FrOctober- Raising Awareness For Women Who Suffer From PND
I was recently introduced to FrOctober by Monocle and Fez , a 31 day challenge raising awareness for women who suffer from PND.The organisation PNI.ORG have set the challenge to wear a dress, skirt or tunic every day in October.
I’m not a big dress or skirt wearer but as someone who has suffered from PND, I wanted to help raise awareness for those women who suffer in silence.
PND can be a sneaky little fucker, so much so it can appear before you even have your baby.It can make you feel you don’t deserve to be a mum and sometimes those feelings don’t go away for months, sometimes years.PND can happen anytime within the two years after you’ve had your baby.And it’s just not women, men can suffer too.
So what’s the FrOctober about?
It’s about giving those women who have/are PNI sufferers a chance to prove that their ARE amazing and give back some self worth in their life.By wearing a dress every day in October, these women are thinking ahead by planning what to wear.I went out and bought skirts and dresses from charity shops, something I love doing but I usually but clothes for the kids or kitchen ware.
This was about ME and making ME feel good about myself for ME.It’s not about looking good for a partner or about attracting one.Every day I’ve got up at 6 am, had a shower and enjoyed thinking about what I’m going to wear each day.I’ve even bought scarves and tights instead of wearing leggings.I’ve also put on a bit of make up and I’ve straightened my hair each day.
And how do I feel?
I feel more confident, empowered and most of all I like myself.
Some of the PND symptoms I’ve experienced have been:
Anxious
Prone to panic attacks
Experience palpitations
Constantly tired
Angry
Fear illness and death to your child
Low self esteem
Feeling like a bad mum and you’d be better off dead
Reliving the birth of your child over and over
Not being able to look forward or plan ahead
Unable to laugh or show emotions
Insomnia
Feeling overwhelmed
Getting involved
Every day in October I will be posting what I’m wearing on that day via Instagram and sharing to my Facebook profile and Twitter.Using the hashtag #froctober to highlight the cause and find other ladies.
So how can you help?
Write a blog post about your experiences of PND/PNI.
Join in with the FrOctober challenge and tell people about it.
Post your photos on Instagram and Twitter using the #froctober hashtag.
Like the PNI.org Facebook page
Or You can donate to PNI.org.
Other mums who are joining.
Stephanie from I’m counting UFO’s
Ruth of Nyssapod
Emma of Skull Mad Mama
If you have written a blog post please leave a comment and I’ll add you to the list.
Linking up to Becky of Baby Budgeting Sunday Inspiration
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