The Weight of Becoming
A poem on motherhood, mental health, and the space between joy and struggle.
Written by Amy Adekambi and shared by the Brazelton Centre UK for Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week and Black Mothers Mental Health Week 2026
Tiny little stick,
Two red stripes,
So fragile, so fine,
So easy to snap-
Discard or flush without a thought to look back,
Yet it carries a power
That can rewrite her whole life.
It carries a weight
That could shatter fragments of her mind.
Its reveal,
Wrapped in joy and fulfilled expectations,
Echoed by society, its ties and relations
Even in the lightest of conversations,
It can be heard:
First comes love, then comes marriage,
Then comes a baby in a baby carriage.
It’s the norm, it cannot be denied,
Every step rehearsed, every milestone aligned,
Yet she struggled to define
This eruption, this explosion waiting to flood…
“We are pregnant,” was how she expressed it to her husband,
Softly, simply, gently-
As if cracks couldn’t form,
As if tides couldn’t turn,
Holding it inside
While warm tears trickled down her face.
His eyes lit up
A spark she could not borrow,
His laughter filled the room,
While she searched for breath
Somewhere between her ribs.
The room stood still,
Waiting for her to become something:
Mother,
Ready,
Certain…
But she was none of these yet.
And somewhere beyond her fear,
Heaven had already called it life,
While she stood on earth,
Still trying to name it.
Trying to place it among the linens of her already ordered life,
Folding it between expectation and reality,
Hoping it would fit
Without unravelling everything.
Yet somewhere deep within, she felt it
A craving,
A quiet longing
To hold her own baby,
To be bound together by something beyond her,
By destiny
Like a promise waiting, glistening
At the edge of becoming
Children are a blessing from above.
She had always heard,
So maybe this, too, was proof
That she was seen
That she was loved
But love, still learning how to breathe,
Did not yet quiet the storm within.
And beneath her heartbeat,
Another listened
Not to her words,
But to her silence,
Learning her rhythms,
Her trembles,
Her unspoken storms,
Her unanswered questions.
All brewing together with her gestation,
Until it burst
A piercing release,
Like something that could no longer be contained.
Into cries
Wild as a hurricane,
That tore the silence open
And declared:
I am here.
An open challenge.
“My baby hates me,”
She wept between her thighs,
Consumed, defeated,
Helpless before her baby’s cries.
How do other mothers do it,
Face this and still rise?
They make it seem so easy,
While she is fading inside.
What if…
“I am not good enough.
Maybe motherhood is not for me.
If I could silence these screeching cries,
Would it quiet both our misery?”
She shook her head
Too quickly,
As if the motion alone
Could silence it.
But it lingered.
Curled in the corners of her mind,
Echoing where logic could not reach,
Pressing against her
Like something
Waiting to be believed.
She pulled the baby closer
Not out of instinct,
But fear.
Fear of the thought,
Fear of herself,
Fear of what it meant
To even think it.
“I wouldn’t…”
She whispered,
Though no one had accused her.
“I wouldn’t…”
But the silence
Did not answer.
About the Poem – The Weight of Becoming
The Weight of Becoming explores the often unspoken emotional and psychological journey surrounding pregnancy and early motherhood. While society frequently frames this season as purely joyful, the poem gently uncovers the internal tension that can exist alongside expectation, particularly the silent struggles many women carry.
In connection with Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week in May 2026 and Black Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week marked in September 2026, the piece gives voice to the layered experiences of Black women, where cultural expectations, identity, and vulnerability can sometimes make it harder to express the full reality of their journey. It seeks to honour both the beauty and the burden, creating space for empathy, understanding, and honest conversation.
About the Author
Amy is a creative storyteller, writer, author, and spoken word artist, as well as Co-Founder of Arising Starr Ministry. She is based in both Africa and the United Kingdom. Amy works across community, educational, and faith-based spaces, using poetry, drama, and storytelling to explore themes of identity, healing, and purpose. The Brazelton Centre UK was honoured to meet Amy and establish a connection with her at the International Conference on Maternal Mental Health in Africa (ICAMHHA), which we proudly support each year.