Carina O’Brien

speaker

1,722 appearances 9 recordings 1 series first heard May 2026 last heard 4 Aug

Carina O’Brien’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

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recordings per month · last 12 months

Recordings per month over the last 12 months — 9 in all, peaking in Jun 2026 with 4.

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It's called maternal separation anxiety.

And I want to be really clear about something.

This is one of the most common experiences of returning to work after having a baby.

It's not a sign that something is completely wrong with you.

It's not a sign that you've made the wrong choice.

It's a completely natural response to leaving someone that you love, someone that you have been wholly focused on caring for.

Your feelings are completely normal.

Now, maternal separation is defined as a mother's experience of worry, sadness, and guilt during short term separations from her child.

And it's common and also expected part of returning to work.

It's not a warning sign.

It's a normal part of this transition.

But what's sad about this is that we don't talk about this enough.

If you talk to most mums returning back into work, I am sure.

that probably ninety-nine percent of them will say they've experienced this feeling.

But do we talk about it?

Mm-mm, not too much.

I'd also like to take a moment and I think also try and really understand and let's try and make sense of all of this.

I think it really helps to zoom out for a moment and look at the bigger picture about what you've actually been through.

Cause I don't think we give ourselves nearly enough credit for it.

Research shows that pregnancy actually restructures the maternal brain to prioritize your baby's needs and safety.

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