Mums groups

[Dorasmum]

Well we just had a noisy morning. I had a mums group holiday get together here. We've been meeting since our first bubs were born and those ones are turning 6 in November. Three of us were even in ante natal classes together.
So add to the equation second and third children for most of us, it all adds up to quite a houseful of kids.

We met every two weeks for about 5 years and this year with the eldest in pre-school it's petered out but I think we'll try to maintain a few per year to catch up.

Did you go to a mums group? How did it help you and did you depend on it? And are you still friends with any of the mums?

I decided not to take DD1 to any playgroups because we had the fortnightly meet up and a monthly ABA meeting.

Em

[Marmee]

Love my mother's group. We met when our first ones were just born....and still meet 7.5 years down the track. We meet fortnightly these days, with the occasional weekly catch up. We have all had other children since....all at different ages, and catch up either in each others' homes or parks, as we did today.

The group started out with about 10 and has dwindled to 4 of us now. But it's nice. I am very close with the other mums and their children - I am godmother to one and two of them are godparents to my children.

I *did* rely on it lots as a first time mum, although all of these mums parent quite differently to me. It was wonderful to have some familiar faces to catch up with each week, esp when our first borns were babies.

Love 'em!

I love my ABA group for different reasons. Whilst it is very transient, I love that their are mums with bubs of all different ages there ~ so experienced mums who can share with me, and mums who are just starting out whom I enjoy sitting with and helping work through initial challenges.

[sweetchili]

I still have contact with some mums i was catching up with weekly when CJ was between four and eight months(not that it has been that long ago!!!). But i struggled emotionally each week as their children raced throught their milestones and CJ became more and more behind, so i stopped attending.

I have just started to attend a group for parents of children with disabilities. It has been great. And i can feel already that i am developing some nice bonds with the mothers in the group.

Last year my Aunty had her fiftieth birthday and in her little speech she acknowledge all her guests in groups and their relationship to her....one group being three mum's from a mothers group when her now twenty-three year old was a bub! Thats impressive!

[Marguerite]

That's so nice about your Aunt R'ee and great that you have found a group you feel comfortable with.

My Mums group from when G was born consists of a few ladies from my work, another I met at antenatal classes and one who I met at the CHN office. Like you Marmee, I parent very differently to the other ladies of the group. Mostly it has not been a big deal but at times it has been rough like when I was continually asked when I was going to wean etc. Some of them still catch up every week or so and I have felt like I just slipped right back in on my visits during our holiday so far.

I would say that I relied on them as a new Mum because we were all finding our way and going from full time employment to being at home I felt it was important to at least have one regular thing on my calendar.

[Dorasmum]

Marguerite said

I parent very differently to the other ladies of the group.

Yes I learned pretty fast what I could and couldn't chat about in my group because i was a little the odd one out. Actually every one of the Mum's BF up till nearly 12 months, except one who had severe recurrent bouts of mastitis and conceded defeat and bottle fed after a couple of months. She still cries sometimes if she tries to talk about it, still very raw after nearly 6 years. But I got odd looks when I tried to talk about co-sleeping and only mentioned the no vaxing to a couple of close ones, who I knew wouldn't flip out.

But all in all they were a great source of help when trying to figure my way through those early years.

Em

[jezza]

I loved my mums group. I met them through the CHN and we kept up weekly, then fortnightly until our babies were about 3. We kind of lost contact slowly after that as we all lived in different areas and all our children started at different schools. It was great to have that group there when I needed it. We did have different approaches but we had enough in common to enjoy each others company.

Dd is now 8 and I haven't seen most of the group for ages. I see one other mum regularly as she's now moved her boys to the school my children go to. I enjoy it when I bump into any of the others, but I don't imagine that we would ever get around to a catch up now as so much time has gone by.

J