08/11/2024
I'm really sorry to share that 4.5 years since our very first session, the Histon and Impington Mothers' Circle has now come to an end, and I am no longer working for HI Friends. In that time, over 100 women have joined the circle, offering each other support, validation and friendship. Some of the mums have bravely shared some of their darkest moments. Their vulnerability helped other mums to know it wasn't just them sometimes finding motherhood really, really hard. Many of the mums generously talked about joyful times and parenting wins, and others were reassured that most of the hardest parts are just a phase. And sometimes what was shared was just too funny for words! It has been a joy to witness a snapshot in the lives of these brilliant women as they blossomed into strong, amazing mothers.
There should be so much more support for new parents - yes dads too. The current system is failing them and their children. Time and again I've heard horror stories of inadequate care on postnatal wards, and inconsistent experiences of care once families are home. Some encounters with state services not only fail to support vulnerable women, but at times inflict further harm. Of course this is not always the case. There are amazing people working as midwives, GPs, health visitors and more, working flat out to give the best care they can. It's the system that is broken, both due to chronic underfunding, and deeply entrenched ideas about how we manage emotions, the value we place on compassion, empathy and humanity versus protecting the establishment and keeping up appearances.
I'm really sad to be stepping away from this role. I hope to find a way to resume offering this much needed support at some point in the future. Watch this space!
