Combatting Mummy Loneliness

Being pregnant is such a special time in a woman’s life, and the excitement surrounding the arrival of your new baby is often shared by friends, family and work colleagues.

Once the baby arrives and people around you go back to their normal lives, it can be a very lonely time for a new mum. People you spoke to daily at work can drift away, and you can easily feel isolated and alone.

Here are a few tips to get out with your baby and maybe even make new friends too.

~ Rhyme Time at your local library.

This was an absolutely lovely time for Isla and I. Rhyme Time is run weekly at a range of libraries in our city, the session goes for 30 minutes and is filled with nursery rhymes, songs and dancing too. At our local library a space is made and it is JAM-PACKED with first time mums with their new babies, so get there early! It’s a great opportunity to meet other mums, and enjoy some special time with your little one too. Best of all, they’re free.

GC library events:

http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/library/documents/Libraries_Calendar_of_Events_Feb-Mar_2016_WEB.pdf

~ New Parent Information Sessions conducted by Queensland Health

My local QLD Health Community Child Health Service Centre conducted these free sessions weekly over a 6-week period. Recommended for parents with babies up to 6 months, they were facilitated by midwives and covered a range of topics including feeding, sleep patterns, settling techniques, teething, food intolerances and much more. I found these sessions to be a great source of knowledge. The midwives were lovely, open and happy to take questions too.

~ Join a mother’s group

Easier said than done right? Well at the end of my 6 week sessions with QLD health, the mums exchanged details and organized a catch-up. This is how my mother’s group was born. I NEVER thought I’d join a mother’s group, but honestly I am so glad I did. The women I met have been by my side through some of the toughest parenting moments without judgment, and have always provided nothing but support and love to Isla and I. So much so that I am now Godmother to the 2^nd child of a mum I met through mothers group. Fellow 1^st time mums can very easily become some of the closest friends you’ll ever have.

~Mummy & Me Group Fitness

Once the newborn fog lifts it is SO good for both mum and baby to get into the sun and enjoy the outdoors. Our local city council hosts a range of low cost fitness classes designed to get parents moving, meeting other new parents and enjoying the outdoors. Check your local council website and see what’s on offer in your area.

GCCC Active Healthy Parents Program:

http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/documents/bf/active-healthy-program-parents.pdf

So make sure you venture outside the ‘new mum bubble’ and seek some like-minded people. Not only will you and your baby enjoy it, you may be lucky and meet new life-long friends.

Moving Forward

Pic Credit - @my.heart.project

Moving Forward

By Bel Meginley

This week has been a big week.

On Sunday Isla (who’s 3 in April) upgraded to a bed, so her room has been redone and the cot and change table are gone. Then on Monday we sold my car.

Doesn’t really seem like that much, right? Well let me tell you I sobbed, just the way my 2 year old would if she lost her favourite bunny. It hit me like a tonne of bricks – We had just sold so much more than a car and a cot, I felt as though we sold the memories that go along with them. We brought her home from the hospital in that car, our first driving holiday, day trips to Byron and so much more. Then with the cot gone too its like a chapter of both my life and Isla’s has closed.

We have made the decision to be a 1-child family (for a range of reasons, but that’s a whole other story), so I won’t experience those moments again with another baby. It made me so sad to think that its finished. It doesn’t make me change my mind about having another baby, more just reflect on those memories. Turns out I’m a hopelessly sentimental person. I can only imagine I’ll be a wreck when Isla starts school.

Which has lead me on a train of thought – I speak to people who say “I feel like I missed out on that newborn baby time cause they had reflux”, or “I feel like I didn’t get the chance to enjoy my second pregnancy cause I was running around after my toddler”. We are all guilty of getting busy and it’s easy to rush through our days, weeks and months – especially with a newborn. But these days are so short in their life and you don’t get them back.

Knowing I probably wouldn’t ever experience it again, I made a commitment to embrace and make the most of each second, right from the start of my pregnancy.

Don’t look back and regret that you weren’t in the moment with your kids. One day they’ll stop mispronouncing “effalent” (elephant in toddler-speak) and you’ll wish they’d say it just one more time.

Don’t miss those special moments, no matter how big or small. Don’t be in a rush to get them to bed – will just one more story really hurt?

Remember the good moments, and look back and laugh on the bad ones (they’re usually not THAT bad when you think about them later).

Take selfies with your kids – A good 95% off all the photos I have with Isla are ones we’ve taken ourselves. Its quite often that its just the two of us during the day with hubby working, so if you’re always behind the camera you never get any shots of you and your kids. Believe me, your kids don’t care if your hair and makeup aren’t perfect, but they’ll love to see the photos of you together as they grow.

Make memories together. It doesn’t have to be grand over-the-top expensive; honestly kids don’t really care. One of our favourite things to do as a family is grab take away for dinner, drive to our special spot and watch the planes land in the back of the car.

It’s time to turn the page on that chapter and open a fresh page, and I’m looking forward to what’s in-store for us next!