Motherhood can be such a frighteningly lonely experience.

It seems to initiate a time of reckoning for a lot of mums and I include myself in this. There are some mums who evolve so beautifully and with ease into this phase of their life, there are others who feel like they cannot breathe with the intensity of demands placed upon them and then there are those who sit somewhere in between.

We remain silent about our growing burden of disconnect and withdrawal from those around us for fear of being seen as not coping. We allow our perceptions of what others might be thinking about us and the decisions we make to fester and grow in our minds to the point that they burrow down so deep we can no longer see what’s real and what’s not.

Society plays such a huge role in the continued downplaying of the role of a mother. We are shamed for inappropriate behaviour that is deemed not suitable for a mother, we are shamed for how we give birth, we are made to feel lacking if we don’t live up to some shadowy, idealistic, all dancing paragon of motherhood.

Why has it become acceptable to us to hear the words ‘I’m JUST a mum?’ There is no ‘just’ about being a mum.

There is you. The woman who has stayed awake all night for fear of not hearing the baby if she cries.

There is you. The woman who with the touch of her hand and the sound of her voice, brings so much comfort, love and security.

There is you. The woman who is home. Not the house, not the town, not the country. It’s you. You are the one who is home to your little ones.

There is you. The woman who has cried in the shower because even though she felt like she couldn’t make it through another day, she did because she knew there was no other choice.

There is you. The woman who has fought for what she knows her child is entitled to, a fair start in life and a chance to be all they can be.

There is only you. There will only ever be you. There is nothing ‘just’ about you.

I have seen you at your best and I have held you at your worst because you are me.

We are one and the same, you and I.