60 | The Motherwhelm with Jess | Birth Trauma, NICU & Building Your Village

In this episode of The Motherwhelm, I sit down with Jess to talk about two vastly different birth experiences, the power of community, and how motherhood transformed not only the way she parents, but the woman she has become.Jess shares her journey from a fast-paced corporate career to unexpectedly becoming a mother during the COVID-19 pandemic. She reflects on preparing for an empowering physiological birth, experiencing the uninterrupted stillness of postpartum lockdowns, and later facing a completely different reality when a hidden placental haemorrhage led to an emergency caesarean birth at just 33 weeks and a NICU stay with her second baby. Together, we explore birth trauma, premature birth, the emotional complexity of having a baby in NICU, and the importance of processing difficult birth experiences rather than carrying them alone. Jess speaks candidly about rebuilding after trauma, trusting her intuition, and why every mother deserves access to compassionate birth trauma support. We also talk about the profound identity shift that comes with motherhood, leaving behind a successful corporate career, embracing slower seasons of life, and discovering a new passion for supporting women through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. One of the most beautiful parts of Jess's story is how loneliness led her to create the village she longed for - quite literally introducing herself to mothers walking past her house until a thriving community began to grow. This is a conversation about birth, healing, matrescence, and the courage to step outside your comfort zone. It's a reminder that while motherhood rarely unfolds the way we imagine, it often leads us exactly where we were meant to be.If you've experienced birth trauma, a NICU journey, the loneliness of early motherhood, or you're longing to find your village, I hope Jess's story reminds you that healing happens in connection, and sometimes all it takes is one brave conversation to change everything.Resources mentionedBooksTen Moons – Jane Hardwicke CollingsThe First Forty Days – Heng OuIna May's Guide to Breastfeeding – Ina May GaskinBooks by Sarah J. BuckleyAuthors & EducatorsJane Hardwicke CollingsIna May GaskinSarah J. BuckleyTopics discussed: physiological birth, birth trauma, emergency caesarean, placental abruption, retroplacental haematoma, NICU, premature birth, postpartum recovery, birth debriefing, breastfeeding, postpartum planning, motherhood identity, matrescence, career change, postpartum support, village-building, community, women's circles, motherhood friendship, intuition, COVID pregnancy, home birth planning, healing after birth trauma.