Lived Experiences (Page 4)

self love

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We tend to underestimate the importance of self love. But self love can be a lifesaver. It can help us unchain ourselves from past traumas… I used to sit and wonder, what is wrong with me? Seriously something is wrong with me. How can I not hate you for what you put me through? Why am I not angry at you? Why have I forgiven you so easily after all you put me through? All I could feel was pain when memories came up so vividly. Hate in your eyes and your fist is what I remember so clearly. Punching me in the face ,Read More…

surviving sexual abuse

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When I turned nine my whole life suddenly fell apart. This is what helped me in surviving sexual abuse after experiencing such trauma… I was a happy go lucky child. I had two brothers and five sisters and there was never a dull moment. We enjoyed playing , doing crafts, baking, doing housework, and helping each other. We did everything as a team and we enjoyed it. For my mother we were more than a handful, having seven children to care for was hard work.  My father took care of our education and was always there to help us with homework and see that weRead More…

in memory of jack

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Alison shares with us the heartbreaking experience of losing her beloved baby Jack…a true example of a mother’s unmeasurable love. From a young age I wanted to be a mother. In 1998 my venture to try and have a baby started… By 2004 I was exhausted! I had tried everything. You name it, I had done it. It started with fertility pills then shifted to fertility injections, hormone treatment, DNCs, fallopian tube cleaning, more DNCs, artificial insemination then on to the harder stuff like IVF. My first experience of IVF was in New York. IVF failed and I was shattered. I just couldn’t bear theRead More…

Marion Mifsud Mora unviable pregnancy

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While on holiday in Malta, Marion’s waters broke at 17 weeks of pregnancy. As infection set in and the danger of her dying became very real, Maltese doctors left everything ‘in God’s hands’ and refused to terminate her pregnancy. This is the story of a woman who survived against all odds, and who cannot understand why in Malta it is more important to give birth to a dead foetus than to save the mother with the right medical care. “It was on the bus to Valletta – with my young daughter, ironically named Valetta – that I first realised something was wrong. Seventeen weeks pregnant,Read More…

tested positive for covid-19

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I was asymptomatic, had no shortness of breath, no sore throat, nothing…I never imagined I would be testing covid19 positive! When we hear COVID-19 we immediately think of all the photos of intubated sick people we see on the media… but when the symptoms are mild, unfortunately, we might keep going on with our lives, because let’s face it, who has never had a headache, popped paracetamol and soldiered on to work? It’s what we do… we have to keep going! We feel fine! We don’t feel like those poor sick people on TV gasping for air! Just a small heads up ladies. Not writingRead More…

never felt like a real woman

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A recent post I read on facebook about being raised in fear really hit me because it is so true. I am a woman in my early 40s and having been raised catholic I have a lot of built up anger for the church in the way it instilled in us the fear of God and hell. From the memories of sermons always ending with glorifying suffering for the final prize of heaven… to demonizing women for all evil. Even jokes about Eve, or the subtle messages that women have to be submissive, endure pain and basically exist to bear and rear children, keep the houseRead More…

pre-eclampsia in pregnancy

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“I was showing signs of severe pre eclampsia in pregnancy. Basically my body was rejecting my baby whilst my baby was fighting for survival…“ At the age of 30 I decided that I want to have a child, and luckily for me, I got pregnant within 3 months of trying.  I have always been the type of person that will work hard for what she wants, and I always tried my utmost in everything I do, but my first pregnancy has shown me how vulnerable and petrified I can get.  I researched everything, and I ate accordingly. Didn’t touch sushi, didn’t eat any processed meatsRead More…

pcos

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My Personal Experience with Polycystic Ovaries … I was formally diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) when I was 14 years old. However, I believe I have lived with its symptoms for as long as I can remember. Even as a very young child I was afflicted with monthly migraines and unexplained tummy pains. At age 12, I begged my mum to take me to a beautician for waxing; I used to wear trousers all year long and I was bullied at school because I had extremely hairy legs and a moustache… I have now lived with the diagnosis practically more than half my life.Read More…

fostering in malta

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“Throughout our fostering story we learned that there are so many children in this country looking desperately for a loving family…“ It’s not always easy to know what to say to foster families… but so many times, in truth, people say the wrong thing. I’ll be honest that our fostering story taught us that it hurts when you’re told that the child you foster is lucky because you know they’re not really lucky, as that’s not the right word to describe the pain they’ve had to endure. We started our fostering story into foster care three years ago, we needed to take a course andRead More…

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“I lost my ectopic pregnancy baby. Unfortunately I found no information online about ectopic pregnancy in Malta, and this scared me…” When I saw the positive on the pregnancy test, I was excited, took two more to be sure and they were both positive. Dressed my son up in a promoted to big brother baby grow and woke up my partner. We then told our closest friends and family which added up to quite a few people, thinking we’ve had one completely healthy pregnancy, so no need to worry with the 12-week rule. 1 week later I had light brown spotting and discharge which lastedRead More…