Episode 22 | Hannah

In this episode, Hannah shares her experiences of becoming a mum to her two boys, Hugo and Oscar, and reflects on two very different postpartum seasons.

After a long and traumatic birth with Hugo involving forceps and an episiotomy, Hannah experienced a difficult physical recovery alongside the challenges of feeding, concerns about Hugo’s weight, sleep deprivation and caring for a baby who cried a lot. She shares the anxiety and self-doubt she experienced as a first-time mum, the loneliness of those early months, and eventually being diagnosed with postnatal depression and anxiety.

When Hannah became pregnant with Oscar, she was determined to approach both birth and postpartum differently. She talks about processing her first birth with a private midwife, having a very different birth experience at home, and intentionally creating the practical and emotional support she knew she would need afterwards. From asking family to commit to regular days of help to joining a new parent group and sharing the nights with her partner, Trent, Hannah reflects on how much of a difference having a village made.

We also discuss how Hannah’s experiences as a parent eventually led her to create Nappy Free, where she now supports families with elimination communication and toilet training.

This is an honest conversation about birth trauma, postnatal depression and anxiety, physical recovery, self-compassion, preparing for postpartum, and why we shouldn’t have to navigate early motherhood alone.

You can find Hannah on Instagram at @nappy_free or visit nappyfree.net.