Blog Tour: MY MUMMY AFTER OUR BABY

My Mummy After Our Baby

by Namita Mahanama

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GENRE: Children’s Fiction – Family and Relationships

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BLURB:

My Mummy After Our Baby: A Journey Of Hope and Healing is a beautifully written and illustrated story, about the reality of post-natal depression setting in after the birth of their perfect little baby.

It is a gentle, soft, perfectly put together story, filled with an abundance of emotion and heart to explain what is happening at home, for all children who may be feeling lost and confused about what is happening to their Mummy after becoming unwell.

It is written by a mother who experienced this twice herself and vowed to create a beautiful explanation and tool, in order to provide hope, solace and strength for other families, that she wished was available for her children.

This beautiful book is written in the hope of educating, as well as to be a connective and bonding tool, at a time when a family needs it the most. It is gently and eloquently written, with the most amazing illustrations, that will form the basis of a vital healing tool in the home of everyone who is going through this harrowing chapter.

The author has brought the prospect of hope in a perfect package here and is her gift to you and your family, to navigate through this chapter with as much peace and lightness as possible.

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Excerpt One:

Once upon a time in a far-away town called Knocksville, there lived a little boy called Aydan. He was a very kind, fun, smart and sweet boy full of so much energy and brightness! 

Aydan made friends with everyone that he met and he was always the bright spark in every room that he walked into. 

Aydan lived with his Mummy and Daddy and they loved spending time together. They played golf, loved going to the beach or running around the park with their little doggy Rupert. 

Every day felt like it was filled with so much joy and happiness. 

Every night they always shared turns in saying three things that they were thankful for. 

Most nights, Aydan would say that he was thankful for food in his tummy, a roof over his head and for having a family who loved and cared for him as much as all of the stars in the sky. 

This always made his Mummy’s heart shine brighter, grow bigger and she would hold him tight until he fell asleep.

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Interview:

Where are you from? Tell us a little about yourself!

Thank you so much for having me! So, I am a mother of 2 boys and a fur-baby from Sydney, Australia. 

I am a pharmacist and after having my two boys, I went on to study to become an Ayurvedic yoga teacher, a PMC (paediatric massage consultant), CIMI (certified infant massage instructor) and have almost finished my studies to become an Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant.

Between the writing, working, studying, my children, hubby, family and friends…I find that I am fully immersed in life! It is a full and dynamic life, which is wonderful…and busy!


Tell us about your book? How did it get started?

My writing really began from personal experience. I never dreamt of becoming an author, nor was it something that I was drawn to…until I had my own journey of post-natal depression after birthing both of my boys.

Our boys were both wanted, planned for and hoped for with every bone in our body. Yet, after delivery, on day 5 for both boys, when my milk had set-in, I fell into the darkest post-natal depression that completely shook our entire family.

The first time it happened, we were completely blind-sided and had no idea what was happening! I tried to ‘stop’ or ‘control’ getting it the second time, but exactly the same thing happened…except even worse and was an even harder experience, because we had our older boy and his emotions to contend with in addition to our own.

This book was written upon my recovery, as a resource and support tool to help other families who are in the same situation that we were in. 

We felt so alone, isolated and at a loss as to what to say or do…all the while, our 4-year-old boy, was left completely bewildered and confused as to what was unfolding in our once happy home.

This book is based on our lived experience and story, to help shine the light on the condition, what it can look like…so that the child does not feel alone in their experience. 

It also is filled with so much emotion, in hope that it can become a connective and bonding tool between mother, or at least parent and child, which is a missing link in PND right now…where there can be so much silence and hiding as to what is happening. 

It also is written to offer the message of hope to this entire family, that she will get better. It is written to help give the courage, strength and knowing that help is available…and that love, light and joy will return back into their home again.

I had a mission that I did not want another family to feel alone in their journey, and to offer as many support tools as I possibly can to bring respite, solace and light into this dark chapter.


How do you create your characters?

This book is a sharing of our lived-experience, so each character within, is a member of our home.

I am the mother, who began as a bright, connected and joyful being who loved her family with her entire heart and soul. Her ethereal light and glow, upon delivery, is replaced by a veil of darkness and heaviness, that upon her recovery is then replaced again with an even brighter ethereal glow.

Aydan, the four-year-old boy, is based on my eldest son Ari, who is a bright, vibrant and spark of energy within our home. It goes through how he feels, what he is thinking and feeling, and how his strength helped bring his mother the courage and strength she needed to fight for her recovery. It illustrates his patience and bravery…and he is my true hero!

My husband is in the story, as is Kameron who is our son Kaiyaan, and Rupert the dog is based on our Moodle Ruphus!

They are all real and this book is literally so close to my heart and home.


What inspires and what got you started in writing?

Upon my recovery, I had an inner knowing that my purpose and dharma here on Earth, is to help ‘Shine The Light on PND’ (ironically the title of my other book to mothers and their partners). I knew deep within my bones, that it happened to me twice…unbeknownst to me, and it happened for a reason.

I am inspired to work tirelessly to break the stigma, taboo and misconceptions surrounding PND, as well as offer resources for women and their partners, who are thinking ‘I have postnatal depression, now what?’

My children’s book forms as one of the several resources that I have created, and will continue to create, as practical needs within the home, that I so desperately wished we had available at the time.

The ability to help women and their families navigate through their journey with as much ease and grace as possible, is my inspiration and hope from this.


Where do you write? Is there something you need in order to write (music, drinks?)

I wrote my books at home, in the middle of lock-down in Sydney last year. It was written with my family at home and despite the noise, mess and chaos…it was a truly healing and connective process of going through our journey, learnings and where we are now.

To write, I actually just need my laptop, whilst sitting on the dining table or in our bed, and just write. 

I do not need any fixed circumstances to get into flow…as if the content is something that I am passionate about, then I find that I arrive to my flow state very easily. In fact, I find it hard to peel myself away from the process to attend to ‘life admin’ whilst writing, as I love to stay in this state of flow…yet life with small kids does not always guarantee this (especially in a pandemic!)

How do you get your ideas for writing?

My ideas really come from my personal experience and the knowing that I needed to share my journey, my reflections, wisdom, resources and guidance to any person that needs it.

I knew instantly upon recovery that this was my duty and service to the world. Yet, life with small children meant that I had to wait some time to get it all together…and thankfully, the time has come to share everything in hope that it helps even one family through their arduous journey!

I draw upon my experience, as well as Western medicine knowledge, Eastern Ayurveda knowledge as well as the aspects of paediatric massage, and bring all of this into my writing.
What do you like to read?

I love to read non-fiction books that are focused towards self-growth, spirituality and self-betterment.

I absolutely LOVE Doctor Shefali Tsabary, who is my Earth angel with all of her content! 

I love Gabby Bernstein, Eckhart Tolle, Jay Shetty and Melissa Ambrosini as some examples of amazing content creators!

I love to feel like I am learning something, letting things go and perpetually becoming a better version of myself.

I have a secret obsession of buying books and taking FOREVER to read them, with the constant ‘start and stop’ process that happens with parenthood…so that is my author confession!


What would your advice be for authors or those aspiring in regards to writing?

I would say that you should go for it and forget about any negativity or anyone who may be telling you not to do it. 

Just start! If you think too much about the process, or whether you ‘should’ or work through all of your limiting beliefs, then it may never happen…so just start and believe in yourself!

If you have a message or something that you want to share to the world, then go for it. Be a vehicle for sharing your wisdom and be a vehicle of being of service.


Anything else you’d like to share?

My ultimate hope from my children’s book, my non-fiction book, my blogs, videos etc., is to completely change the narrative of perinatal mental health conditions across the world!

I want to strip away the stigma, misconceptions about PND, debunk myths about treatment and medications from the inside out…and to offer real, practical and honest sharing of my story and strategies to use for the mother and her partner/carer as well as these beautiful children that would feel so lost in this process…it still breaks my heart!

My mission is to support our women, their partner and their children, to feel supported…to feel seen and to feel held in a condition that is hidden away in the corner….and I hand on my heart do not want that corner to exist any longer!

I want to change the platform for women’s perinatal mental health in a real, positive and significant way!!

I will not stop until my work and my message is ‘out there’ and available to ALL the people who need it!

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Namita is a mother of two boys and draws upon her heart-wrenching first-hand experience of

post-natal depression, after the birth of both of her children. She is creating a myriad of support tools for women and their families, to navigate through their journeys of PND with as much ease and grace as possible.

Namita is a registered pharmacist who has qualifications in Ayurveda and Ayurveda Yoga teaching, as well as being a PMC (paediatric massage consultant) and CIMI (certified infant massage instructor). She draws upon her professional knowledge as well as her own experience, to be the support lifeline at a time when families need it the most.

Her intention is that she can be a beacon of hope and shine much-needed light, on the road

towards the mothers and the entire family’s healing and recovery. She hopes to inspire and uplift you through this chapter in your life.

Connect with Namita Mahanama

WEBSITE http://wholeistichealingco.com/ 

INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/whole_istichealingco/ 

GOODREADS https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22118373.Namita_Mahanama

Get Your Copy of My Mummy After Our Baby

AMAZON.COM https://amazon.com/dp/0228862930 

AMAZON.CA https://amazon.ca/dp/0228862930 

INDIGO CHAPTERS https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/my-mummy-after-our-baby/9780228862932-item.html 

BARNES & NOBLE https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-mummy-after-our-baby-namita-mahanama/1140827876 

BOOK DEPOSITORY https://www.bookdepository.com/My-Mummy-After-Our-Baby-Namita-Mahanama/9780228862932

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION 

Namita Mahanama will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway