This is a collection of stories from a diverse group of 14 mums, who have each shared a challenge they have faced in motherhood. Rachel has created an image to represent the feelings each mum faced when navigating their challenge. She created this magazine to try and start to change the narrative of experiencing challenges in motherhood as normal, and not have it being equated to personal failings. She hopes that mums reading it will see that they are not alone in their feelings and experiences.
“‘Colours of Motherhood’ brilliantly disrupts the sanitised narrative our culture imposes on maternal experience. Through both the evocative photos and the stories captured, this project creates vital space for authentic maternal stories to breathe, challenging the restrictive ‘meant to be’ scripts that so often silence mothers’ lived realities.”
Dr Sophie Brock, Motherhood Studies Sociologist
The magazine is an A4 size, full colour for maximum enjoyment and best enjoyed with a cup of tea or a hot chocolate. It is an ideal gift for yourself, another mum or in a waiting room for service based providers who care for mums.
Magazines will be available for free pickup from Corrimal, NSW or posted Australia-wide.
It’s so easy to scroll on social media and feel like we are ‘less than’ when comparing to the carefully curated, beautiful moments of motherhood online. Rachel wanted to contribute more depth to the conversation about motherhood with tangible representations of these challenging feelings and experiences and so she created the Colours of Motherhood magazine. She hopes that mums can feel a sense of validation in their own experiences of motherhood by seeing that they are not alone. While the stories shared by the mums in the magazine are diverse, what we say to ourselves and how we feel about ourselves is often something that is shared among us all. This magazine was created to encourage us all to talk about our challenges, so that we can connect more deeply, build our villages and remind ourselves and each other that we are all more than enough.
The stories include:
– Overwhelm
– Losing identity in motherhood
– Blended family
– Same sex couple
– Postnatal depression
– Hyperemesis gravidarium
– Disability diagnosis of a child
– School refusal
– Breastfeeding challenges
– Cultural differences
– Fertility challenges
– Raising twins
– Sleep deprivation
– Breastfeeding challenges
– Feelings of inadequacy as a single mum
5 reviews for Colours of Motherhood A4 Print Magazine
Rated 5 out of 5
Anonymous –
So many of the photos were so relatable and it’s good to know you aren’t alone in your feelings. The magazine is amazing!!! Loved reading the stories
Rated 5 out of 5
Kate –
I loved reading through the individual stories.
Rated 5 out of 5
Anonymous –
Going through early motherhood myself it was great to see depicted the range of emotions that I have felt, like so many other mothers. Magazine was a great read, to know that the experience is shared, we are not so isolated.
Rated 5 out of 5
Renae –
I could relate to most of the photo’s in some way, it gave me a sense of relief that other mothers are feeling the same way about motherhood too- overwhelmed, pulled in all directions, juggling all the hats etc. This helps (me) to accept that it’s ok to have these emotions and that at times it can be hard but that doesn’t mean I’m failing. A picture really did mean a thousand words when I looked at these images.
Rated 5 out of 5
Jess –
The magazine was such a great purchase, better than I anticipated. The layout was easy to read, having the photos from the exhibit it so great to take home I found myself looking back through the stories each night. I wish every antenatal clinic, gp clinic and health service had this type of magazine in their waiting rooms as it is so much more validating and relevant than the out of date gossip magazines.
Anonymous –
So many of the photos were so relatable and it’s good to know you aren’t alone in your feelings. The magazine is amazing!!! Loved reading the stories
Kate –
I loved reading through the individual stories.
Anonymous –
Going through early motherhood myself it was great to see depicted the range of emotions that I have felt, like so many other mothers. Magazine was a great read, to know that the experience is shared, we are not so isolated.
Renae –
I could relate to most of the photo’s in some way, it gave me a sense of relief that other mothers are feeling the same way about motherhood too- overwhelmed, pulled in all directions, juggling all the hats etc. This helps (me) to accept that it’s ok to have these emotions and that at times it can be hard but that doesn’t mean I’m failing. A picture really did mean a thousand words when I looked at these images.
Jess –
The magazine was such a great purchase, better than I anticipated. The layout was easy to read, having the photos from the exhibit it so great to take home I found myself looking back through the stories each night. I wish every antenatal clinic, gp clinic and health service had this type of magazine in their waiting rooms as it is so much more validating and relevant than the out of date gossip magazines.