Mothers Groups??

The beginning of February is such a depressing time. This is often worse for many new mums. Everyone is back at work (and hating it!) and your stuck at home with your little one and feeling a bit lonely.
Where can you find your new friends?
How can you learn more about your baby?
Is it OK to want to do more for yourself  and not have everything about the baby?
What activities do babies do? (apart from eat, sleep and poo?)
All of these are common questions- for which there are many answers!
Your friendship group pre-pregnancy is usually quite different than post pregnancy. Going out for dinner is unheard of! Things change and your interests often change making you feel like you don’t have a lot in common. This is OK and don’t feel like you have to change to stay in touch with what they are doing. Life is just different with a small human and those friends will always be there you just might not see them as often. A good saying I have always remembered is- you have friends for a reason, a season and a lifetime.
Jodie Benveniste has lots of great info on this change and transition have a look at her website for more Jodie Benveniste
Mother’s Groups can come in varying forms.
Some groups are a collection of fantastic women just like you! They are your BFF’s you never knew you needed. They have great advice, non judgemental pats on the back when you baby poo’s and spew’s on you at the same time. They form the sunny days of maternity leave and will more than likely stay with you for years to come.
They can be the ‘club’ of perfection where everything is ‘great’ and ‘fantastic’ which we all know is not true. This is often a group where you feel judged and you feel that if you reveal the truth “that some days are really hard” or “you do have a glass of wine from time to time” you will be forever banished from the group. Don’t get me wrong this club has some great points as well. Often they are up on all the newest and best things in the baby game.
Some mothers groups can be the collection of ‘reason friends’. Maybe you are doing a course together or joining a fitness group. Some you may hit it off with and keep catching up and others you might have polite chatter when you next see them at the shops.
In reality a mothers group can be what ever your after. You might get some friends and meet at a park once a week and share the trials and tribulations of the week. Others you might do a pre-arranged course and learn more about yourself or your baby. Some might be online where people post comments and add support for one another. I find personally some of the online groups can be a bit bitchy. People will make judgements and write comments they would never say in person. If an online group is not suiting you then always feel confident to leave (like you would in real life!) as life is too short to put up with that crap.
So this February step out of your comfort zone- message that group of ladies who you did aqua classes with an catch up at the park, enrol in that baby massage or new mums group. Or join the local pilates class to work on your happiness so you can be the best version of you- as they say—happy mum happy house! 🙂