Mel Watts, mum of four, from New South Wales and popular blogger at ‘Modern Mumma’ has shared her experiences with post-natal anxiety to encourage other women to seek help and stop suffering in silence.

Mel Watts shares she first experienced post-natal anxiety with her last child, Indie, and she didn’t seek help for nine months.

‘Last time was a very dark time for us. I couldn’t leave my house and if I did it wasn’t until I had to find toilets on the way as I was so ill. I felt trapped and scared,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.

She shares her most recent experience after the birth of her new baby boy, Sonny.

‘We went out and I felt really anxious. For no reason at all. I had to find a bathroom where I just wanted to cry. We ended up leaving the shops and came home where I felt awful all day.

‘That night was long as I just couldn’t shake the feeling. I was so upset that I let myself get here again. I felt like I failed my husband, my children and more importantly me,’ she explained.

Ms Watts decided to get help quickly as she knew how lonely she felt last time. She says that she pushed away her friends and family and doesn’t want to go through that again.

‘Like thousands of other women out there many of them suffer in silence, they’re scared to seek help or even talk about it. I know I’m not the first person to ever experience it, but if I could open up and share it to hundreds of people I could only hope that one person will seek help if they’re feeling the same’.

She has said that women have thanked her for speaking out about her experience, with some saying that her post encouraged them to speak to their doctors.

‘I think that opening up about PNA allows it to be spoken about by others. Some may have a conversation about it with their friends, some may email me. Either way its real, its deliberating and its absolutely awful when you have a baby to care for too.

‘Sometimes we think we need to be okay all the time and its okay to not be okay some days. Everyone has bad days but when they start taking over everyday you need to talk to someone and get help’.

Her Facebook post about her experience has garnered thousands of likes and hundreds of comments and shares.

‘Today I walked out of Kmart mid anxiety attack looking for a bathroom and hoping to god this isn’t happening to me again,’ the post reads.

‘The reality is, it is. And even though I’m disappointed in myself and I feel as though all the things I worked so hard for last year have come undone. I know what it felt like to be okay after my last bout of post natal anxiety’.

Having had her fourth child, Sonny George, on the 5th June, Mel admits that this time she is treating her post-natal anxiety head on.

‘This time I’m on top of it and I’m off to get help before it becomes my life again. I tired so hard to push myself through it and I’m exhausted. I need sleep. However, I’m okay. And I will be okay’.

Ms Watts said that the previously when she had this experience she didn’t recognise and acknowledge what she was going through, which she has now.

‘The reason I’m telling you this is because even though my photos, my posts and even my snaps all seem pretty normal you actually have no idea what’s going on in someone’s head’.

‘I wasn’t going to share this with you all just yet. As I’m still processing it all. But I wanted to let you know that’s it okay if you’re not okay’.

She says that when each baby is born you forget about the unknown and uncertain aspects of having a newborn.

My “baby” is now eight and I must admit after reading this I can totally relate and realise how much I just kept sweeping those anxious feelings aside thinking I was just being silly.

Have you experienced anything similar to Mel?

Share your comments below.

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