Not self-abandoning: How motherhood awakened my inner fire with Mayuri Govender-Jonck
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I'm joined by Mayuri Govender-Jonck, lawyer, transformation specialist, and creator of Breaking Brown Silence, for a deeply honest conversation about the realities of early motherhood. Eight months into her journey as a mother, Mayuri shares how becoming a parent ignited an unstoppable fire within her to never abandon herself again.
We dive into her traumatic pregnancy and birth experience - from bed rest at 20 weeks, to gestational diabetes, to her daughter's 5-week NICU stay where she wasn't allowed to latch for 3 weeks. Mayuri courageously shares the rage, powerlessness, and institutional trauma she faced, and how she ultimately had to fight the medical system to get her healthy baby discharged.
This conversation explores the political nature of motherhood, the moral burden society places on women's bodies, and why motherhood can be the first visceral experience of oppression for many. We discuss the mammalian reality of pregnancy, the impossible standards women face, and how the fire that burns within mothers - despite systemic failures - reveals our untouchable strength.
Follow Mayuri Govender-Jonck
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/may_be.hungry/
Linkedin: https://za.linkedin.com/in/mayuri-govender-30462b1b
Follow Carly on:
Website: https://onthecouchwithcarly.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfBi56xQookfRGL3zvWVzCg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onthecouchwithcarly/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onthecouchwithcarly/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@onthecouchwithcarly
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/on-the-couch-with-carly/id1497585376
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3t7A2FMnISQ2fz9D5p0Xuw
We dive into her traumatic pregnancy and birth experience - from bed rest at 20 weeks, to gestational diabetes, to her daughter's 5-week NICU stay where she wasn't allowed to latch for 3 weeks. Mayuri courageously shares the rage, powerlessness, and institutional trauma she faced, and how she ultimately had to fight the medical system to get her healthy baby discharged.
This conversation explores the political nature of motherhood, the moral burden society places on women's bodies, and why motherhood can be the first visceral experience of oppression for many. We discuss the mammalian reality of pregnancy, the impossible standards women face, and how the fire that burns within mothers - despite systemic failures - reveals our untouchable strength.
Follow Mayuri Govender-Jonck
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/may_be.hungry/
Linkedin: https://za.linkedin.com/in/mayuri-govender-30462b1b
Follow Carly on:
Website: https://onthecouchwithcarly.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfBi56xQookfRGL3zvWVzCg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onthecouchwithcarly/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onthecouchwithcarly/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@onthecouchwithcarly
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/on-the-couch-with-carly/id1497585376
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3t7A2FMnISQ2fz9D5p0Xuw
Chapters
- 00:14 Introduction to Mayuri: lawyer, editor, and new mom
- 03:14 The pull to not abandon yourself as a new mother
- 05:38 Protecting children from inherited anxiety disorders
- 09:19 NICU experience: 5 weeks with premature baby
- 12:23 Core values: integrity, community support, honest conversations
- 16:39 Trauma of NICU experience and processing difficulties
- 19:29 High-risk pregnancy: bed rest and cervical stitch at 20 weeks
- 21:58 Gestational diabetes and extreme pregnancy anxiety
- 24:26 Self-blame and feeling like body is failing baby
- 29:31 Moral burden and responsibility carried throughout pregnancy
- 32:45 Feeling mammalian and animalistic during pregnancy
- 34:28 Motherhood as political experience - Lucy Jones quote
- 35:36 First visceral experience of oppression through motherhood
- 39:18 Postpartum rage and anger at systemic failures
- 40:36 NICU medical system failures and poor treatment
- 42:11 Not allowed to breastfeed for 3 weeks in NICU
- 44:11 Mental breakdown and forcing baby's discharge from NICU
- 47:42 First time alone with baby after 3 weeks
- 52:15 Breastfeeding struggles after NICU interference
- 54:16 Decision to stop breastfeeding and choose formula feeding
- 58:10 Systematic changes needed for maternal healthcare support
- 01:01:33 Mothers as vulnerable population needing protection
- 01:04:58 Resilience and inherent strength of mothers despite trauma
- 01:07:54 Motherhood as site of power, not abandonment
