Interview with children’s author Namita Mahanama

Children’s author Namita Mahanama joins me today to chat a bit about her new book, My Mummy After Our Baby – A Journey of Hope and Healing.

During her virtual book tour, Namita will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!

Bio:
Namita is a mother of two beautiful boys and journeyed through a deep post-natal depression after the birth of both of her children. Her healing, journey, experience as a pharmacist, paediatric massage consultant and studying Ayurveda and Ayurvedic yoga teaching has propelled her along the path to help in the process of speaking up and healing for other mothers through their post-natal depression journey.

She wrote this book as a tool that she wished she had when her eldest son could not understand what was happening to her after the birth of their second baby. She hopes that it can provide some peace and solace to your family through this chapter and to help shine the light on your path towards healing as a family.

Welcome, Namita. Please tell us about your current release.
This children’s book was written after my recovery from postnatal depression, as I realised there were not enough resources to help explain what is happening within the home to children.

I wanted to create practical resources that would pave the path towards more understanding and empathy for everyone within the home about the situation when a mother is unwell with PND.

We felt like we were alone and did not have the skills or ability to explain what was happening to my eldest son Ari when I fell ill after our second son. I wrote this book as something I so desperately wished was available to us and Ari.

What inspired you to write this book?
Our real-lived life experience is what inspired me to write this book. Feeling alone in our journey of postnatal depression, is what inspired me to create resources so that no other family feels alone in their journey.

I wanted a way that brought heart and emotion to the situation, that in itself can be a connective tool between mother and child (the disconnection being one of the most heart-breaking symptoms of PND).

I also wanted to explain what was happening to the child in a gentle and soft way, as well as provide them with so much hope that their mother can and will get better. It is a story of hope and healing and one that I know our family would have loved and needed so much during our chapter of darkness.

 

Excerpt from My Mummy After Our Baby – A Journey of Hope and Healing:
The next day when Aydan went to school, his Mummy went into the hospital and after six hours of having a really sore tummy ache, she welcomed their beautiful little boy Kameron into the world!

The sun shone brightly that day, the birds chirped happily and his Mummy and Daddy were crying with how grateful, happy and blessed they felt! Aydan had never seen his Mummy glow so brightly and he loved his brother instantly for giving that to her.

Aydan had to be brave for a few days whilst his Mummy stayed in the hospital with Kameron to rest her body…but was so excited to welcome them back home.

When his Mummy did come home, she was so happy to see Aydan that she cried and glowed all at the same time! Rupert was so excited too that he couldn’t stop wagging his tail and cuddling his Mummy. It was perfection!

The next morning, Aydan noticed his Mummy looked a bit tired and she wasn’t shining as brightly as he remembered. He cuddled her and told her just how much he loved and missed her.

As the Autumn leaves started to fall down heavily over the next few days, Aydan looked at his Mummy and noticed that today her light had almost completely gone. Her smile, her glowing eyes, the light in her heart had almost completely disappeared and he felt so sad not knowing where they had all gone.

 

What exciting project are you working on next?
I am currently working on an Ayurvedic cookbook! I have made it my life’s mission to create support tools for women and their families, to provide practical tools from my pharmacist, Ayurveda and Ayurvedic yoga teacher background.

My hope is to create another tool focusing on nourishment, rejuvenation and internal balance through Ayurvedic nutrition principles as a way to support a mother through her postnatal depression journey.

No longer do I want people to think ‘I have PND, now what?’ I want there to be solid and concrete tools to help carry her hand through this chapter with more ease and grace.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I never saw or thought of myself as a writer growing up! However, upon my recovery I knew that I had to share my story in my non-fiction book to mothers, as well as my children’s book. I knew deep within my bones that I had to share my story and to help as many families as I could.

Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I wrote my two books during lockdown in Sydney, with my husband, two boys and fur-baby at home with me.

Otherwise, I am working as a consultant pharmacist, finishing my Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant studies and being a busy Mum of two young boys!

I write in between other jobs and family life, which is a balance…but I love it!

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
It can take me a while to find my groove when writing, but when I get into my flow state then hours can go by and I find it hard to pull myself away!

The balance between work, children, family life and writing, sometimes does not allow me to keep ploughing through my flow state…but enjoying it whilst in it, and pulling myself away from it if life requires me to!

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Growing up I always wanted to become a dentist and did my year 10 work experience at a dental clinic. Ironically, it turned out blood wasn’t for me…but ended up marrying a dentist!!

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I essentially want to make other families lives less rocky and alone by writing these support tools. My hope is to offer practical and lived-experience tools that I wish were available for us, and to be a beacon of hope for anyone who may need to hear my message.

My hope is that my experience can help others, and is the silver lining of the suffering that myself and family endured.

Links:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon US | Amazon CA | Indigo Chapters | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository

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