Photographer Roseann Hall reveals the beautiful mess of the motherhood journey
Post-natal depression took this mother-of-five to dark places but once she started photographing the raw and messy side of motherhood, everything changed.
Southeast
Don't miss out on the headlines from Southeast. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A Brisbane photographer has snapped brutally honest images of new mothers juggling life in their new role.
Roseann Hall, a mother-of-five, started The Motherhood Project in February, with hope to normalise the reality of motherhood.
Mrs Hall, 33, said she had “lived through it all”.
“I am a mother to Lachlan, 12, Harry, 10, Miles, 8, Matilda, 5, and Felix, 3. I was 21 when I fell pregnant with my firstborn and the judgment was intense,” Mrs Hall, of Carina, said.
“I struggled with everything, including my weight which went the other way and I was diagnosed with breastfeeding anorexia.
“I was the lucky mum of a ‘colicky’ baby who cried, cried, cried all the time until finally it was confirmed he was dairy intolerant.
“I felt like I wasn’t worthy of being his mother and I was clearly doing everything wrong because my baby didn’t sleep.
“Turns out that’s postnatal depression sneaking in and then the spiral of negativity happens.”
Mrs Hall said she now realised she was a fantastic mother.
According to Queensland Health, postnatal depression, a common condition for both women and men, affects almost 16 per cent of women and 5 per cent of men.
“I’m on the other side now and I guess I am looking for the mums that I once was and those who resonate with this project,” Mrs Hall said.
The Motherhood Project aims to capture the “rawness of motherhood, not some sugar-coated ideal of what we see in the media these days”, she said.
“I want to empower mothers and take away the shame of having stretch marks or soft squishy post-partum bodies. I want to celebrate the tired mother who just made it through the day alongside the mother who is bottle-feeding because fed absolutely is best,” Mrs Hall said.
The Motherhood Project was started in February and has been an eye-opening experience for Mrs Hall.
“A mother I photographed recently is going through a divorce, so capturing her in her strength was something I really wanted to showcase,” she said.
“We looked at the photos together and I heard her utter the words ‘Athena’. Yes! The goddess Athena in Carina rolled from her tongue and we laughed at how perfect it was”.
Mrs Hall said she still gets goose bumps when she thinks about the day she photographed a mother and her baby girl, Matilda at their Camp Hill home.
“I got the call and was filled in that Tilly was three months old and had just been diagnosed with leukaemia,” she said.
“I remember my camera eyepiece getting foggy while taking photos and I noticed tears on mamma’s face, followed by tears on mine. We were bonded for life that day.
“That session has never ever left me and never will, and also I named my own daughter Matilda.
“The great news is Tilly beat cancer and we are actually family friends now.”
Mrs Hall said her project was also aimed at mothers who did not feel like they were “rocking it”.
“Perhaps she doesn’t feel happy in her post-partum body and she is so tired, photos are the last thing she wants,” Mrs Hall said.
“Or even better, it’s for the mother who sees her worth and wants to capture that so she never ever forgets how strong she was or is.
“It’s for mothers wanting to remember these fleeting moments as they actually were so that they can look back and remember the truth, that they were indeed enough”.
Follow @the.rhp.project on Instagram or visit rhpproject.com.au
Shirt hits the fan: CEO’s tenure starts with a literal ‘sh*t show’
A council’s new CEO has been forced to issue an apology a day into her new job after photos of her at a staff farewell party caused a ‘Sh*t Show’.
CEO exits island indigenous body as delays hit $16m cultural centre
The boss of North Stradbroke Island’s indigenous governing body has stepped down, as the corporation’s financial woes mount and its $16 million cultural centre remains stuck in limbo.