Millions of mums will wake up on Sunday morning to be greeted by their children presenting them with cards, flowers β¦ and possibly even breakfast in bed.
Itβs a lovely way to start a day.
And what a lot of those mums would probably like on top of that is a bit of time and space to focus on themselves β including on their own emotions and feelings.
Especially those with a baby or toddler who are still adjusting to their new life.
ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄ counsellor Natasha Page ran a series of free counselling sessions for mums with children aged under two last year, after securing funding for the project from the National Lottery Community Fund.
Difficult to adjust
She recognises how hard it can be for mums.
βItΒ can be difficult to adjust to the sheer volume of work that comes with being a mum,β she said.
βThe shift in your life can be quite a shock. You have a little person relying on you for 24 hours every day. Even if itβs not your first child you still have those adjustments.
βIt helps to acknowledge what you find difficult.
"A lot of mums feel they're not good enough," says Natasha Page.
βWe need to give mums the space to understand their own feelings and to focus on these. They donβt always get that.
βMums often donβt realise that it can be normal to feel they way they do. They donβt realise that it might leave them feeling that low.
βThere can be a sense of shame involved. A lot of mums feel that theyβre not good enough, that theyβre not doing a good enough job.
Voice feelings
βCounselling can help them learn to adapt to a new situation and allows them to voice their feelings.
βMums can develop their resilience,β added Natasha, who runs This is Me Counselling and Psychotherapy, in Sandiacre, Nottingham.
That resilience and space where theyβre not judged can be really helpful in terms of mumsβ mental health and wellbeing, especially in a world where women sometimes feel they have to live up to the Facebook or Instagram image of the perfect mother.
Natasha adds that for some mums, a new baby can affect their relationship with their partner.
ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄ member Natasha Page
And for many women it can bring issues with their own mothers back to the surface again.
βPeople have different emotions and different experiences of their own parents. Thatβs often something thatβs worked through in therapy. They may want the relationship with their child to be different to that.
And she has an important message to the family and friends of new mums.
Ask her 'are you ok?'
βMake sure you ask her βare you ok?β Not just once, but twice. βAre you really ok?β
βSometimes people donβt notice if a new mum is struggling because everyoneβs caught up in the excitement surrounding the new baby,β she added.
Natasha was inspired to launch her free counselling sessions for new mums because of her own experience of motherhood.
βI realised there was all these activities and sessions out there but they were all for the baby. There wasnβt anything that really looked at the mums' needs.
βWe shouldnβt forget about focusing on the mum β and to give her some space to go and talk.β
To find a ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄ counsellor or psychotherapist visit our Therapist directory.