Becoming a Mum in the Shire
It’s pretty fab being a Mum in the Shire! The community, resources and area are just the beginning. I’m Sammi! Mum to Evie who is nearly 3, and Emma a tiny 4 weeks old. We live in Caringbah South along with my husband Matty. Funnily enough, a friend from Evie’s mothers group Carlie tagged me in a post for guest bloggers for Mums of the Shire, and here I am blogging about what it’s like to be a Shire Mumma.
Evie was a surprise! A wonderful surprise at that. Matty and I had just finished a 6 week USA road trip finishing with an engagement ring, and then surprise baby news! Ahhh. We decided to go through the private system for the birth of both my girls. My Obs Dr Ludmilla Collins was already my Dr. so I didn’t need to look at other Obs options. Dr Collins is located at Miranda across from Kareena Private Hospital and I can’t recommend her enough. Easy to deal with, comforting and one of only two female Obs that work out of Kareena. And Kareena, OMG. It’s like a resort. The hospital itself is lovely, the midwives are truly supportive and amazing! It’s the midwives and the service behind the reason why many Mums call this hospital a resort. And did I mention all Mums get to indulge in High Tea after the birth of your baby?! I’m talking pies, scones and cakes! Nom nom nom.
The antenatal classes held at Kareena are informative and fun, even the husband liked the classes and learnt a great deal. He was rather proud of how well he swaddled!
A number of the Mums in the antenatal classes I attended for Evie’s birth ended up being a part of the same mothers group as I, and we still remain close. The early Childhood Clinic in Caringbah runs a five week mothers group program covering all the hot topics about being a Mum for the first time such as playgroups and solids. Then it’s up to the Mums in the group to organise regular catch ups. With Facebook groups this is pretty easy.
Most of the Mum’s in my mothers group are from Caringbah so places nearby are best for us to catch up. Castlenau Park is always a hit because it’s a great park with shade and has delicious coffee nearby from my favourite CrnR Espresso or there is the Bakery and Laneway. Rhymetime is popular at the Library, it’s free and you can always grab a coffee across the road at Port Hacking Cafe. Rhymetime is held at other libraries in the Shire too (session times listed here.) Shelly Park in Cronulla is fenced, perfect for run-away toddlers, and the Nun’s Pool is across the road for coffee. And lastly Popati in Woolooware is kid friendly and has a toddlers play area set up. It seems coffee teamed with a good park is key for Shire Mums!
Onto a more serious side of motherhood, I went through Post Natal Depression after the birth of Evie. I now know that this is so common for Mums, but what I have learnt along that way is that most Mums don’t realise it’s OK to speak out and how normal and common PND is. If you are having more dark days than good, and feel as though something isn’t quite right, I highly urge you to speak to your friends, family and women who are a part of your motherhood community. Next steps would be your GP.
Support is key and being open to help. Often a conversation does wonders! And getting outside! I always found on the days when Evie was in feral mood (and I was too), I’d throw on my walking gear, sunnies to cover my red eyes from crying, pop Evie in the pram and go for a nice walk. And grab a coffee! Don’t seclude yourself and lock yourself away.
I recently started a personal blog, A Peachy Path, which is basically a personal journal of motherhood and my life, the Peachy times and the not so Peachy times. One of the main influences of my blog is being open about my dealings with PND and anxiety and I invite you to follow and come along for my ride! www.facebook.com/apeachypath
