Lizzie O’Halloran – Founder of Help For Mums
By the time I turned 12, I had declared to my family that I was going to help people and be a mum. So it was no surprise to anyone that at 16 I was running my own babysitting business and had decided to study psychology when I left school.
It took a lot longer than I expected to fall pregnant with my first child. So by the time she came along I thought I was super ready. Well I was in for a huge shock.
No amount of babysitting or the study of human behaviour could have prepared me for my baby not wanting to leave my side 24 hours a day. Not even to have a shower, to cook or clean. Unless someone was able to pay her 100% attention, she would cry for me to pick her up.
As a therapist I thought “there has to be support for mums like me.” But all I could find online was help for mums with postnatal depression.
I knew I was exhausted and overwhelmed, but I also knew I didn’t fit into the category of depressed. Without having to try too hard, my search online uncovered so many mums like me pushing through the shock of becoming a new mum.
I loved my baby so much, but I knew I needed to prioritise my health in order to be a good mum.
At the time of having my daughter I was speciaising in counselling professional women to feel confident at work, rebuild self-esteem, reduce anxiety, improve or attracted better relationships and to heal from past trauma. Becoming a new mum, I realised if a mum ignores these issues before becoming a mum, they only get worse, or become highlighted in motherhood.
As a new mum, I made the usual mistakes I see in many mums today. I put all my energy into my baby and forgot I needed to look after my wellbeing in order to be a good parent. Once I recognised this, I spent the next 2 years developing programs and writing my book ‘Perfect Mum‘ to help mums like me to feel calm, happy, healthy and confident in themselves and as parents.
So, in 2010 my business – ‘Happy Life’ was transformed into – ‘Help For Mums’.
