'Matrescence is the process of becoming a mother. It describes the all-encompassing physical, psychological, and emotional changes people go through on their journey to motherhood'.

The journey to motherhood- from conceiving to birth and all that comes inbetween- is deeply personal and unique to every mother and baby. No two pregnancies are the same.

For some the journey can be seamless, and come completely naturally; for others it can be unexpectedly rocky and take time to navigate. With the pressure of having to have it all figured out from the instant those two pink lines appear; it's easy to forget that parents are often learning everything for the first time too; and all whilst nuturing a precious, new life. That responsibility can cause significant levels of stress and juggling the thoughts, emotions and feelings that come with adjusting to this new life change can feel very lonely and isolating. Especially when most fathers return to work within the first month of their babies being born.

I am fundraising for Maternal Mental Health Alliance as a way to honour my own 5 year voyage to motherhood having navigated through a chemical pregnancy, two full term pregnancies, two C-Sections and an Ovarian Cyst removal- and the recoveries that came with those experiences both physically and mentally. I am hoping to raise as much money as I can to thank those who have supported me with my journey, especially to Danielle and Sadif from the NHS Perinatal Talking Therapies Team whose 6 Week CBT course was invaluable to me and my family.

I will be swimming a distance of 10K in my local pool. This works out at 10,000 metres or 400 lengths in a 25 meter pool. Thanks for reading and for supporting me with my chosen cause. In the words of Dory: 'When life gets you down, you know what you gotta do? Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim!'