Carolyn Craig
We Are Pangs 10k Challenge
Fundraising for The Parent Rooms
Story
January 2020 will be difficult for me as it marks the 20th anniversary of my father dying. I was 18, and it changed everything. So to commemorate losing my dad when I was so young and in recognition of the perinatal mental health issues I have since experienced as a parent, I am taking part in this challenge.
The Challenge
The We Are Pangs challenge is to run 10km over the month of January. But considering there have been times when I have struggled to walk in my home unaided, I am instead aiming to build up to walking 10,000 steps each day.
My Plan
I plan to walk daily, increasing the distance until I reach 10,000 steps in one session. I will walk 10,000 steps daily for the rest of the month (January 2021) and who knows, maybe by next year I will be able to start running again!
I am frightened of the pain, of stumbling or jarring my back when I'm out and of being stuck somewhere. So my safety plan is that I'm going to walk circuits and not go alone! The joy of having three active boys is that I will always have company!
My Story
I had three babies in four years, each with very different birth experiences that have had a huge impact on my physical and mental health.
My first was induced and caused a lot of physical trauma to baby and me, the second was even more difficult and while baby recovered quickly, I still have some physical injuries almost eight years later. The third was a planned c-section, which was physically the easiest to recover from, but took a huge emotional toll on me as I felt like a failure for not 'doing it right'.
However, I never expected the physical trauma of birth to have such a detrimental impact on my mental health. It made it more difficult to physically care for my babies - I remember the fear and pain of not being able reposition myself in bed while feeding, not being able to weight bear when walking and carrying an infant. It made me fearful of being alone with my babies.
At the time I did not know I needed help - I thought it was 'normal' to feel the level of stress and anxiety I did. When I looked around for help, it was so far away. After the second baby we tried to access some specialist counselling but honestly could not afford the fees and involved an hour drive.
My youngest is turning six this month and I am ready to reclaim my health. I have worked hard in recent years with the help of We are Pangs and my mental health has now improved to the point I am a trained peer support leader with the charity. Now it is time to focus on my physical health. Chronic back pain has made exercise feel impossible, but I know it is also the best way to ease the pain.
How can you help?
We Are Pangs is a volunteer-led charity based in Northern Ireland that supports parents with mental health issues such as postnatal depression and anxiety. They are a source of peer support and wellbeing programmes to help parents recover faster so they can live full and happy lives.
It is my hope that no parent is without access to perinatal mental health support because of geographical or financial reasons like I was #LeaveNoParentBehind
Any funds raised will go to providing invaluable services such as private counselling, training and activities for parents experiencing perinatal mental health issues.
