To be honest, I originally saw the post on the Babies Naturally site to join a mum and baby group and totally dismissed it. I had gone to a drop in at a local mum and baby group and left feeling inadequate and totally judged as a mother. I vowed I would never be a part of that again. However, I had been going to the breastfeeding clinic every week that Babies Naturally had been offering. To be honest, I started going more for the social and comfort and talking to the other mammas than anything else (after I got the breastfeeding thing down). So, when I got a call from Karen asking me if I would like to be a part of this group, naturally there was some hesitation from my previous experience. However, two things sold me. One, that Karen thought of me personally and called me to invite me… which really meant a lot to me. Two, that I knew some of the girls from the breastfeeding clinic that I had been talking to every week were going to be there. I was starting to know these girls and truly valued their experiences and their conversation. I was sold. This group has really shown me how important it is as a new mother to have a solid support system outside of your family. We have laughed, cried, shared and built lifelong friendships for our children and ourselves. It has far exceeded my expectations and has given me such a sense of calm and peace raising my daughter. I find I turn to these women for advice or concerns rather than my family… sometimes it is nice to get advice from family, but can also be alot when people offer advice by saying they “did it this way” or who tell you that you should be “doing this or that”. The women in this baby group are going through the same thing at the same time and can totally relate. It has been amazing getting to know them over the past 6 months. I think every first time mom would benefit from such a group.

Dana