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Hey, I am Ivana!

I am the author of Motherhood – The Unspoken, founder of @Mumsjourney blog, speaker, award-winning maternal mental health advocate, mother of three mixed-race boys (including twins) & wife to an amazing husband, who is on a mission to create a world where mums don’t suffer in silence. After my twin boys, Henry & Mason, were …

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Read my articles for parenting tips & support.

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How To Stop Being Stressed As A Mum

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Will Your Mistakes Traumatise Your Children Forever?

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Why the Newborn Stage Is Harder Than Any Other

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How I stopped feeling sad about my children growing up “too fast”

Updated on July 3, 2025May 28, 2025 Leave a Comment

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Kids and Screens: It’s Not the Mums, It’s the Missing Village

Updated on July 3, 2025May 23, 2025 Leave a Comment

ivanapoku

🤰 Mum of mixed race twins+1
💪 Postnatal depression survivor
✍️ Author of Motherhood - The Unspoken
❤️ Award-winning maternal mental health advocate

If you’re expecting your first baby, you’re:

If you’re expecting your first baby, you’re:

👉 Going to appointments
👉 Reading parenting books
👉 Asking questions
👉 Smiling politely when strangers tell you to “enjoy your sleep now.”

But deep down?

You’re quietly wondering:

“Will I have time for myself once the baby is born?”
“Will my husband and I still have time for each other?”
“Will I know what to do?”

And many MANY more questions.

You’re scared .. not of the labour, but of the big unknown that’s ahead of you. You’re exhausted of all the questions that run through your head day and night. You feel frustrated there are so many questions you’ll never ask out loud. Because what if people judge you?

I know, because I was you.

The next, I was crying over the fact I couldn’t have a drink or light a cigarette. One day I felt so ready. The next I was drowning in panic and doubt.

Everyone kept talking about birth and what to pack in a hospital bag… Which, sure, I did want to know.

But I also wanted to know:

When will I feel connected to my twins?
Will I ever stop missing my old life?
Am I even ready for this?
Am I going to be a good mum?
Is it normal to feel sad and lonely?

(And sooooo much more)

That’s why I created the Happy Motherhood Journey. ❤️

The only online course that gives you what antenatal classes leave out and answer your innermost questions about life after the baby arrives.

It’s not yet another checklist or theory from a health care professional.

It’s created by a fellow mum of three (including twins) and postnatal depression survivor who’s been there.

Drop me a DM if you’re ready to discover what 99% of mums wish they had known earlier.

Your future self (and your baby) is going to thank you

It’s my honour to welcome another incredible wom

It’s my honour to welcome another incredible woman to the Motherhood – The Unspoken audio project.

This isn’t just a project. It’s a call to break the silence so many mums drown in. To speak out loud what too many keep buried. To make sure fewer mums ever have to face the darkness of postnatal depression alone. ❤️

80% of the profit will go to the @pam.foundation charity.

THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart, Kate, for lending your voice to this mission. 🙏❤️

You’re reading the books. Going to appointments

You’re reading the books.

Going to appointments.

Smiling politely when strangers tell you to “enjoy your sleep now.”

But deep down?

You’re quietly wondering:

“Will I have time for myself once the baby is born?”
“Will my husband and I still have time for each other?”
“Will I know what to do?”

And many MANY more questions.

You’re scared .. not of the labour, but of the big unknown that’s ahead of you. You’re exhausted of all the questions that run through your head day and night. You feel frustrated there are so many questions you’ll never ask out loud. Because what if people judge you?

I know, because I was you.

The next, I was crying over the fact I couldn’t have a drink or light a cigarette. One day I felt so ready. The next I was drowning in panic and doubt.

Everyone kept talking about birth and what to pack in a hospital bag… Which, sure, I did want to know.

But I also wanted to know:

When will I feel connected to my twins?
Will I ever stop missing my old life?
Am I even ready for this?
Am I going to be a good mum?
Is it normal to feel sad and lonely?

(And sooooo much more)

That’s why I created the Happy Motherhood Journey. ❤️

The only online course that gives you what antenatal classes leave out and answer your innermost questions about life after the baby arrives.

It’s not yet another checklist or theory from a health care professional.

It’s created by a fellow mum of three (including twins) and postnatal depression survivor who’s been there.

Drop me a DM if you’re ready to discover what 99% of mums wish they had known earlier.

Your future self (and your baby) is going to thank you

#MotherhoodTruths #PregnancyAnxiety #PostnatalPrep #ThirdTrimester #FirstTimeMum

I’m not a psychologist. I’m a survivor. And t

I’m not a psychologist. I’m a survivor.

And that’s exactly why my work changes lives.

Because I’ve been that mum.

The one who smiled in public and broke down in private.

The one who thought, “Maybe I’m just not cut out for this.”

The one who didn’t recognise herself anymore.

So when a mum says, “I feel broken,”
I don’t reach for a textbook.
I don’t hand her a label.

I sit with her. I see her.

Because I’ve been her.

This isn’t theory.

This is lived experience turned into support that actually speaks your language.

No guessing. No judgment. No fixing.
Just deep understanding, honest tools, and a steady hand saying, “You are not alone. And you’re not failing - you’re human.”

I’m here for the conversations that happen in whispers.

The thoughts mums are too ashamed to say out loud.

The raw, tangled, unfiltered truth of what it really feels like after the baby arrives.

That’s what I offer:

❤️ Real-life tools that come from the trenches
❤️ Space to feel seen, not evaluated

If this speaks to you - or someone you know - I’d love to connect.

My inbox is open, always.

You’re not failing. You’re not weak. You’re

You’re not failing.
You’re not weak.
You’re just burnt out — and no one told you how normal that is.

The constant pressure to do it all.
To smile through the tears.
To keep going when all you want is five minutes of silence and someone to say, “It’s okay. You don’t have to be everything today.”

I created the Self-Care Toolbox for Exhausted Mums for you, because

🛑 Bubble baths don’t fix burnout
🛑 Telling you to “just rest more” doesn’t help when rest feels impossible

No fluff. No guilt-trips. Not another “take a walk” tip.

Just what actually helps when you’re at the end of your rope.

From one who’s been there and who gets it.

So if your heart is tired and no one sees it,
I see you.

Click the link in bio. Download the guide.
And please - let this be the moment you choose YOU. ❤️

You’re told to “take care of yourself” — B

You’re told to “take care of yourself” —
But how, when you haven’t peed alone in 3 years, your to-do list is screaming louder than your toddler, and your brain is running on caffeine and crumbs?

Let me say this louder: You’re not lazy. You’re not weak. You’re not doing it wrong.

You’re just BURNT OUT from carrying everyone else for too long.

And no, the answer isn’t a bubble bath.
It’s real-life self-care that fits around YOUR reality.

The chaos. The crumbs. The crying.

That’s why I created the “Self-care Toolbox For Burnt Out Mums”- not for the version of you with a free hour and a clean house (ha!).

But for the exhausted, stretched-too-thin, beautiful mess of a mum who needs something that actually helps.

✨ Practical tips you won’t find anywhere else (that you can apply right away)
✨ Tiny shifts that change everything
✨ And powerful mindset resets to help you finally feel human again

Because when you feel better, everything gets better.

Click the link in my bio to grab it now ❤️

You’re told to “take care of yourself” — B

You’re told to “take care of yourself” —
But how, when you haven’t peed alone in 3 years, your to-do list is screaming louder than your toddler, and your brain is running on caffeine and crumbs?

Let me say this louder: You’re not lazy. You’re not weak. You’re not doing it wrong.

You’re just BURNT OUT from carrying everyone else for too long.

And no, the answer isn’t a bubble bath.
It’s real-life self-care that fits around YOUR reality.

The chaos. The crumbs. The crying.

That’s why I created the “Self-care Toolbox For Burnt Out Mums”- not for the version of you with a free hour and a clean house (ha!).

But for the exhausted, stretched-too-thin, beautiful mess of a mum who needs something that actually helps.

✨ Practical tips
✨ Tiny shifts that change everything
✨ And powerful mindset resets to help you finally feel human again

Because when you feel better, everything gets better.

Click the link in my bio to grab it now ❤️

Posts like that might aim to raise awareness, but

Posts like that might aim to raise awareness, but they often just twist the knife.

Your kids don’t get “the worst of you.”

They get the truest you.

The you that’s run ragged.

The you that’s held in tears all day, smiled through meetings, swallowed stress, and still showed up.

You don’t snap at your boss because your nervous system is performing.

You snap at home because your body finally thinks it’s safe to let go.

It’s not failure. It’s biology.

It’s not weakness. It’s evidence of how much you’re carrying.

So don’t ever let posts like this guilt-trip you into thinking you are failing in any way.

You’re not impatient, you’re burnt out.
You’re not failing, you’re over-functioning.

The real question isn’t why you lose it at home.

It’s why the hell you’re expected to hold it together everywhere else.

What do YOU think?

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