And as someone who works closely with children and families every day, I believe working mothers’ mental health is becoming one of the biggest concerns of modern parenting.
The parental burnout mothers are carrying is real.
And what many people fail to realise is this:
a mother’s emotional wellbeing plays a profound role in a child’s emotional development, self-esteem, attachment patterns, behaviour, and sense of safety.
I see this constantly in my work as a parent coach.
Behind many children struggling with anxiety, emotional dysregulation, low self-confidence, behavioral challenges, or insecure attachment —
there is often a mother silently carrying emotional exhaustion without enough support.
Not because she is weak.
But because she has been expected to keep functioning while emotionally depleted.
At work we measure a working mother’s output.
Deadlines met. Targets achieved. Promotions earned.
We rarely measure what it costs her to keep showing up.
She performs competence at work.
& presence at home.
And somewhere between the two —
she slowly disappears.
I spent 8+ years in corporate before becoming a parent coach and brain science educator.
And now as a second time mother, this conversation feels deeply personal.
Because science is very clear about what motherhood does to the brain.
Matrescence — the neurological transition into motherhood — physically rewires the brain.
This is not “just hormones.”
It is a complete neurological reorganisation for caregiving and survival.
And yet many mothers are expected to return to work within weeks as though nothing inside them has changed.
Then we label them emotional, distracted, less ambitious, or unable to “balance it all.”
She is not less capable.
She is adapting to one of the biggest neurological and emotional transitions of human life.
And this is where workplaces need to evolve.
Maternal mental health support cannot begin and end with maternity leave.
It cannot be treated as an act of generosity, sympathy, or corporate favour.
It needs to become part of workplace culture.
Because supporting mothers is not separate from productivity, retention, leadership, or organisational wellbeing.
It directly impacts all of it.
Burnout.
Quiet quitting.
Emotional exhaustion.
Brilliant women walking away from workplaces.
To every leader, manager, and HR professional reading this:
See her beyond performance reviews.
Support her beyond policies.
Retain her beyond awareness campaigns.
And to every mother reading this:
You are not failing.
You are carrying an invisible neurological, emotional, and mental load most people do not fully see.
You deserve support too.
#MaternalMentalHealthWeek #MaternalMentalHealth #WorkingMothers #ParentalBurnout #Matrescence #EmployeeWellbeing #WomenInLeadership #WorkingParents #ParentingWithScience #ThoughtStudioByHimani
