Pregnancy and motherhood can sometimes feel lonely as you try to find connection with others who are going through a similar experience as you. On the flip side you may find that you are in the sweet spot of going through similar experiences as all of your friends at the same time. All this to say you might find yourself circled with an amazing village of friends and sometimes we can find ourself in a space where we are searching to find a new friend or two who can help us feel supported and that you can return the same to.
We thought we would share some of our favourite ways to build your community during pregnancy and beyond.
- Courses, classes & workshops are a great way to build your community during your pregnancy. The great thing is the people you meet at these classes and workshops are most likely at a similar life stage as you and will also be home with newborns over the next few months to a year and are great to connect with. You never know…that parent to be that you meet at your prenatal yoga class could just become your new bestie! Okay, bestie seem a bit too much? How about somebody you can send a message to when you are wanting to hear what has worked for them when they started solids a week before your babe does? Or to text with at 2a.m. when you are both wide awake feeding babes who are also wide awake?!
2. Local facebook groups, Instagram and other social channels can also be a great way to meet other parents and parents to be. Here’s the thing…..as much as these groups can be helpful they can also start an unhealthy comparison paralysis so make sure that you find a group or two that resonates with you and know when it’s ok to shut down the computer and walk away. Not sure you want to post but have a burning question? Use the search function in facebook groups as a great way to find out if your question has been asked before (it probably has been!) and see what answers were shared. There is a great community of parents also on Instagram and not only is this a great place to connect but can also be very helpful when it comes to finding resources in your community. See what others are loving and that might be a great fit for you too!
3. Join our Prenatal Yoga, Movement & Birth Education
Our Prenatal Yoga, Movement & Birth Education course is a virtual series that combines 45 minutes of movement with 30 minutes of conversations and connections. During the movement portion you can expect to learn ways to release your body from any pain and discomfort, experience movements to help stabilize and strengthen and dive into understanding how your core system works and what you can be doing to help prepare you for your labour and beyond. Why birth education? We wanted to create a safe place for you to get your questions answered and a place where you could meet birth experts and get to know them a bit more! You will have access to a private facebook group to connect even more with the other parents in the course.
4. Be open minded when it comes to creating your connections and community. That mom who continually pushes her cloth diapering ways on you may not truly mean to be coming off the way she is. You might even learn a thing or two from each other and have some magical parenting moments to reflect on together. It can be hard to know that we aren’t always somebody’s ‘cup of tea’ but sometimes as we journey through parenting our paths cross again and this time something ‘clicks’! You just never know who you may come across and sometimes those first few interactions need to be set aside to really truly see who a person is.
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