In this episode, Jes shares her experience of severe postpartum anxiety, the challenges of accessing perinatal mental health care, and how her journey eventually inspired her to create The Jellybean Gym — a space supporting both young children and their parents.
We discuss:
Jes's experience of a difficult pregnancy with persistent nausea and vomiting
Discovering her daughter was breech at 37 weeks and changing her birth plans
Choosing a planned caesarean and navigating feelings of failure before becoming a mother
The importance of partner leave
Meeting her daughter for the first time and not experiencing the immediate connection she had expected
Recovering from a caesarean and the anxiety Jes experienced
Struggling to trust her own instincts as a new mother
The challenges of learning to parent together and communicating with your partner
Experiencing increasingly severe anxiety and panic attacks during early postpartum
The impact of anxiety on Jes's ability to eat, sleep and function
Reaching a mental health crisis and recognising that she urgently needed professional support
The significant barriers Jes encountered when trying to access perinatal mental health care
Seeking help through urgent care, her GP, emergency departments and other services
The support Jes received from PANDA during this difficult period
Being admitted to a perinatal mental health unit at eight weeks postpartum
Spending three and a half weeks in hospital alongside her daughter
What a perinatal mental health admission can look like
Accessing psychiatric care, medication and psychological support
Preparing to leave hospital and the anxiety surrounding returning home
Understanding that mental health recovery is an ongoing process
The enormous role James played in supporting Jes through her postpartum experience
Finding a supportive community through mothers' groups
The importance of feeling heard and validated by other mothers
How connection with other mothers can reduce feelings of isolation
Why her postpartum experience inspired her to establish The Jellybean Gym
Creating purposeful play classes for young children
Designing a space that supports parents and caregivers as well as their children
The importance of allowing families time to connect before and after classes
Creating community through small groups, shared experiences and everyday conversations
How building The Jellybean Gym has been part of Jes's own healing journey
Jes's advice to other mothers - if something feels hard, it is hard, and you deserve support
You can find out more about Jes and The JellyBean Gym at www.thejellybeangym.com.au or on instagram @thejellybeangym.
A big thank you to Odi Nutrition for sponsoring this week’s episode.
You can find out more about Odi at @odi_nutrition_, and you can browse their range at odinutrition.com.
As mentioned in the episode, here are some postpartum support resources. Please reach out if you need help.
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