Tammin Sursok writes; "You do know I've travelled to hell and back, right?"

I had an interview this morning. It was different from other interviews I’ve had. The woman conducting it was a new mum.

She kept repeating throughout that I was an inspiration to her. That my candour and honesty has supported her through some troublesome times.

While her words made my heart flushed, I couldn’t help but think, “But you do know I’ve travelled to hell and back, right? That what you are seeing now is three years of deep internal meditation and cleansing and healing?”

Now on the other side, my life is ticking along quite nicely. My personal work is paying off and I’m finding my groove in being a mother. But while looking through old vacation photos when Phoenix was six months old, I remember so vividly the haze and heaviness I felt. Walking through the motions, not really knowing who I wanted to be, losing my drive to fight for anything on the career front, begging for some moments when I felt “normal” and just hoping to survive. I physically couldn’t see straight.

A photo posted by Tammin Sursok (@tamminsursok) on Jul 31, 2016 at 8:22am PDT

There is so much damn pressure for a new mum to come out unscathed. Arms blazing, body “bouncing back” (why the hell do we even get pressure to focus on our bodies when we should be focusing on our newborn is beyond me), and to have it all figured out.

I think lack of community mixed with intense female career pressure, peppered with no true societal support makes it very easy for a new mum to feel like it’s all too much.

But the thing is, you just have to get through it. Through every wakeful night, through every thought of broken dreams, through the guilt you feel about almost every damn thing. Through every judgement from those outspoken mothers that you realise are just as freaked out as you.

You have to fall before you can fly. And when you come out the other end, you have a resilience that is unbreakable. A confidence that’s impenetrable and a deep understanding of what type of mother you are. And you won’t give two fucks about what people say or think about you.

As I look at new mums with the glazed-over eyes, I just want to run up to them, squeeze them tight and say, “I promise you’ll return. You might come back in different packaging you might like better or worse but you’ll return all the same.”

You have to fall before you fly.

Tonight I tucked my three-year-old into bed and I said, “You know mummy loves you so much, right?” And she responded, “Yeah mummy, I do. I’m proud of you, mummy.”

I took a beat and it let that sentiment land. I’m proud of me too. And it made me think maybe, just maybe, I’m finally starting to fly.

  A photo posted by Tammin Sursok (@tamminsursok) on Aug 9, 2016 at 4:38pm PDT

This post originally appeared on Bottle and Heels.

Did you know that Mamamia has a parenting podcast? Join Holly Wainwright and Andrew Daddo as they discuss the glorious mess that is family life.