Becoming a mother, especially for the first time is life-changing for you. You will see everything differently. Even your own town and community will seem different. You may have lived there for years or moved there recently. You probably have favourite cafes and restaurants you went to with your partner or friends. After you have rested and spent time with your new baby at home, you will want to get out and about again. Now, as a new mum, you will want baby friendly places to go with your baby. Places where other mums with babies are more likely to go and you can meet new mum friends. Becoming a new mother can be isolating and having other mothers with babies to meet for a coffee and chat, lunch, walk or a yoga class will make a big difference. Having supportive, non-judgemental mum friends you can talk to and spend time with will help you have a peaceful and joyous postnatal. Someone to share the good and not so good sides of motherhood. You will also want to find people and places that support you and your family.
It is best if you find your village before your baby arrives. Then you will have the support you need and deserve as a new mother and you can add people, places, services, groups, classes etc in and around your community that help you find the care, health and confidence you need to mother your way, and find your place in your community again. As a postnatal doula, I help clients build their own personal list of community as new mothers and parents. Some of these places and classes are:
*Baby/child friendly cafes and restaurants.
*Library-book and toy.
*Yoga studio
*Playgrounds.
*Baby health centre and paediatrician.
*Mobile hairdresser.
*Local ABA (Australian breastfeeding association) meetings/ coffee morning.
*Walking group for mums and babies (sometimes called mums with prams).
*Health centres. Often a source of what’s available for women and babies/ children in your area.
It’s good if you can make friends while still pregnant, at a class like pre-natal yoga, or similar.
When you plan for postnatal support by getting to know what’s available in your community and who will be your village postpartum (Family, friends, cleaner, postnatal doula, postnatal yoga class etc), you are setting yourself up for peace and harmony in your postpartum sacred window.