Mama Talanoa

Does it surprise you that maternal rage is common? One Australian study showed:

-97% of mums experienced anger in motherhood
-85% felt guilty afterwards
-but only 20% had spoken to another mother about it

Add mum rage to the unfortunately long list of taboo parts of the motherhood experience🥲

Our completely FREE sessions are provided for mums who want to talanoa about how motherhood REALLY is, not just the perfectly-curated parts of motherhood you see on Instagram. We’re here to talk all about what makes mums angry, and what that anger might really be trying to tell you.

Join our Talanoa. Sign up link in our bio🔗

1 in 6 people experience infertility globally, which is defined as the inability to conceive within 12 months of trying.

Your pain, grief and longing are valid. You are not alone.💙

June is infertility awareness month🧡

June is World Infertility Awareness Month.

And if you’re in the middle of that journey, I just want you to know this:

I see you.

I see the negative tests tucked away in drawers.
The appointments you don’t talk about.
The medications, the procedures, the waiting.
The hope you keep carrying even when your heart feels exhausted.

I see the way you smile through baby announcements while quietly wondering when it will be your turn.
The way you hold your breath every month.
The way grief and hope somehow coexist inside the same heart.

Infertility isn’t just the inability to conceive.

It’s mourning the timeline you thought your life would follow.
It’s feeling isolated in a room full of people who don’t understand.
It’s carrying a heartbreak that often goes unseen because the loss exists in what hasn’t happened yet.

If this is your story, please know that your pain is real.
Your feelings are valid.
And you are not alone.

This month and every month, I am holding space for you.

For your hope.
For your grief.
For your waiting.
For your miracle, whatever that may look like.

You are deeply loved.

“I had my second child via elective c-section. I was 17.

I had hoped for a natural birth but scans showed her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck twice.

The day came to go into theater. The epidural stung as the long needle pierced my spinal cord. I felt the surgeon slice through layer after layer and within 20mins she was out.

I held my breath waiting to hear her cry. Her little cries broke the silence and I felt a wave of relief wash over me.

Afterwards we were wheeled to recovery. It was then that I noticed her skin was very yellow. The pediatrician informed me that she was severely jaundiced and would need to be in NICU for phototherapy.

The first few nights were painful and grueling. I would have to visit her in NICU for feeds and each time she would cry and cry when I put her back in the box, which would make me cry and cry.

I was tired, worried for her, and simple tasks like putting on clothes or going to the toilet was painful. I was also overseas for this birth and far from home + my family. I felt alone.

A few days after the birth, nurses found that I had contracted a UTI from the catheter so I also had to stay admitted in hospital.

Baby and I spent two long weeks in hospital - she in the NICU + me in the ward recovering. In that season after the birth, I cried a lot, felt very low and depressed, it took months for me to recover physically, mentally and emotionally.

Today that little baby is 14 and healthy.”

-Vani, Samoan & Indo-Fijian mama of 4🌺

Vinaka to .s.sharma for sharing her c-section birth story in such an honest way🩷

In an online world that often shows a curated, perfected version of motherhood, Mama Talanoa is committed to being honest and open about the beauty and challenges of experiencing motherhood as Pacific Islander women.

💌if you feel inspired to share your motherhood story, send us a dm

I am convinced that if the church showed more support & compassion to single pregnant women, more babies would be alive.

Last year we surveyed 104 Fijians.
📍44 of whom had had an abortion
📍35 said they had received support they would have chosen life.

How can your church support life??

Because blaming hormones for everything just isn’t helping anyone🫠

If you’re pregnant or up to two years postpartum, join our FREE Zoom talanoa session where we’ll tackle something all mums have in common: stress.

If you’ve ever wondered:
“Why can’t I relax when it’s finally time for bed?”
“Why is it so hard for me to feel anything anymore?”

Or you often feel on edge, irritated or angry… chances are you’re probably overstimulated.

We’ll discuss how nervous system overload and stress impact our motherhood experiences and how we can take care of our hormonal health💗

Sign up with this link:

https://forms.gle/bFzcovpsZzjpicL16

Moms, ever feel like your spidey senses are on constant high alert? It’s not all in your head (figuratively speaking!)

Research from the Archives of Women's Mental Health shows that after giving birth, a woman’s brain actually changes, particularly the amygdala, the area responsible for processing emotion and detecting threats. Think of it as the brain’s internal smoke detector: more sensitive, more alert, and primed to react quickly to protect your baby.

It’s also why sleep often becomes lighter in early motherhood. Even at rest, the brain is continuously scanning for cues that your baby may need you.

So if you’ve ever wondered why you can hear a tiny whimper from across the house while everyone else sleeps through it, science says your mom brain is doing exactly what it was designed to do.