Becoming a parent can change your perspective on the world and bring strong emotions to the surface.

It can also prompt you to look within, to turn to the example that was set for you as a child.

And if you have a complicated relationship with your own parents – or they’re not around – who do you turn to when you start wondering “Am I going about this the right way?”

Chris Jephcott found himself facing the prospect of becoming a dad at the same time he was losing his own.

His partner Suzi Garden fell pregnant early in their relationship, and although they were excited, they were also nervous – they knew this would be tough terrain to navigate.

Becoming a dad forced Chris to reckon with the most traumatic moments of his past, but it also strengthened his resolve to build his parenting skills from the ground up and be a different father to his own son.

This episode contains discussion of suicide.

Survive and Thrive is a PANDA podcast, produced by Deadset Studios

Visit panda.org.au for more support.

Family violence support:

It’s important to know that there is a risk during this time in your life that family violence will get worse, or it may start for the first time. If you’re worried about safety in your relationship, support is available.

1800 RESPECT (support for people affected by family violence): 1800 737 732 or 1800respect.org.au (24/7)

Speak to PANDA:

Call the PANDA Helpline on 1300 726 306 (9am-7:30pm Monday-Saturday AEST).

The Helpline provides a safe and confidential space for any new or expecting parent struggling with the challenges of becoming a new parent.

Our highly trained and caring counsellors can help you work through your challenges by talking openly and honestly about your thoughts, feelings and experiences.

Partners, family members and friends can also call, as can health professionals supporting expecting and new parents.

More resources:

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby Helpline: 1800 882 436 (24/7)

Lifeline: 13 11 14 (24/7) or lifeline.org.au (12pm to midnight)

Suicide Callback Service: 1300 659 467 or suicidecallbackservice.org.au (24/7)

QLife: 1800 184 527 or qlife.org.au (3PM to midnight)

Mensline: 1300 78 99 78 or mensline.org.au (24/7)

If you need help now:

If you are concerned about your safety or that of a loved one, please call 000 or visit your local hospital emergency department.

Acknowledgement

PANDA acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land where we work and live and where this podcast is made. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We celebrate the stories, culture and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders of all communities who also work and live on this land.

We recognise the individual and collective contributions of people with a lived and/or living experience of mental health issues, their families, loved ones and supporters.

Each person’s journey is unique and a valued contribution to Australia’s commitment to PANDA's work and mental health systems reform.

It is through listening to and acting on the voices of people with lived experience, that those who provide services, those who fund services, and most importantly, those who use services that we will find the information we need to move towards the mental health system Australia needs.

Every person’s story we hear, every experience shared, helps to develop our understanding of the system that is required to best meet the needs of Australians living with mental health issues, their families, loved ones and supporters.

CREDITS

Host: Gia Hogarth

PANDA Digital Editor: Serena Ashmore

PANDA Commissioning Editor: Bec Shafer

Deadset Studios Senior Producer: Grace Pashley

Deadset Studios Executive Producer: Rachel Fountain

Sound Design by Krissy Miltiadou

“My biggest fear was being isolated. I was having to give up my work. None of my friends had kids. I didn't think that our friendships would be the same after I had a kid.”

Adelaide moved away from her friends and family to regional Victoria just before she fell pregnant with her first child.

When her mental health took a turn, she found the services in her new hometown weren’t exactly able to handle her case. Then when she did find specialists, they didn’t stick around for long.

While Adelaide quickly exhausted her options for local mental health support, luckily those fears about her friendships falling through were unfounded. Her support network her get through it all from afar, but there were plenty of challenges along the way.

You’ll hear Adelaide’s story, and learn from Dr Rochelle Hine, a social worker and mental health professional, about how you can overcome some of the challenges of parenting outside the city.

Survive and Thrive is a PANDA podcast, produced by Deadset Studios

Visit panda.org.au for more support.

Family violence support:

It’s important to know that there is a risk during this time in your life that family violence will get worse, or it may start for the first time. If you’re worried about safety in your relationship, support is available.

1800 RESPECT (support for people affected by family violence): 1800 737 732 or 1800respect.org.au (24/7)

Speak to PANDA:

Call the PANDA Helpline on 1300 726 306 (9am-7:30pm Monday-Friday and 9am-4pm Saturdays AEST).

The Helpline provides a safe and confidential space for any new or expecting parent struggling with the challenges of becoming a new parent.

Our highly trained and caring counsellors can help you work through your challenges by talking openly and honestly about your thoughts, feelings and experiences.

Partners, family members and friends can also call, as can health professionals supporting expecting and new parents.

More resources:

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby Helpline: 1800 882 436 (24/7)

Lifeline: 13 11 14 (24/7) or lifeline.org.au (12pm to midnight)

Suicide Callback Service: 1300 659 467 or suicidecallbackservice.org.au (24/7)

QLife: 1800 184 527 or qlife.org.au (3PM to midnight)

Mensline: 1300 78 99 78 or mensline.org.au (24/7)

If you need help now:

If you are concerned about your safety or that of a loved one, please call 000 or visit your local hospital emergency department.

Acknowledgement

PANDA acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land where we work and live and where this podcast is made. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We celebrate the stories, culture and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders of all communities who also work and live on this land.

We recognise the individual and collective contributions of people with a lived and/or living experience of mental health issues, their families, loved ones and supporters.

Each person’s journey is unique and a valued contribution to Australia’s commitment to PANDA's work and mental health systems reform.

It is through listening to and acting on the voices of people with lived experience, that those who provide services, those who fund services, and most importantly, those who use services that we will find the information we need to move towards the mental health system Australia needs.

Every person’s story we hear, every experience shared, helps to develop our understanding of the system that is required to best meet the needs of Australians living with mental health issues, their families, loved ones and supporters.

CREDITS

Host: Gia Hogarth

PANDA Digital Editor: Serena Ashmore

PANDA Commissioning Editor: Bec Shafer

Deadset Studios Senior Producer: Grace Pashley

Deadset Studios Executive Producer: Rachel Fountain

Sound Design by Krissy Miltiadou

Birthing on Country is about choice, and the power that comes from making your own choice.

For some First Nations women it might be the choice to birth safely on the lands of their ancestors, instead of travelling thousands of kilometres away to a hospital where they don’t speak the language.

For others it might be bringing a symbol of their homelands with them into the hospital, or having their placenta returned to country after the birth.

As a leading advocate for Birthing on Country – a practice that stretches back countless generations of First Nations mums - Professor Yvette Roe knows that what happens in birth can echo through the lives of both parent and child.

Embedding these choices in birthing settings across the country is Professor Roe’s mission as the Co-Director of the Molly Wardaguga Research Centre, where their focus is to radically transform maternity services for First Nations families no matter where they are giving birth.

So how can Birthing on Country keep First Nations mums’ physical and emotional wellbeing safe?

Please Note: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners should be aware, this episode contains references to people who have died.

Survive and Thrive is a PANDA podcast, produced by Deadset Studios

Visit panda.org.au for more support.

Family violence support:

It’s important to know that there is a risk during this time in your life that family violence will get worse, or it may start for the first time. If you’re worried about safety in your relationship, support is available.

1800 RESPECT (support for people affected by family violence): 1800 737 732 or 1800respect.org.au (24/7)

Speak to PANDA:

Call the PANDA Helpline on 1300 726 306 (9am-7:30pm Monday-Saturday AEST).

The Helpline provides a safe and confidential space for any new or expecting parent struggling with the challenges of becoming a new parent.

Our highly trained and caring counsellors can help you work through your challenges by talking openly and honestly about your thoughts, feelings and experiences.

Partners, family members and friends can also call, as can health professionals supporting expecting and new parents.

More resources:

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby Helpline: 1800 882 436 (24/7)

Lifeline: 13 11 14 (24/7) or lifeline.org.au (12pm to midnight)

Suicide Callback Service: 1300 659 467 or suicidecallbackservice.org.au (24/7)

QLife: 1800 184 527 or qlife.org.au (3PM to midnight)

Mensline: 1300 78 99 78 or mensline.org.au (24/7)

If you need help now:

If you are concerned about your safety or that of a loved one, please call 000 or visit your local hospital emergency department.

Acknowledgement:

PANDA acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land where we work and live and where this podcast is made. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We celebrate the stories, culture and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders of all communities who also work and live on this land.

We recognise the individual and collective contributions of people with a lived and/or living experience of mental health issues, their families, loved ones and supporters.

Each person’s journey is unique and a valued contribution to Australia’s commitment to PANDA's work and mental health systems reform.

It is through listening to and acting on the voices of people with lived experience, that those who provide services, those who fund services, and most importantly, those who use services that we will find the information we need to move towards the mental health system Australia needs.

Every person’s story we hear, every experience shared, helps to develop our understanding of the system that is required to best meet the needs of Australians living with mental health issues, their families, loved ones and supporters.

CREDITS

Host: Gia Hogarth

PANDA Digital Editor: Serena Ashmore

PANDA Commissioning Editor: Bec Shafer

Deadset Studios Senior Producer: Grace Pashley

Deadset Studios Executive Producer: Rachel Fountain

Sound Design by Krissy Miltiadou

This grounding exercise aims to release tension from your body, adapted from Paul Gilbert’s ‘Simple Body Scan and Relaxation’ based on compassion-focused therapy.

If you’re feeling wound up, this is a short body-based exercise for stress relief.

Return to this exercise whenever you need.

Survive and Thrive is a PANDA podcast, produced by Deadset Studios

Visit panda.org.au for more support.

Family violence support:

It’s important to know that there is a risk during this time in your life that family violence will get worse, or it may start for the first time. If you’re worried about safety in your relationship, support is available.

1800 RESPECT (support for people affected by family violence): 1800 737 732 or 1800respect.org.au (24/7)

Speak to PANDA:

Call the PANDA Helpline on 1300 726 306 (9am-7:30pm Monday-Saturday AEST).

The Helpline provides a safe and confidential space for any new or expecting parent struggling with the challenges of becoming a new parent.

Our highly trained and caring counsellors can help you work through your challenges by talking openly and honestly about your thoughts, feelings and experiences.

Partners, family members and friends can also call, as can health professionals supporting expecting and new parents.

More resources:

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby Helpline: 1800 882 436 (24/7)

Lifeline: 13 11 14 (24/7) or lifeline.org.au (12pm to midnight)

Suicide Callback Service: 1300 659 467 or suicidecallbackservice.org.au (24/7)

QLife: 1800 184 527 or qlife.org.au (3PM to midnight)

Mensline: 1300 78 99 78 or mensline.org.au (24/7)

If you need help now:

If you are concerned about your safety or that of a loved one, please call 000 or visit your local hospital emergency department.

Acknowledgement

PANDA acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land where we work and live and where this podcast is made. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We celebrate the stories, culture and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders of all communities who also work and live on this land.

We recognise the individual and collective contributions of people with a lived and/or living experience of mental health issues, their families, loved ones and supporters.

Each person’s journey is unique and a valued contribution to Australia’s commitment to PANDA's work and mental health systems reform.

It is through listening to and acting on the voices of people with lived experience, that those who provide services, those who fund services, and most importantly, those who use services that we will find the information we need to move towards the mental health system Australia needs.

Every person’s story we hear, every experience shared, helps to develop our understanding of the system that is required to best meet the needs of Australians living with mental health issues, their families, loved ones and supporters.

CREDITS

Host: Gia Hogarth

PANDA Digital Editor: Serena Ashmore

PANDA Commissioning Editor: Bec Shafer

Deadset Studios Senior Producer: Grace Pashley

Deadset Studios Executive Producer: Rachel Fountain

Sound Design by Krissy Miltiadou

This grounding exercise is designed to help you focus on your breathing, adapted from Paul Gilbert’s ‘Soothing Rhythm Breathing’ based on compassion-focused therapy.

When you slow down your breath, you can slow down your racing mind. It can help you feel centered and counteract stress.

Return to this exercise whenever you need.

Survive and Thrive is a PANDA podcast, produced by Deadset Studios

Visit panda.org.au for more support.

Family violence support:

It’s important to know that there is a risk during this time in your life that family violence will get worse, or it may start for the first time. If you’re worried about safety in your relationship, support is available.

1800 RESPECT (support for people affected by family violence): 1800 737 732 or 1800respect.org.au (24/7)

Speak to PANDA:

Call the PANDA Helpline on 1300 726 306 (9am-7:30pm Monday-Saturday AEST).

The Helpline provides a safe and confidential space for any new or expecting parent struggling with the challenges of becoming a new parent.

Our highly trained and caring counsellors can help you work through your challenges by talking openly and honestly about your thoughts, feelings and experiences.

Partners, family members and friends can also call, as can health professionals supporting expecting and new parents.

More resources:

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby Helpline: 1800 882 436 (24/7)

Lifeline: 13 11 14 (24/7) or lifeline.org.au (12pm to midnight)

Suicide Callback Service: 1300 659 467 or suicidecallbackservice.org.au (24/7)

QLife: 1800 184 527 or qlife.org.au (3PM to midnight)

Mensline: 1300 78 99 78 or mensline.org.au (24/7)

If you need help now:

If you are concerned about your safety or that of a loved one, please call 000 or visit your local hospital emergency department.

Acknowledgement

PANDA acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land where we work and live and where this podcast is made. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We celebrate the stories, culture and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders of all communities who also work and live on this land.

We recognise the individual and collective contributions of people with a lived and/or living experience of mental health issues, their families, loved ones and supporters.

Each person’s journey is unique and a valued contribution to Australia’s commitment to PANDA's work and mental health systems reform.

It is through listening to and acting on the voices of people with lived experience, that those who provide services, those who fund services, and most importantly, those who use services that we will find the information we need to move towards the mental health system Australia needs.

Every person’s story we hear, every experience shared, helps to develop our understanding of the system that is required to best meet the needs of Australians living with mental health issues, their families, loved ones and supporters.

CREDITS

Host: Gia Hogarth

PANDA Digital Editor: Serena Ashmore

PANDA Commissioning Editor: Bec Shafer

Deadset Studios Senior Producer: Grace Pashley

Deadset Studios Executive Producer: Rachel Fountain

Sound Design by Krissy Miltiadou

Alex Fisher stood in the doorway of the hospital room holding her daughter Luca, just moments old, as her wife Lauren was rushed into emergency surgery for a massive haemorrhage. Her mind turned to the worst-case scenario. Would Lauren make it?

The first few years of parenthood had been tough for both of them, and Alex had tried to stay strong for Lauren, who had perinatal anxiety and depression after giving birth to their first daughter Ivy.

After all that Lauren had been through, Alex didn’t feel like it was her place to speak up, and she didn’t really know how or who to talk to. But as Lauren physically recovered from the traumatic birth, Alex realised that she needed to seek help to help her in her role as a parent and a wife.

When you're not the one carrying the baby, it can be easy to forget that you’re also going through all the ups and downs of new parenthood.

And when you’re supporting your partner through a perinatal mental health crisis it’s easy to let your own mental health take a back seat.

Alex and Lauren Fisher share how they navigated this time, how Alex helped Lauren and in turn got help herself.

Survive and Thrive is a PANDA podcast, produced by Deadset Studios

Visit panda.org.au for more support.

Family violence support:

It’s important to know that there is a risk during this time in your life that family violence will get worse, or it may start for the first time. If you’re worried about safety in your relationship, support is available.

1800 RESPECT (support for people affected by family violence): 1800 737 732 or 1800respect.org.au (24/7)

Speak to PANDA:

Call the PANDA Helpline on 1300 726 306 (9am-7:30pm Monday-Saturday AEST).

The Helpline provides a safe and confidential space for any new or expecting parent struggling with the challenges of becoming a new parent.

Our highly trained and caring counsellors can help you work through your challenges by talking openly and honestly about your thoughts, feelings and experiences.

Partners, family members and friends can also call, as can health professionals supporting expecting and new parents.

More resources:

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby Helpline: 1800 882 436 (24/7)

Lifeline: 13 11 14 (24/7) or lifeline.org.au (12pm to midnight)

Suicide Callback Service: 1300 659 467 or suicidecallbackservice.org.au (24/7)

QLife: 1800 184 527 or qlife.org.au (3PM to midnight)

Mensline: 1300 78 99 78 or mensline.org.au (24/7)

If you need help now:

If you are concerned about your safety or that of a loved one, please call 000 or visit your local hospital emergency department.

Acknowledgement:

PANDA acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land where we work and live and where this podcast is made. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We celebrate the stories, culture and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders of all communities who also work and live on this land.

We recognise the individual and collective contributions of people with a lived and/or living experience of mental health issues, their families, loved ones and supporters.

Each person’s journey is unique and a valued contribution to Australia’s commitment to PANDA's work and mental health systems reform.

It is through listening to and acting on the voices of people with lived experience, that those who provide services, those who fund services, and most importantly, those who use services that we will find the information we need to move towards the mental health system Australia needs.

Every person’s story we hear, every experience shared, helps to develop our understanding of the system that is required to best meet the needs of Australians living with mental health issues, their families, loved ones and supporters.

CREDITS

Host: Gia Hogarth

PANDA Digital Editor: Serena Ashmore

PANDA Commissioning Editor: Bec Shafer

Deadset Studios Senior Producer: Grace Pashley

Deadset Studios Executive Producer: Rachel Fountain

Sound Design by Krissy Miltiadou

Emma thought she would slip into parenthood as naturally as anyone. She’d been around young kids her whole life and could change a nappy by the time she was 12.

But when the moment arrived, it was nothing like she expected. Mental health and fertility challenges had contributed new fears and ambivalence to Emma’s entry into motherhood – it wasn’t the love bubble joy she was expecting.

It turns out that’s totally common, natural even, to feel unexpected emotions like disdain – and even regret – about becoming a parent.

You’re not alone if the way you feel doesn’t match the way the world expects you to feel.

Emma speaks openly about those mixed feelings when she became a mum, and Motherhood Studies Sociologist Dr Sophie Brock unpacks the layers of parenting that make it feel like a total chore when you just want “the old you” back.

Survive and Thrive is a PANDA podcast, produced by Deadset Studios

Visit panda.org.au for more support.

Family violence support:

It’s important to know that there is a risk during this time in your life that family violence will get worse, or it may start for the first time. If you’re worried about safety in your relationship, support is available.

1800 RESPECT (support for people affected by family violence): 1800 737 732 or 1800respect.org.au (24/7)

Speak to PANDA:

Call the PANDA Helpline on 1300 726 306 (9am-7:30pm Monday-Saturday AEST).

The Helpline provides a safe and confidential space for any new or expecting parent struggling with the challenges of becoming a new parent.

Our highly trained and caring counsellors can help you work through your challenges by talking openly and honestly about your thoughts, feelings and experiences.

Partners, family members and friends can also call, as can health professionals supporting expecting and new parents.

More resources:

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby Helpline: 1800 882 436 (24/7)

Lifeline: 13 11 14 (24/7) or lifeline.org.au (12pm to midnight)

Suicide Callback Service: 1300 659 467 or suicidecallbackservice.org.au (24/7)

QLife: 1800 184 527 or qlife.org.au (3PM to midnight)

Mensline: 1300 78 99 78 or mensline.org.au (24/7)

If you need help now:

If you are concerned about your safety or that of a loved one, please call 000 or visit your local hospital emergency department.

Acknowledgement:

PANDA acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land where we work and live and where this podcast is made. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We celebrate the stories, culture and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders of all communities who also work and live on this land.

We recognise the individual and collective contributions of people with a lived and/or living experience of mental health issues, their families, loved ones and supporters.

Each person’s journey is unique and a valued contribution to Australia’s commitment to PANDA's work and mental health systems reform.

It is through listening to and acting on the voices of people with lived experience, that those who provide services, those who fund services, and most importantly, those who use services that we will find the information we need to move towards the mental health system Australia needs.

Every person’s story we hear, every experience shared, helps to develop our understanding of the system that is required to best meet the needs of Australians living with mental health issues, their families, loved ones and supporters.

CREDITS

Host: Gia Hogarth

PANDA Digital Editor: Serena Ashmore

PANDA Commissioning Editor: Bec Shafer

Deadset Studios Senior Producer: Grace Pashley

Deadset Studios Executive Producer: Rachel Fountain

Sound Design by Krissy Miltiadou

There’s strength in numbers, and for solo parents that rings especially true.

We all have those new parent moments where you feel totally isolated.

And when you’re doing things on your own, without a partner or close family, that feeling can be intensified.

When you find yourself as a single mum or dad, in lots of ways you’ve got to build your own path forward, and re-think how all the standard advice applies to you.

There are many different ways to parent outside the traditional models that we’re taught to work within, including building your own community of care and support around yourself.

You’re about to hear from Audrey and Julia, two mums who found so much joy in parenting solo and choosing the people who are in their community.

Survive and Thrive is a PANDA podcast, produced by Deadset Studios

Visit panda.org.au for more support.

Family violence support:

It’s important to know that there is a risk during this time in your life that family violence will get worse, or it may start for the first time. If you’re worried about safety in your relationship, support is available.

1800 RESPECT (support for people affected by family violence): 1800 737 732 or 1800respect.org.au (24/7)

Speak to PANDA:

Call the PANDA Helpline on 1300 726 306 (9am-7:30pm Monday-Saturday AEST).

The Helpline provides a safe and confidential space for any new or expecting parent struggling with the challenges of becoming a new parent.

Our highly trained and caring counsellors can help you work through your challenges by talking openly and honestly about your thoughts, feelings and experiences.

Partners, family members and friends can also call, as can health professionals supporting expecting and new parents.

More resources:

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby Helpline: 1800 882 436 (24/7)

Lifeline: 13 11 14 (24/7) or lifeline.org.au (12pm to midnight)

Suicide Callback Service: 1300 659 467 or suicidecallbackservice.org.au (24/7)

QLife: 1800 184 527 or qlife.org.au (3PM to midnight)

Mensline: 1300 78 99 78 or mensline.org.au (24/7)

If you need help now:

If you are concerned about your safety or that of a loved one, please call 000 or visit your local hospital emergency department.

Acknowledgement:

PANDA acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land where we work and live and where this podcast is made. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We celebrate the stories, culture and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders of all communities who also work and live on this land.

We recognise the individual and collective contributions of people with a lived and/or living experience of mental health issues, their families, loved ones and supporters.

Each person’s journey is unique and a valued contribution to Australia’s commitment to PANDA's work and mental health systems reform.

It is through listening to and acting on the voices of people with lived experience, that those who provide services, those who fund services, and most importantly, those who use services that we will find the information we need to move towards the mental health system Australia needs.

Every person’s story we hear, every experience shared, helps to develop our understanding of the system that is required to best meet the needs of Australians living with mental health issues, their families, loved ones and supporters.

CREDITS

Host: Gia Hogarth

PANDA Digital Editor: Serena Ashmore

PANDA Commissioning Editor: Bec Shafer

Deadset Studios Senior Producer: Grace Pashley

Deadset Studios Executive Producer: Rachel Fountain

Sound Design by Krissy Miltiadou