Support during pregnancy..?

Yes, I'm jumping the gun a bit, as we are not yet pregnant (TTC in September), but now we have finally made the decision to TTC a whole lot of feelings have popped up that are exciting, yet scary at the same time.

One thing I was thinking about is pregnancy and raising children, and I realised that my 'support' network is actually small (teeny tiny actually). The only family member I have is my father who would of course be happy and excited, but that's about it. No-one in our 'social' group has children, and if I wanted help and support, the inlaws are the LAST people I would ask- So just curious.... who was your main support network (appart from your significant other of course!).

Are there groups out there (I'm in Melb) who offer social outings etc for mothers? I know SIL attends a mothers group, but what else is out there for women who want to talk to others about pregnancy and motherhood (apart from bellybelly of course :) )

This post may sound a little strange, but I just wish I had people IRL who I could talk to who understand the feelings I am having.

Thanks,

R

That's not silly at all... infact, when you are catching yourself having these thoughts you need to understand that it is all a form of emotional & mental preparation for becoming a mother/family. Would you have pondered these dilemmas three months ago? probably not. You are on the path :)

I'm from Melb (now live in Syd) & both my sisters (who are still there) managed to join fabulous 'play/mothers' groups... Belly Belly is a great place to start gathering information & sorting out how you feel about different aspects of this journey but once you concieve & begin choosing Ob's/midwifes/hospitals & general pre-post natal care you will have access to loads of different people in the industry. Local community centres will be running courses, hosptals will run work shops & courses & if you ask the right questions you will be able to source out pretty much anything you need.

Also, just being pregnant seems to attract maternal connection.... i have had some pretty indepth conversations with strangers in the supermarket check-out line. Everything you need will present itself.

Some friends will inevitably fall-away but you won't really care because your priorities will change very swiftly. Everything will work out as it should :) Good luck to you both!

Hello There!

Well, firstly congratulations on your decision to TTC your first child!!

You have come to a great site for loads of support and discussion. I'm sure that you will have no trouble in finding out everything that you want to know about conceiving a child, pregnancy and beyond.

THe other girls have some wonderful suggestions here for support while pregnant. The mothers/playgroups are a great place to start, and Shannon's suggestion of the Breastfeeding Association is another great idea.

Another thing you could do is contact your local council who could provide you with community groups that may be of interest to you.

Oh! One other thing that I have just remembered!! BellyBelly often has member meetups in your state so go introduce yourself HERE and you might be able to meet other mums/mums to be in your area that way!!

Best of luck in your TTC quest and hopefully you will find all the help and support you need easily.

When I first had Olivia, I kidded myself that I wouldn't need much support, as I felt, at the time, that DH & I would be enough for us , and that I could be fine to cope.

(I must have been mad, arrogant or both!!)

Looking back, I see that I picked up support very quickly & luckily realised very quickly that a new mother needs AS MUCH SUPPORT as she can get!!

So good on on for realising this now!

I was persuaded by a midwife to go to "MOPS" (Meet Other Parents) in Darwin which is the MCHN run mothers group system, and through that I met a fantastic network of wowen who all had babies the same age as Olivia, many of whom are now very close friends, who were my absolute saviour at the time.

I also gravitated toward my SIL & my own sister a lot more, becasue they have kids, which is great, becasue it gave my the opportunity to form "brand new" relationships with them. Even though they were interstate, they were such a wealth of knowledge and reassurance......our phone bills were high, but saved my sanity!

And of course Belly Belly........where would I be without it?!

Thanks for all your responses. I appreciate it. I know that there are groups out there, and support available, but part of me wishes I had people closer to me who I could talk to about the way I am feeling- and the realistic part of me knows that once/if pregnancy happens, I don't have the family that a lot of people have. Be warned, I will become addicted to BellyBelly \:D/

On the other hand...less family means less 'lecturing' on the right way to raise children :) and my best friend is loving the idea of being an 'aunty' so I'll focus on the support that I DO have, and do my research when it all happens- It's funny how I now seem to have babies on the brian permanently :)


Thanks again,

R