Unpacking Expectations and Commercial Exploitation
Gluttony: You Do Not Need Fixing
Gluttony has been used for centuries to make women feel like they want too much, eat too much, take up too much space. In the postnatal period that same pressure gets a modern disguise. It comes through social media, supplement culture, and programs promising to fix a body that was never broken.
This episode looks at what is actually happening to a woman’s body and brain after birth, and why rushing recovery causes harm that may not show up for years. Peta and Frances are direct about something that rarely gets said: what you do in the postnatal period affects how you age. The temptation to thrash yourself back into shape is understandable. The long-term cost is real.
Gluttony gets reframed here as permission. Permission to eat. To rest when you can. To ask for help without shame. To stop trying to get back a body that has permanently and legitimately changed.
One thing Peta and Frances come back to: once women actually say what they are going through, the woman next to them almost always says the same. You are not alone in this.
Developed by the WHEN Clinical Team. Clinically reviewed by the WHEN Clinical Governance Committee. Last reviewed: 22/06/2026.
With clinical input from Peta Titter, RN, Grad Cert Continence Nursing, Advanced Diploma of Pilates. Honours by Research (diastasis recti). PhD candidate, University of Tasmania. Founder and CEO, WHEN.
With clinical input from Frances Bilbao, Master of Psychology (Clinical), MAPS, Fellow of the College of Clinical Psychologists. Director and Clinical Psychologist, Mums Matter Psychology. National Convenor, APS Perinatal and Infant Psychology Interest Group. 2024 Cartier Women’s Initiative Fellow. Allied Health Awards Psychologist of the Year 2020-2021.
Thanks to Jill Norton and Tim Jones for the music, Danae Thorp from Spellbox for the botanical symbolism, Cameron Heit and the team at Production Farm Studios for the production, and Alex Ennis for assistance with the artwork.
Symbolizing the Sins with Nature
The Goddess Gaia was born from chaos, when there was nothing except the void. One of her plants is honeysuckle said to promote desire and the ‘sweetness of life’. Gaia is in a state of perpetual desire to create life. She is the Earth itself, abundant, fertile, forever healing, nurturing. Gaia is Nature, and motherhood. She is weaver of life itself. When a woman creates life, she is akin to this Goddess. She is called to listen to the heartbeat of Mother Earth, to her own rhymes and needs. She holds the hand of the Goddess on a new path, knowing she in in a sacred place within her mind, heart and body.
Need Immediate Help?
If you or someone you know is struggling during the postnatal period, it’s crucial to remember that immediate help is available. Here are steps and resources you can turn to:
In Urgent Situations:
Support Services:
Remember, you are not alone, and reaching out for help is a step toward healing. Your well-being is important, and support is just a phone call away.