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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
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Molly Glassey

My timeline is filled with mothers finding peace at the bottom of a wine glass, but alcohol and new parenthood don’t always mix

Alcohol Instagram
A woman’s arm and hand can be seen holding a mobile phone as she with her knee bent on a wooden bench with a glass of red wine beside her
‘“I drink because of my kids,” is the not-so-discreet message popping up on my Instagram timeline when I scroll through my phone during night feeds.’ Photograph: PeopleImages/Getty Images

The moment my daughter was born, my algorithm changed for ever. Instagram dumped my beloved renovation videos, replacing them with cute baby and hot mum content. Paid posts coaxing me to buy overpriced OshKosh dungarees (I did). Reels of kids with sweet lisps asking for a piece of manda-ween. And … drunk mummy memes.

My daughter is now 16 months old, and I love her to bits, but I’m tired, depressed and drowning. I would love a drink – umbrella optional, alcohol mandatory. Something that says: she’s a new mum, she’s fabulous, she definitely has it all together. Something to address the insatiable thirst brought on by hormones, the promise of a sugar high, fruit juice to replenish vitamins stolen by baby, the lure of a buzz. To the breastfeeding mother, a cocktail is ambrosia.

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