Why I Created thewombflower 🌸

I don't usually share this story. But if you're preparing for postpartum or you're in it right now and struggling; I think you need to hear it.

Not the polished version. The real one.

The one that starts on a kitchen floor at 3 AM.

Week 3, 2018: The Breaking Point

I remember every detail.

Cold tiles under my bare feet. The dim glow from the stove hood. My baby's cries echoing through the house. And me, standing there at 3 AM, thinking:

"I can't do this anymore."

I didn't want to hurt anyone. I just wanted to stop existing in that moment. The exhaustion, the overwhelm, the crushing sense of failure; it was all too much.

And underneath it all: How can I feel this way when I have a healthy baby?

The Silence That Almost Destroyed Me

I told no one.

Not my husband, sleeping peacefully, unaware of how close I was to breaking.

Not my doctor at the six-week checkup when he asked "How are you doing?" and I lied: "Fine, just tired."

Not my mother, who kept saying "You're so blessed" and "Don't be so weak, I managed during my time, so can you." Because how could I admit I was drowning when everyone kept reminding me how lucky I was?

That silence almost destroyed me.

Week 3 became week 4. Week 4 became month 2. I went through the repetitive motions; pump, fed my baby, wash bottles, changed diapers, bath the baby, smiled when people visited; but inside, I felt like was disappearing.

It took four months before I finally told my husband: "I think something's wrong."

Four months of needless suffering because I didn't have the words, the permission, or the tools to recognize what was happening.

Postpartum depression.

2022: When Depression Found Me Again

For four years after my first baby, I carried the scars. The fear that I'd never have another child because I couldn't survive that darkness again.

Then in 2022, I got pregnant. We were cautiously excited...

At 8 weeks: miscarriage.

Within days, I recognized the signs. The heaviness. The numbness. The mornings where getting out of bed felt impossible.

Depression had found me again... I'd sit at my desk, tears streaming down my face uncontrollably. I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, couldn't concentrate. My body became weak, my face pale. This was my second round of depression. And it terrified me even more than the first. Because now I knew: My brain was vulnerable. Depression could find me anywhere.

2023: The Decision That Changed Everything

When I found out I was pregnant again in early 2023, joy mixed with absolute terror.

Two rounds of depression. I couldn't survive a third. So I made a decision: I would not just hope I'd be fine. I would prepare. I was completing my MA in Arts Illustration at the time. For my thesis project, most students designed children's books or graphic novels. I designed a survival kit. For myself.

I spent months obsessively researching:

• Postpartum depression triggers and prevention

• Forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku) and its impact on mental health

• Art therapy for processing emotions words can't capture

• Daily rituals that build mental health resilience

I wasn't creating a product. I was designing my own lifeline.

What I Created

Every element had one purpose: Keep me off that kitchen floor.

The Journal: Simple daily questions. Space for words when I had them, space for colors when I didn't. Emotion tracking that felt bearable, not clinical.

The Art Materials: Not for masterpieces; for releasing what was stuck inside when words weren't enough.

The Aroma Spray: A sensory reset button. One spray = pause, breathe, ground yourself.

The Wellness Tea: A reason to take 5 minutes for myself. Because mothers matter too.

The Affirmation Cards: For when I'd forget my worth. Real reminders, not toxic positivity:

• "You're allowed to struggle"

• "Asking for help is strength"

• "Nothing is wrong with you"

Week 3, 2024: Not the Kitchen Floor

I gave birth to my second baby in early 2024.

From day one, I used the kit I'd designed. Then came Week 3; the week that broke me in 2018. This time was different. My husband said something that triggered me. In 2018, that comment would have sent me spiraling for weeks.

This time:

• I journaled it immediately

• I drew angry, jagged lines for five minutes; release without explanation

• I told myself: "This is hormones. This is Week 3. This isn't truth"

• I resolved it in one day instead of spiraling for weeks

  
  

Week 3 came and went. For the first time, I had tools. And they worked.

From Personal to Shared

I didn't plan to share my framework with anyone.

But then friends started asking: "What did you do differently this time?"

I showed them my kit. They asked: "Can you make one for me?"

One became two. Two became five. Five became ten.

Mothers who were terrified like I'd been. Mothers preparing for postpartum. Mothers who'd been through depression and were scared it would return.

Each one felt like handing someone the lifeline I wish I'd had.

Why thewombflower Exists

I didn't create thewombflower to build a business.

I created it because I couldn't go back to that kitchen floor. And I realized other mothers needed a way off theirs.

When I stood on that kitchen floor in 2018, I wasn't the only one suffering:

• My baby was crying, needing a present mother

• My husband was unaware his wife was breaking

• My mother watched her daughter disappear

When a mother heals, her whole family heals.

That's what drives this mission.

What I Wish Someone Had Told Me

If I could go back to that kitchen floor in 2018, I'd say:

"You're not broken. This heaviness isn't permanent. It's not your fault. And you don't have to survive it alone."

I wish someone had given me permission to struggle without shame. I wish someone had handed me tools instead of just advice. I wish someone had told me Week 3 is when it gets hardest; so I could prepare instead of being blindsided.

That's what thewombflower is. The thing I wish had existed.

To Every Mother Reading This

If you're preparing for postpartum:

1 in 10* mothers will experience postpartum depression or anxiety. You don't have to wait to find out which one you'll be.

Prepare now. Tools ready. Framework in place. So if Week 3 comes and it's hard, you won't be on a kitchen floor; you'll have something to reach for.

If you're struggling right now:

What you're feeling the heaviness, the numbness, the thoughts you're scared to say out loud; I've felt it all.

You're not broken. You're not failing. You're going through something medical, not moral.

Please tell someone. Please reach for help. You deserve support, not silence.

From Kitchen Floor to Mission

It's been seven years since that night.

I never imagined that moment would lead here; to research, to design, to a framework that would save me the second time, to a mission of helping other mothers.

Sometimes the darkest moments become the catalyst for the most meaningful work.

thewombflower exists because I stood on a kitchen floor and almost didn't make it. It exists because depression found me twice, and the second time I fought back with preparation.

It exists because I couldn't bear the thought of other mothers suffering the way I did.

If you need it, it's here.

From my kitchen floor to yours; you don't have to do this alone. 🩷

Yvonne Ling

Founder, thewombflower

Artist | Designer | Mother | Postpartum Survivor

About Yvonne:

Yvonne is the founder of thewombflower, a maternal mental health support service in Singapore. She's a mother of two, postpartum depression survivor, and advocate for honest conversations about the hard parts of motherhood. Follow her on Instagram @thewombflower for real talk about postpartum mental health.

If you're struggling right now:

• NUH Women's Emotional Health Service (WEHS): Offers psychiatric assessment and care for postnatal depression.

  • Phone: 6772 2037 (Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm)

  • Email: wehs@nuhs.edu.sg

    
    

• KK Women's & Children's Hospital (KKH) Women's Mental Wellness Service: Provides information and advice regarding postnatal depression.

  • Appointments/Enquiries: 6293 4044

  • Email: pnd@kkh.com.sg

    
    

You're not alone. Help is available. 🩷

Ready to Build Your Postpartum Support System?

thewombflower Postpartum Support Kit contains everything I used to heal: 30-day guided journal, art therapy materials, aromatherapy, wellness tea, and weekly affirmation cards.

Created by a mother who survived postpartum depression, for mothers who deserve better support.

Because you shouldn't have to figure this out alone.

Shop the Kit | Contact Me

Related Reading:

• 5 Signs You Need Postpartum Support (That Nobody Talks About)

• Your First 30 Days Postpartum: A Framework That Saved Me

*Tan, C. (2025) ‘I needed to protect her against dark thoughts’: Father of 5, whose wife had postnatal depression, The Straits Times. Available at: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/i-needed-to-protect-her-against-dark-thoughts-father-of-5-whose-wife-had-postnatal-depression (Accessed: 01 May 2025).

5 Signs You Need Postpartum Support (That Nobody Talks About)

When I had my first baby in 2018, I thought I was just "adjusting."

The crying over spilled milk; literally. The numbness when I looked at my newborn. The endless loop of "what ifs" about the birth replaying in my mind at 3 AM. Everyone told me motherhood would be hard. But nobody told me it would feel like this.

It wasn't until months later that I learned these weren't just normal exhaustion. They were signs of postpartum depression. Here in Singapore, 1 in 10 mothers* experience postpartum mental health struggles. Yet we rarely talk about it openly. We're told to be grateful, to push through, to just "sleep when baby sleeps."But what if you can't sleep because your mind won't stop? What if looking at your baby feels like looking at a stranger?

If any of these signs resonate with you, I want you to know: you're not broken, you're not failing, and you're definitely not alone.

Sign #1: You Feel Nothing Looking at Your Baby

Everyone promised you'd feel instant, overwhelming love. Movie-worthy tears of joy. That magical bond.

Instead? Emptiness.

You go through the motions; feeding, changing, soothing, washing; but you feel disconnected. Like you're caring for someone else's child. The guilt of not feeling what you're "supposed" to feel makes it even worse. This emotional numbness is one of the most common and most hidden symptoms of postpartum depression. It doesn't mean you don't love your baby. It means your brain chemistry is struggling right now.

Sign #2: You're Replaying "What Ifs" on Loop

The birth didn't go as planned. Maybe it was traumatic. Maybe you had to make difficult decisions. Maybe things happened that you weren't prepared for. Now you can't stop replaying it. What if you had done something differently? What if you had spoken up? What if, what if, what if...

This intrusive replay is often a sign of birth trauma or postpartum anxiety. Your mind is trying to process an overwhelming experience, but it gets stuck in the loop instead.

Sign #3: You Cry at the Smallest Things

A dropped spoon sends you into tears. A kind text from a friend makes you sob. Your baby's tiny socks undone you completely. Everything feels too big. Too much. Like your emotions have been turned up to maximum volume and you can't find the dial. This heightened emotional sensitivity isn't weakness; it's your nervous system in overdrive. It's a sign that you need support, not that you need to "toughen up."

Sign #4: You Can't Make Simple Decisions

What to eat for lunch. What to wear. Whether to go for a walk or stay home. Decisions that used to be automatic now feel paralyzing. You stand in front of your wardrobe for ten minutes, unable to choose. You stare at the fridge, overwhelmed by options. This decision fatigue is exhausting and it's a real symptom of postpartum mental health struggles. Your brain is already working overtime just to keep functioning.

Sign #5: You Feel Guilty for Struggling

"I should be grateful; I have a healthy baby."

"Other mums have it worse than me."

"What's wrong with me?"

The guilt is perhaps the heaviest burden of all. You feel like you should be happy, so struggling feels like personal failure. But here's the truth: struggling doesn't make you ungrateful. It makes you human. You can be grateful for your baby and find motherhood incredibly hard. Both things can be true at the same time.

What Changed for Me

With my second baby, I recognized these signs early. I had tools to catch myself before I fell too far. I knew that crying over small things wasn't weakness; it was a signal. I knew that the "what if" loop meant I needed to process, not push through. I knew that asking for help wasn't giving up. The difference wasn't that postpartum was easier the second time. The difference was that I had support.

You Deserve More Than "Sleep When Baby Sleeps"

That's why I created thewombflower; because mothers deserve real support. Not toxic positivity. Not being told to just "enjoy every moment."

Real support that acknowledges how hard this is. That validates your experience. That gives you actual tools, not just advice to rest more.

If you nodded to any of these five signs, please know:

• You're not broken

• You're not failing

• You're not alone

Postpartum mental health struggles are common, they're treatable, and they don't define your worth as a mother. Reach out to your healthcare provider. Talk to someone you trust. Join a support group. And please, be gentle with yourself.

You're doing better than you think.

Even on the days when it doesn't feel like it. 🩷

Yvonne Ling

Founder, thewombflower

Artist | Designer | Mother | Postpartum Survivor

About Yvonne:

Yvonne is the founder of thewombflower, a maternal mental health support service in Singapore. She's a mother of two, postpartum depression survivor, and advocate for honest conversations about the hard parts of motherhood. Follow her on Instagram @thewombflower for real talk about postpartum mental health.

If you're struggling right now:

• NUH Women's Emotional Health Service (WEHS): Offers psychiatric assessment and care for postnatal depression.

  • Phone: 6772 2037 (Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm)

  • Email: wehs@nuhs.edu.sg

    
    

• KK Women's & Children's Hospital (KKH) Women's Mental Wellness Service: Provides information and advice regarding postnatal depression.

  • Appointments/Enquiries: 6293 4044

  • Email: pnd@kkh.com.sg

    
    

You're not alone. Help is available. 🩷

Ready to Build Your Postpartum Support System?

thewombflower Postpartum Support Kit contains everything I used to heal: 30-day guided journal, art therapy materials, aromatherapy, wellness tea, and weekly affirmation cards.

Created by a mother who survived postpartum depression, for mothers who deserve better support.

Because you shouldn't have to figure this out alone.

Shop the Kit | Contact Me

Related Reading:

• Your First 30 Days Postpartum: A Framework That Saved Me

*Tan, C. (2025) ‘I needed to protect her against dark thoughts’: Father of 5, whose wife had postnatal depression, The Straits Times. Available at: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/i-needed-to-protect-her-against-dark-thoughts-father-of-5-whose-wife-had-postnatal-depression (Accessed: 01 May 2025).

Your First 30 Days Postpartum: A Framework That Saved Me

I still remember day three postpartum with my first baby in 2018, after returning home from the hospital.

I was sitting on my bed at 3 AM, staring at my crying newborn, and I felt... dread. Not the overwhelming love everyone promised. Not the maternal instinct that was supposed to kick in automatically. Just emptiness and terror.

We didn't have a helper back then. It was just me, my husband, and my mum trying to figure it out. We pictured it perfectly in our heads—we'd take turns, we'd manage, we'd be fine.

We didn't account for the sleep deprivation. My husband worked during the day and tried to help at night. But as the mum? It was 24/7. Feeding every 3 hours. Waking up to pump in the middle of the night even when baby finally slept. On-call duty with no breaks, no shifts, no days off.

Did anyone ever ask if I had slept? No. They asked if the baby was sleeping through the night yet.

Nobody told me this is what motherhood looks like.

Everyone said "enjoy every moment" and "these days go so fast" and "you're so blessed." And I was blessed—I knew that logically. But I also felt like I was drowning, and I didn't know how to tell anyone without sounding ungrateful.

How It All Fell Apart

That first postpartum experience broke me in ways I'm still processing.

Postpartum depression crept in quietly. It got worse when I went back to work and faced workplace bullying on top of everything else. So quietly that I didn't recognize it until I was already deep in it.

By the time I realized I needed help, months had passed. Months of suffering I could have prevented if I'd had tools to catch myself earlier. When I got pregnant with my second baby six years later, I told myself: I cannot let this happen again. I was terrified of going back to that dark place. Terrified of losing myself again.

So I did something different.

How I Created My Own Lifeline

During my second pregnancy, I was pursuing my MA in Illustration. For my final year project, I decided to do something for myself: create a postpartum support kit.

The initial thought was simple; so I wouldn't have to go through the same struggles I had six years before. And if it worked for me, maybe it could help other mothers too.

I combined my skills as a UX designer and artist. I researched postpartum depression extensively. I discovered forest bathing and its proven benefits for mental health, including PPD. I took everything I learned and created what you now see: thewombflower postpartum support kit.

Not to prevent all struggle; that's impossible but to give myself tools to move through it instead of drowning in it.

This framework saved me. And now I want to share it with you.

Why the First 30 Days Matter

Here's what I wish someone had told me before I gave birth:

The first 30 days postpartum are when your mental health foundation is set.

Not your baby's routine. Not your milk supply. Not whether you're "bouncing back." Your mental health.

If you start by ignoring your emotional needs, pushing through, pretending everything is fine; you set yourself up for burnout or worse.

But if you support your mental health from day one, you build resilience for the harder days ahead. Because they will come. And when they do, you'll have tools to face them.

After experiencing both paths—struggling without support the first time, healing with a framework the second time; I can tell you: the difference is life-changing.

The Four Phases That Saved Me

This came from lived experience. My own desperation not to fall apart again. Trial and error to figure out what actually worked when I had zero energy and even less mental capacity.

Let me walk you through each phase, exactly as I experienced it.

Week 1: The Permission Phase

What I was feeling:

Those first seven days were a blur. My body felt foreign, sore, swollen, leaking. I couldn't sleep even when baby slept because my mind wouldn't stop racing.

And the guilt. Oh, the guilt.

I felt guilty for struggling when I had a healthy baby. Guilty for not being instantly maternal. Guilty for saying YES to visitors when I wasn't in any state to entertain people. I only wanted to rest, but they only wanted to see the baby.

What actually helped:

During my second pregnancy, I prepared differently. I gave myself literal permission slips. I wrote on sticky notes:

• "You're allowed to cry"

• "Asking for help is strength, not weakness"

• "You don't have to enjoy every moment"

• "Say NO to visitors"

  
  

I stuck them in my journal where I'd see them every day. Reading them—believing them; made all the difference. I also practiced saying out loud: "I need help." Not "sorry to bother you, but..." Just "I need help with..."

And this time, I knew I needed extra help. So I booked a one-month confinement center stay to make sure I had time to rest and recover properly.

Permission to struggle is the foundation of everything else.

Week 2: The Awareness Phase

What I was feeling:

By week two, the adrenaline wore off. Visitors stopped coming. The congratulations slowed. And suddenly I was alone with my new reality, and it felt... heavy.

I noticed I'd cry every evening. I felt most anxious during night feeds. Some people's visits left me drained; others left me energized.

What actually helped:

In my second pregnancy, I started keeping the simplest journal. Not beautiful prose. Just observations:

• "6 PM is the hardest time. When it gets dark, I feel lonely. Like I'm left alone again with the baby."

• "Sitting by the window with tea helps calm me."

• "Mom's visits feel supportive. Relative's visits feel judgmental."

• "I keep replaying the birth. Still feels so raw and terrifying."

  
  

Writing it down did two things: got it out of my head so it wasn't on constant loop, and showed me patterns I could work with. I learned 6 PM was "witching hour"—common for babies and mothers. So I prepared: water bottle filled, favorite snacks ready, loved ones nearby for support. I couldn't eliminate the hard time, but I could prepare for it. I also learned who I needed boundaries with. Not everyone's presence is helpful postpartum. Some people drain you with unsolicited advice or judgment.

Be brave and say NO if it doesn't make you feel good.

Awareness without judgment is a superpower.

Week 3: The Expression Phase

What I was feeling:

Week three almost broke me. Again. This is when emotions peak.

With my first baby, this was when postpartum depression really took hold. It felt like an emotional roller coaster. I was more sensitive, more raw. I'd rage at my partner over small things. I'd sob uncontrollably while feeding. I had intrusive thoughts that terrified me.

With my second baby, week three was still hard; but I recognized what was happening. Emotions peaking. Hormones crashing. This is the critical window when depression takes hold if feelings go unprocessed.

One day, my husband said something unintentionally hurtful: "I don't understand why such a simple thing and yet you can't get it." During this sensitive week, I took it to heart. I felt like he was calling me stupid, saying he didn't love me anymore. My tears just rolled down nonstop. But because I journaled it and expressed it through doodling, I was able to talk myself through it. I realized these negative thoughts weren't true; it was just hormones. I resolved it on my own in one day. Thank God I didn't go into the rabbit hole for weeks like the first time.

What actually helped:

This is when art saved my life.

I'm an artist, but I'm not talking about creating beautiful paintings. I'm talking about grabbing pencils and scribbling angry red lines across paper. Drawing chaotic circles when I felt out of control. Using colors to express what I couldn't put into words.

One of the day, I drew nothing but jagged black lines for five minutes. It wasn't art. It was release. And afterward, I could breathe easier.

I also journaled raw truth:

• "I resent my husband for sleeping through the baby's cries."

• "I feel rage at my husband for saying such insensitive words."

• "I love my baby and I also miss my old life and I feel guilty about both."

  
  

Writing it made it real. But it also made it manageable. The thoughts lost power once they were on paper instead of swirling in my head. And I cried. So much. In the shower. While feeding. Into my husband's shoulder at 2 AM. I stopped fighting the tears. I let them come. Tears aren't weakness; they're your body releasing stress hormones. They're healing. This phase is uncomfortable. It requires feeling things you want to suppress. But suppression leads to depression.

Expression is protection.

Week 4: The Connection Phase

What I was feeling:

By the final week of month one, I was exhausted. But I also felt something I hadn't felt since giving birth: a glimmer of myself.

Not the old me; that person was gone. But a new version. A mother version. Still figuring things out, but starting to recognize myself again.

What actually helped:

I started small:

• I walked. Just 10 minutes in nature. Some days in pajamas. Some days with unwashed hair. But I went outside. The fresh air, natural light, movement; all of it helped more than I expected.

• I reached out. I texted my best friend: "I'm struggling today." She didn't try to fix it. She just said: "I see you. You're doing amazing even when it doesn't feel like it." That was enough.

• I did something that felt like 'me.' I painted for 15 minutes while baby napped. Not for Instagram. Not for anyone. Just because painting was part of who I was before I became a mother, and I needed to remember that person still existed.

• I acknowledged my progress. I looked back at day one; the fear, the overwhelm, the emptiness. And I realized: I survived that. I'm still here. I'm doing it.

Small reconnections matter more than you think.

The Difference Between My Two Postpartum Experiences

With my first baby: I had no framework. I pushed through thinking I was Superwoman. I ignored my feelings. I thought asking for help meant I was weak. By three months postpartum, I was deep in depression and didn't even recognize it.

With my second baby: I used this framework. I still struggled; motherhood is hard no matter what but I had tools. When week three hit and emotions spiked, I didn't spiral. I journaled. I drew. I cried. I expressed instead of suppressed.

The difference wasn't that I didn't struggle. The difference was that I knew how to move through it.

Why I Created thewombflower

I couldn't find support that addressed maternal mental health in a practical, accessible way. Confinement care focuses on physical recovery. Well-meaning advice like "sleep when baby sleeps" doesn't address the emotional complexity of postpartum.

I needed something in between. Tools I could use at 2 AM when falling apart. Permission to struggle without shame. A framework to catch myself before I fell too far. So I designed it. As an UX designer, I made it simple and functional. As an artist, I made it beautiful; because you deserve beauty even in chaos. As a mother, I tested it on myself first.

What's Inside thewombflower Kit

After my second birth, friends asked: "What did you do differently this time?" So I turned my framework into a physical kit:

• For the Permission Phase: Weekly affirmation cards; simple reminders you're allowed to struggle, to feel, to ask for help.

• For the Awareness Phase: A guided journal with simple questions: "How am I feeling today?" "What was hardest?" "What helped?" Space to notice without judgment.

• For the Expression Phase: Color pencils and art journal pages. Because sometimes words aren't enough. You don't need artistic skill; you just need an outlet.

• For the Connection Phase: Custom aromatherapy spray and wellness tea. Small rituals that ground you. A reason to pause, breathe, reconnect with yourself.

It's not everything; postpartum is complex and sometimes requires professional help; but it's something. A starting point. A lifeline when you need it most.

To First-Time Mums: What I Want You to Know

If you're reading this while pregnant, hear me clearly:

What you feel in those first 30 days; all of it is valid. The overwhelm. The fear. The joy. The grief for your old life. The love. The numbness. The rage. The guilt. All of it can coexist, and none of it makes you a bad mother. You might feel instant connection with your baby. You might not feel anything for days or weeks. Both are normal.

You might love breastfeeding. You might hate it. Both are okay.

You might feel like a natural. You might feel completely lost. Both are valid.

Struggling doesn't mean you're failing. It means you're human.

Postpartum depression is common, and it's preventable more often than we think. Not always; sometimes it comes no matter what you do, and that's not your fault. But sometimes, with the right support early on, you can catch yourself before you fall too far.

That's what this framework gave me. Not perfection. Not Instagram-worthy motherhood. Just tools to move through hard moments instead of drowning in them.

When to Seek Professional Help

This framework is not a replacement for professional mental health care.

If you're experiencing any of these, please reach out to your doctor, therapist, or a postpartum support helpline:

• Persistent sadness or hopelessness that doesn't lift

• Intrusive thoughts about harming yourself or your baby

• Inability to bond with your baby or feeling disconnected

• Severe anxiety, panic attacks, or constant worry

• Feeling like motherhood was a mistake

• Thoughts of death or escape

• Rage that feels uncontrollable

These require professional support. There is absolutely no shame in needing it. Postpartum depression and anxiety are medical conditions, not personal failures.

I'm sharing my framework as someone who survived PPD and found tools that helped; but I'm not a mental health professional. I'm just a mother who learned the hard way and wants to help others have an easier path.

You're Not Alone

1 in 10 mothers* in Singapore experience postpartum depression or anxiety.

You're not alone. You're not broken. You're not failing.

You're going through one of the most challenging transitions a human can experience. Your body just grew and birthed a person. Your brain is rewiring itself. Your hormones are crashing. Your identity is shifting. Your sleep is non-existent. Of course it's hard. It would be strange if it wasn't. But hard doesn't mean you're doing it wrong. Hard just means you need support. Real support. Not toxic positivity or generic advice. Actual tools and permission and understanding.

That's what I'm trying to offer you. Not because I have all the answers; I don't. But because I've been in the darkness, and I found a way through, and I don't want you to feel as alone as I did.

Your First 30 Days Don't Have to Break You

I can't promise postpartum will be easy. I can't promise you won't struggle.

But I can promise that with the right support, it doesn't have to break you the way it almost broke me.

Small actions. Daily support. Four phases. 30 days.

Permission. Awareness. Expression. Connection.

One day at a time. One moment at a time. With tools in your hands and permission in your heart.

You're going to be okay. Even on the days it doesn't feel like it.

You're doing better than you think, mama.

I see you. 🩷

Yvonne Ling

Founder, thewombflower

Artist | Designer | Mother | Postpartum Survivor

About Yvonne:

Yvonne is the founder of thewombflower, a maternal mental health support service in Singapore. She's a mother of two, postpartum depression survivor, and advocate for honest conversations about the hard parts of motherhood. Follow her on Instagram @thewombflower for real talk about postpartum mental health.

If you're struggling right now:

• NUH Women's Emotional Health Service (WEHS): Offers psychiatric assessment and care for postnatal depression.

  • Phone: 6772 2037 (Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm)

  • Email: wehs@nuhs.edu.sg

    
    

• KK Women's & Children's Hospital (KKH) Women's Mental Wellness Service: Provides information and advice regarding postnatal depression.

  • Appointments/Enquiries: 6293 4044

  • Email: pnd@kkh.com.sg

    
    

You're not alone. Help is available. 🩷

Ready to Build Your Postpartum Support System?

thewombflower Postpartum Support Kit ccontains everything I used to heal: 30-day guided journal, art therapy materials, aromatherapy, wellness tea, and weekly affirmation cards.

Created by a mother who survived postpartum depression, for mothers who deserve better support.

Because you shouldn't have to figure this out alone.

Shop the Kit | Contact Me

Related Reading:

• 5 Signs You Need Postpartum Support (That Nobody Talks About)

*Tan, C. (2025) ‘I needed to protect her against dark thoughts’: Father of 5, whose wife had postnatal depression, The Straits Times. Available at: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/i-needed-to-protect-her-against-dark-thoughts-father-of-5-whose-wife-had-postnatal-depression (Accessed: 01 May 2025).