Daisy Woods is a mum of two who has created a space where honesty reigns and motherhood is shared in its rawest, most unfiltered form. As the voice behind the 'Muddle Through Mummy' account, Daisy has connected with more than half a million of followers and amassed almost 65 million likes on TikTok to date.
Her content is a breath of fresh air in the polished, picture-perfect world of social media; it’s a place where messy hair, unmade beds, and the chaos of mum life are celebrated. But Daisy’s journey to this point has not been without its hardships.
Beyond the laughs and relatable moments, Daisy has battled infertility, faced a traumatic birth experience, struggled with her mental health, and worked hard to rediscover who she is as a person outside of being a mother.
We spoke to Daisy about her path through these challenges and the ways motherhood, mental health, and her personal journey have shaped her life and online presence.
Struggling with infertility and the emotional toll of trying for a baby
Daisy’s journey to motherhood wasn’t just physically taxing, it was emotionally draining as well. She and her husband had faced a battle with infertility before they had their first child.
For Daisy, the struggle with infertility wasn’t just about negative pregnancy tests. It was a constant emotional rollercoaster, one that took a toll on her mental health.
“We tried for about a year before we looked into anything. I had come off the contraceptive pill and thought it would take a while to regulate. But my periods never really started properly. They were irregular. We later found out that one of my ovaries was twice the size it should be, which might explain the fertility issues."
After seeing a doctor and undergoing tests, Daisy and her husband were referred to an IVF clinic. However, the waitlist was long, and in the meantime, they tried to distract themselves with the planning of their wedding. Daisy notes that, strangely, this helped alleviate some of the pressure.
"Mentally letting go of the pressure helped me. Planning the wedding helped shift my focus. And the wildest part? Our baby’s due date ended up being the same date we had booked our wedding for. He arrived 10 days early, but still it’s an incredible parallel."
Her fertility struggles not only tested Daisy’s patience but also reinforced her belief that no two journeys to motherhood are the same.
The birth of her first child: A traumatic start
Daisy’s first birth was far from what she’d imagined. Planning for a calm water birth in a midwife-led unit, she wasn’t prepared for how quickly things would unfold.
“It was one of those things where his birth happened really quickly. I think I was only in labour for about five hours, and he was my first child… the downside is that mentally, you don’t have time to get your head into the space of ‘this is happening now.’”
Though she started in the birthing pool, things changed fast.
"They said the baby was in distress and told me, ‘Okay, you need to get out now and get on the bed.’"
Her waters hadn’t broken the way she expected — in fact, they stayed intact right up until pushing, something Daisy hadn’t realised was even possible. "I got on the bed, and I could feel the pressure of the people in the room thinking, ‘We need to get this baby out now.’"
When her baby was born in the sac and silent, panic set in.
"To see this little grey thing, covered in this greeny-black water… You expect that immediate cry, and it just didn’t come. Then the midwife snatched him away."
The next six minutes were some of the longest of Daisy’s life. There was only silence. Her husband, trying to protect her, danced in front of her to block the frantic scene.
"I thought he was dead. I fully thought he had died.”
Even once revived, Daisy’s fear lingered. "They wheeled in what I now know was an incubator… it looked like a baby coffin. I thought, that’s it. He’s dead."
Only in the ambulance did the shock begin to ease.
"In the moment, you’re not in your right mind… your thinking isn’t clear."
Though everything turned out okay in the end, the trauma of that experience marked the beginning of her mental health struggles.
Daisy reflected, “That whole experience has a lot to answer for in terms of what it did to me mentally and what that meant for the start of my motherhood.”
Postnatal depression, intrusive thoughts, and the importance of connection
After the traumatic birth and the long wait for her son’s health to stabilise, Daisy began to experience postnatal depression (PND) and intrusive thoughts, something she now recognises as common but rarely discussed in the open.
"It made me feel more positive. I threw myself into every mum and baby group I could possibly find. I spoke to so many mums and that can be nerve-racking, putting yourself out there and telling a stranger, ‘I’ve got postnatal depression and intrusive thoughts.’ You wonder what they’ll say. But what helped was realising how many other mums around me were going through the same thing."
Daisy found a sense of relief through the camaraderie of other mothers. The conversations about motherhood, often raw and vulnerable, helped her realise that she wasn’t alone in her struggles.
“Sometimes I’d walk into a group, and someone would break down crying on me, and I could support them. Then the next week, I might come in after a bad week and they’d support me. That camaraderie, knowing you’re not alone, really helped. That was something beyond the Cognitive behavioural therapy.”
Additionally, Daisy stresses the importance of seeking professional help and having honest debrief sessions with midwives and health professionals. For her, these sessions allowed her to process the trauma of her birth and begin the healing process.
On the mental load and marriage
Like many parents, Daisy finds herself juggling a mental load that’s often invisible to others. Through regular check-ins with her husband, Daisy has found a way to share responsibilities more equally. "Something that we've been doing for a couple of years is having these weekly check-ins on a Sunday. We’ll go through three different things. The first is calendars and to-do lists. And that’s been really helpful."
In her marriage, it’s about finding balance, especially when both partners are managing their own stresses. But it’s not always easy, Daisy admits. "We’ve moved like six times since we’ve had a baby... we’re currently living through a house renovation. There was no running water downstairs for the first eight months. We've not made life easy for ourselves."
But, despite the tension, Daisy’s focus remains on leading with love and empathy. "If you can lead with love and empathy first, that’s a good place to start."
The birth of the “Muddle Through Mummy” page
In 2019, Daisy turned to social media to document her journey. But it wasn’t just about sharing her experiences, it was about creating a space for others who, like her, were struggling in silence.
"When it started taking off, I thought, 'Wow, this is something that’s been missing.' As a user of TikTok, I felt that myself. Instagram is so polished, you see this beautiful version of motherhood, which might be real for some people, but it wasn’t my reality. Then I came across TikTok, where people just picked up their cameras and filmed, no heavy editing, no filters. That raw insight into people’s lives felt so refreshing. I felt seen.”
The authenticity of TikTok and its "real" approach to life gave Daisy the confidence to open up. The feedback from followers was both overwhelming and affirming.
"Every time I shared something, I’d get feedback like, 'I’m so glad you talked about this; I’ve been struggling too.' It made me want to keep going. I never thought I’d grow a platform this size or make a living from it. Never in a million years."
For Daisy, the community she built online became an essential part of her healing process. She didn’t just receive support, she gave it, in the form of her honest, imperfect, and relatable content.
What Daisy wants followers to take away
Daisy’s message is simple but powerful: motherhood is messy and that’s totally okay. "I just want people to feel welcome, really. My whole thing is about parenting that’s positive and helpful, but also real. Not polished, not perfect – just honest."
She recalls one message that’s always stuck with her: "There’s a DM from Instagram that I’ll never forget. I’d been opening up about mental health and some of the tough stuff I’ve gone through. A mum messaged me and said she’d been feeling completely hopeless, like maybe things would be better if she wasn’t here. But after watching my stories, she found the courage to call her GP. She got an appointment, started on medication, and said she finally felt some relief.
That honestly just blew me away. You don’t think you’re changing lives by sharing your story but sometimes, you are."
And when it comes down to it, Daisy believes it’s not just about creating a magical childhood for your kids, it’s about finding some magic in motherhood for yourself, too.
On self-care, imperfection, and finding joy in the little things
Self-care is something Daisy continues to work on. For years, she put her children’s needs before her own, but now that her kids are a bit older, she’s finally carving out space for herself.
“I feel like I have fairly recently come out of the really intense young child phase. You know, my youngest is 6 now. They do sleep through the night, touch wood, most of the time, and I feel I have got the space for the first time in years to maybe put a little bit of love into myself.”
That self-care journey includes tending to her physical health and allowing herself to slow down.
"When I was breastfeeding Sonny for a long time, I developed guttate psoriasis. It was because I was surviving on adrenaline and not looking after myself. I started taking supplements."
But the biggest shift has come from how she treats herself with grace, compassion, and the acceptance that perfection isn’t the goal.
"Some days, the goal is just to survive. And that’s okay."
Daisy encourages others to find peace in small, everyday moments.
"Some people call them ‘pockets of peace.’ That first cup of tea in the morning. A sweet interaction between your kids, even if they fought the rest of the day."
For her, these tiny joys and a mindset of gratitude make all the difference.
"I wish people would be kinder to themselves. It’s okay to not be okay. I’m the first to admit that. But what matters is that you’re here, you’re trying, and you’re doing your best."
About the author
Anne Lora Scagliusi is a Senior Digital Writer at Mother & Baby. She is a Scotland-based journalist with over a decade of international writing experience, specialising in women’s health, maternal mental health, and wellness. Her work has been featured in Vanity Fair, Marie Claire, and Glamour and has appeared on several Vogue global editions. She is a mum to one very energetic bambino and splits her time between Italy and the UK.