At LittleOak, we are so lucky to work with such a tight-knit team, all who share the same commitment of ensuring little ones everywhere have access to the very best nutrition. So we thought we should introduce you to some of them. We'll be sharing the real life faces and stories behind LittleOak – from our fantastic Careline team that answer your burning questions, all the way to our operations team who make sure that product arrives for bub.

And today, we’re handing off the baton to Belinda, our wonderful communications manager and mum to two gorgeous girls. Bel has been open about her struggle with postnatal depression, and she’s been so kind as to share a few words about her experience. Read on to learn more...from one mum to many.

A word from Bel

I’m a mum of two beautiful girls who are now five and eight. As you can imagine, it’s quite the mum/life juggle; getting the kids up and ready for school, doing the school run (a day’s work in itself), attending meetings with the LittleOak team, campaign planning, writing and reviewing content...and then back to mum life again. My youngest recently had her first day of school, so it was a big day for everybody (a few tears, of course). It’s crazy how fast they grow up.

All that said, I didn’t have the easiest start to motherhood – and I know a lot of people who can relate to this. My little one refused to sleep, and I had trouble breastfeeding, both of which were major factors in experiencing postnatal depression. It was an incredibly difficult time to go through.

When you’re a first-time mum, it can be so overwhelming. There’s all this messaging around how you should and shouldn’t feel; oftentimes you’re told to enjoy every moment and that this is the happiest time of your life – and sadly this isn’t the reality for so many women. And it can be incredibly difficult when you're told or believe that your feelings and experiences are somehow wrong. With my first bub, it wasn’t the happiest time of my life – and I felt such guilt around that.

Slowly though, with the right help and support, things got better. The second time around, I made the decision to formula feed from the outset, and it made the biggest difference to my health and happiness, and therefore my family. I was able to truly see and feel the joy that a baby can bring which I missed first time around. For my family, it was absolutely the right choice. This is why working at LittleOak is so personal to me. I feel so privileged to work somewhere that supports a family’s formula feeding journey – because that can absolutely be beautiful and life affirming as well. I know that first hand.

To you new mums and dads out there, parenting truly is the biggest spectator sport in the world. Everybody is going to have an opinion on what you should and shouldn’t do. But at the end of the day, you just have to do what's best for you and your family. That’s all that matters.

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If you think you might be experiencing postnatal depression, you aren’t alone. In fact, it impacts one in seven women following the birth of their baby. Postnatal depression is often debilitating so if you need support, please visit the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline. 

LittleOak has been nourishing children for many years and feeds millions of infants, babies and children across the globe each and every day, in countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. In the US, we're proud to have our FDA compliant Toddler Drink available for families.