Hi, my name is Julia. I spent 2 weeks at the Parent and Infant Unit in Ballarat earlier this year, with my then 7-week old son Theodore. The experience was life-changing.

The PIU is a mental health inpatient service that works with you to assess your needs and provides (free) 24/7 emotional, practical and psychological support. Staffed around the clock, there is always someone there to hold your baby, offer guidance and advice, feed you, or just chat over a jigsaw puzzle and a cup of tea.

I struggled with post-natal depression in 2020 after the birth of my first child. I got through that with medication, a private psychologist and the love of my friends and family. After the birth of my second child this year, my PND came back hard and fast. I knew quickly that I needed something more so started the referral process through my maternal health nurse.

It was scary to walk through those doors. To be the sole parent with full responsibility for our baby. I didn't know what to expect and I cried, alot. One thing that came out of my discussions with various clinicians, nurses and the in-house psychiatrist was that I had lost myself. I was overwhelmed by motherhood, by being needed by my kids at all times. Home was stressful and suffocating and I couldn't see the light.

This might sound silly, but one thing we identified that would fill my cup, make me feel like me again, was sitting down and watching a movie. I had not watched a movie, an adult TV show or a footy game in months. And if you know me, that's a big deal. It felt like a big ask, to take that time to just breathe and be immersed in a world so distant from my chaos. So that's what I did. One day when Theo was sleeping (in my arms admittedly, we worked on that) I watched an episode of The Residence on the Unit's IPad.

From there, I tried to watch my beloved Swans on a Friday night. The photo above is what I was confronted with. Those white circles? Screen burn. The quality was ghastly. Watching the footy is important to me, but not everyone. I get that. That television in the Unit is also used for group therapy and education sessions, for educational videos that cover sleep and settling for babies, for learning stress and anxiety management strategies and yes, light entertainment for parents who need a break.

When I left the Unit, I struggled to imagine how I could show my deep gratitude to the staff. Flowers didn't seem like enough. Donuts is not a lasting tribute. I think a new TV is fitting. It will make the nurses' life easier, make those long night shifts more enjoyable and will provide respite to all future parents who need to feel a little more like themselves.

Any money donated will go toward the purchase of a new television for the Parent and Infant Unit in Pleasant Street, Ballarat. Any funds raised beyond that will be used to buy art supplies, jigsaw puzzles and sensory items for the benefit of the parents and kids using the service.