Welcome back to Storme Diaries 🤍
This week I'm joined by my 21st guest, Emma-Jane Gallagher, for a conversation about motherhood, fertility, birth trauma, NICU, social media, relationships and the reality of raising two babies just 364 days apart.
Emma always knew she wanted to be a mum, but her journey to motherhood wasn't the straightforward one she had imagined. After years of trying, she experienced an ectopic pregnancy, was diagnosed with polycystic ovaries and endometriosis, and eventually went through IVF before finally becoming a mum.
Emma went on to have her two children just 364 days apart — navigating life as a mum of two under one and everything that comes with it.
She opens up about the birth of her son, who arrived four weeks early via emergency C-section and was taken straight to NICU, leaving Emma without the experience she had imagined.
One of the most emotional parts of the episode is hearing Emma talk about being taken to a ward where every other woman had their baby beside them, while hers had been taken away to NICU. The impact that had on her mentally and the trauma she carried from that experience is something that will stay with me.
We also talk honestly about motherhood — the pressure to make it all look perfect, comparing yourself to other mums online, and the importance of showing the real and raw side of life.
Emma has created an outlet for herself through social media, using it as a space where she can be completely herself and share the realities of motherhood without pretending everything is picture perfect.
We talk about how admirable it is to build something for yourself while raising children, finding your own identity outside of being a mum and having a supportive husband beside you through it all.
We also have a conversation about parenting without judgement — because none of us know what is happening behind someone else's front door. Every parent is doing things differently, and perhaps we could all be a little kinder to one another.
Motherhood doesn't always look the way we imagined it would — and there is so much more going on behind the photos, the posts and the highlight reels.
This is a conversation about fertility, motherhood, birth trauma, NICU, mental health, social media, relationships, finding yourself again and the reality of raising two babies just 364 days apart. 🤍
✨ In this episode we discuss: • Always knowing she wanted to be a mum • Years of trying to conceive • Ectopic pregnancy • Polycystic ovaries • Endometriosis • IVF • Becoming a mum • Two babies just 364 days apart • Life with two under one • Her birth experiences • Emergency C-section • Her second son being born four weeks early • NICU • The trauma of being separated from your baby • Being on a ward surrounded by women with their babies • The reality of motherhood • The pressure of “perfect” motherhood • Social media and comparison • Showing the real and raw side of life • Finding an outlet through social media • Building something while being a mum • Finding your identity outside of motherhood • Having a supportive husband • Parenting without judgement • Being kinder to other parents • The reality behind what we see online • And everything in between 🤍
Emma's story is a reminder that motherhood doesn't always look the way we imagined it would — and that there is so much more going on behind the photos, the posts and the highlight reels.
It's also a reminder that we never really know what someone else is going through.
So perhaps we could all be a little less judgemental, a little more supportive and a lot kinder to each other. 🤍
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