Last time I ran a half marathon was ten years ago.

For my comeback, I've picked a particularly challenging one which is labeled on the event's website as "battle against the elements" with half the run on the beach and the other half through hilly dunes. It's in January and I am expecting it to be cold, windy or wet, but most likely all of the above.

Challenge accepted.

What undoubtedly will keep me going is knowing I'm running raising money for a cause that is very dear to me: Make Birth Better.

An organisation that has given me so much: being able to put a name to - and understand properly - what happened to me when I birthed Owen, showing me what help was available, providing the privilege to support others going through a similar experience and working with the best, most passionate team to improve maternity services.

Make Birth Better exists to end suffering from birth trauma through support, campaigning and clinically-led training. They are a unique collective of parents and professionals on a mission to make sure everyone knows about birth trauma and how to find the support they need.

Birth trauma describes symptoms of trauma relating to birth and/or circumstances around the birth. Between 25-40% of women in the UK find some aspect of their birth traumatic (up to 270,000 per year) and between 3-8% of women who give birth in the UK will suffer from postnatal PTSD (up to 54,000 per year). Birth trauma is often preventable. It is always diagnosable. It is always treatable. Yet despite its common presentation, birth trauma is usually dismissed, forgotten or misdiagnosed.

N.B.: Make Birth Better is a not-for-profit community interest company (CIC). A CIC works almost the same as a charity however the CIC set-up allows them to raise funds through their paid-for training delivered to NHS teams and other maternity professionals. This is why we have to use the crowdfunding option provided by JustGiving. Please note you will not be asked to Gift Aid your donation.