14/10/2026
For a long time, I grieved the woman I felt motherhood had stolen from me.
The fit, career-driven, carefree, unapologetic, life-of-the-party version of myself.
I didn’t recognise myself. Or perhaps more accurately, I stopped looking.
I had spent my entire adult life supporting children and families. I thought that was my purpose. Then suddenly, I was the mum. I had the family. And somehow, I felt like an imposter in the very life I had spent years helping others navigate.
I lost my style. My confidence. My drive. My sense of purpose. And for a long time, I genuinely believed I’d lost me.
This morning, I put on a dress.
A pink, fitted, tiny-strapped dress I bought on my 30th birthday weekend. A dress that has sat unworn for years. A dress that belonged to a version of myself I thought I’d never see again.
And I looked in the mirror.
Really looked.
For the first time since becoming a mum, I recognised myself.
I saw that carefree, unapologetic girl boss I thought was gone forever.
I saw Eddie’s mum.
And for the first time, I didn’t feel like I had to choose between the two.
I saw the woman I was, the woman I’ve fought to become, and the woman I am still becoming.
And I think I like this version the most.
To the mums who look in the mirror and wonder where they’ve gone. Who feel like imposters in their own motherhood. Who miss themselves.
I see you. I feel you. I was you. Some days, I still am.
At Peach Tree, we share our lived experiences to offer hope, empowerment and connection. We remind mums that they aren’t alone in the parts of motherhood that don’t look or feel the way they imagined.
Today, I’m sharing mine.
Not because I’ve found my way back to the woman I was.
But because I’ve finally recognised the woman I am.