Those of you who are on my email list or who have been on my website, Facebook page or read my Twitter feed, will know by now that I’m trying to make my second short film called Mother. Heads up here, there’s a likelihood we’ll be changing the title to “A Mother’s Journey,” which I think is a tad more descriptive. Anyway if you haven’t seen any of the tweets, emails or Facebook posts soliciting your goodwill; the skinny is that, I’m continuing the story of Lola Ogunwole, the protagonist from my award winning book Imagine This.

Lola is a character that seemed to linger with readers and they wanted to know what happened to her. I jokingly said I’d be writing a sequel, which in theory I have, just not as a book. 🙂 I’m sure most of you have figured out by now that, A Mother’s Journey is THAT sequel Imagine That, I talked about all those years ago. Like my readers, I often wondered how Lola coped with life in London after she left Nigeria. Was her life any better? What challenges did she face in a country where she knew no one? But most importantly, did she ever get her happy ever after?

That was my starting point when I decided to develop this story as a short film. After the hell Lola went through growing up, I really wanted to write a happy triumphant story. A story in which she had overcome all the odds and was a happy successful well-adjusted woman without a care in the world. Well that was my intent until I started writing and the script took on a life of it’s own. I started to wonder about the relationship or lack thereof, between Lola and her mother. For those who have read the book (I’m not giving anything away) you’ll remember that although Lola had her mother’s phone number, she never summoned up enough courage to make the call. This made me ponder the long term effects her mother’s absence caused on her psyche and out went the happy ever after scenario I’d envisioned.

I was curious as to how the effects manifested in her daily life? How did it affect the choices she made? These questions fascinated me, so I did some quick research into the effects of “mother abandonment” and came across an online article which chronicled the possible effects of the absent mother syndrome. In most of the articles I read, the conclusions were that the effects of abandonment can be long-term and in some cases severe. Which leads me neatly on to the one of the themes, which unwillingly emerged from A Mother’s Journey; postnatal depression. As a single woman who has never had a child, it’s not an issue I thought I’d be writing about but one must sometimes listen to the voice within.

As women we are told that having a baby will be one of the happiest moments in our lives, that the bond a mother feels for her baby is instant and sacrosanct. Despite what we’re told, a small percentage of women suffer from postnatal depression, a mental health disorder, which leaves those who suffer from it feeling isolated and ashamed. There is no definitive cause for postnatal depression, but what most experts agree on is that, a combination of factors leads to this mental health disorder and it can affect anyone regardless of race, religion or social status. The hard part for those suffering postnatal depression, is recognising the symptoms and getting the help needed. These symptoms can range from feeling low, tired or sad to the extreme such as feeling hostile or indifferent to the baby or even experiencing thoughts of death and self-harm.

Most women suffer in silence due to the shame they feel and therefore delay getting any help. According to the research out there, it’s crucial that help is sought as soon as possible because left untreated, postnatal depression can last for months or years. Giving birth is a life altering event, as well as being a joyous occasion it is also emotionally and physically exhausting for mothers and depression is triggered by life changing events such as the death of a relative or a broken relationship. The most important treatment and aid for women going through this, is the support of their families. New mothers need to be able to be completely honest and open about what they are experiencing, without feeling judged by those closest to them, with the correct support half the battle is won.

A Mother’s Journey is not a film that has the answers, what I hope it does, is shed a little light on the darkness which can sometimes overshadow what should be joyful time in a woman’s life.

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