Hello Everyone,

As some of you may or may not of known I struggled severely with my mental health upon having my twin girls Ava and Ruby. I was admitted into a mother and baby unit for a couple of weeks once we left the hospital. Since then it’s been a rollercoaster of a journey for me and my family. I still do suffer but I am in a much better place interpreting a combination of practices into my daily life, running, mindfulness and cold water therapy (the wim hof method). During my first year of having the girls I had continued support from the perinatal mental health team and the team during my stay at the Anderson ward which I couldn’t thank them enough. I feel very strongly about mental health, and seeing other mothers struggle during my stay at the ward I have decided to take part in running the Manchester Marathon 2023, and whilst doing so I would like to raise money for a charity called Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP) this charity aims to help mums, parents and families and support them through Postpartum Psychosis. Postpartum Psychosis affects 1400 new mums in the UK each year. Action on Postpartum Psychosis offers a life changing peer support network which helps women and families affected by postpartum psychosis feel understood, supported and less isolated.

This will be my first ever marathon and I know training for it, having my twin girls, Tazer and Charlie ;) to look after, will be a challenge. I would love to complete the course under 4 hours but my main goal is just to pass the finish line. I hope I can do you all proud and raise awareness and give the support peri/postnatal mental health needs. I thank you all for your support and donations and I’ll be sure to keep you updated with my training progress.

Love Natalie x