Staying Social During Pregnancy & Beyond
How to Find Your Support Community
In the days of yore, mother, grandmother and aunties watched over you during your pregnancy, labor and childrearing years. This was available to you right in your own home or neighborhood. Your confidence grew from the regular sprinkling of wise-woman advice about what to expect and exactly what you and your baby would need. A community of women cared for you and your baby all the way through.
Though long gone are the days of yore, you can still find that tight knit community of support. You can even hand pick your group and not get stuck with relentless, unwelcome advice giving by family members. More good news is that you can find your support, regardless of whether you work at home or outside the home. Not only are there many opportunities to hand pick your community, you can start as early or late into your pregnancy as you are ready!
Find a prenatal fitness class of your liking. The best classes to take are the ones specifically designed for pregnant women. This is a great way to stay healthy and strong through pregnancy and meet other expectant mothers. There is camaraderie that takes place when pregnant women gather in the same room. Perhaps women just rock that way.
Exchange phone numbers with someone in your childbirth, Infant CPR or breastfeeding class, while on your hospital tour, or strike up a conversation with the pregnant lady in your OB or midwife’s office. Find out what ways they use to stay comfortable through pregnancy and what kind of support or options they are looking into. Then plan a way to stay in touch for more conversation over dinner and non-alcoholic drinks, or later for baby play dates.
In addition to these prenatal friends, test out the waters for moms groups after you have had your baby. While the rest of the world may seem to go on a different plane without you, you can still find that much needed community! You and your baby don’t have to go it alone.
Finding a moms group is a little like the dating game at first. Moms tend to congregate with other similar minded moms. What if you don’t know what kind of mom you are? This is a great way to find out. Questions naturally arise about breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, attachment parenting, schedules, pre/postpartum support, fitness and healthy weight gain/loss for mom and baby, baby safety, allopathic/naturopathic baby care, etc. It’s a whole new exciting world of discovery! The answers to these questions and, your gut, will lead you to a group of mommy friends where you truly feel safe to ask questions, exchange ideas and belong.
Once you find your niche, everything falls a little bit better into place. So get out there and community shop! Your very best friends from pregnancy through the early years of childrearing are just waiting to meet you too!