothers felt overwhelmed, 55% experienced a loss of identity, and 78% felt uncertain about their role after birth - because this transition deserves real support, not silence.
