Afloat e.V. Non-Profit Germany

07/09/2026

September always arrives faster than we expect it to. The Kita or school bag is packed again, the calendar fills up again, and somewhere in the middle of all of it is you.

Three closed groups open this month, and every one of them is free, online, in English, and held by a mother* who has sat where you are sitting.

All three run as closed groups. The same faces meet every week for the whole series, and that is what lets trust build and a real community form.

4-Week Pregnancy Support Group
with Kate

8-Week Mom*-to-Mom* Support Group
with Ruth

6-Week Mamas* 40+ Group
with Tasha

Registrations are open at afloatgermany.org/support-group

04/09/2026

You are not the only one finding this hard.

That sentence is the whole reason Afloat exists, and this September there are three new groups opening where you get to hear it out loud, from someone who means it.

All free, all online, all in English, all held by mothers* who have been where you are.

Pregnant, far from home, and quietly wondering if what you feel is normal?
The 4-Week Pregnancy Group meets Friday mornings from 11:30 , from 4 September. No fixed agenda, no question too small to bring. Other pregnant mothers* at every stage, with Kate, who sat in this very group herself before she came back to facilitate it.
afloatgermany.org/pregnancy

Over 40 and wondering why everything suddenly feels harder?
The 6-Week Mamas* 40+ group starts Tuesday 15 September from 20:00. Teenagers or toddlers later in life, ageing parents an ocean away, work in transition, a body changing in ways nobody quite prepared you for. In Tasha's words: no one should have to figure this out alone.
afloatgermany.org/mamas-40-plus

Deep in the first months with your baby?
The 8-Week Mom*-to-Mom* group runs from Wednesday 30 September from 20:00, for mothers* of babies up to around two. The same friendly faces, one evening a week, for eight weeks, with Ruth.
afloatgermany.org/mom-to-mom

"The support from the incredible women in this group have made me feel seen, heard, and understood." - Afloat 8-week participant.

All three run as closed groups, which means the same people meet each week for the whole series. That is what lets trust build and a real community form.

When you register you are signing up for the full duration, and your seat is one of twelve. A group is a group when the group shows up, and your place matters from the first week to the last.

Show up as you are. When you can. How you can.

Registration for every September group at afloatgermany.org/support-group

01/07/2026

Due to sickness... life of mothers* as you surely know, we had to reshuffle the schedule of our workshops.

Next week will be Amanda's from AMSÓ - Amanda Simó | Architecture for Kids and Families, about Neuroarchitecture, and on September 10 we will write a letter to our future self with Dorina from Dorina Sara Isis.

In the meantime, we didn't want to miss the chance to stay connected, so we are leaving you with a small exercise, to get us already reflecting on the topic before we meet.

Over the next few days, choose two spaces you spend time in at home: one where you feel calm and at ease, and one where you feel tense or distracted.

For each one, write down three things you notice: the light, the sounds, the materials, the colours, or how the space makes you move through it. Then ask yourself: how does this space make me feel, and why?

Bring your notes and pictures of those spaces, we'll use them as a starting point for our discussion next Thursday July 9th.

Feel free to write us in comments if you have any questions or want to share anything.... we are going to get very concrete Mamas*!

We are looking forward to meeting you all soon and exploring how the spaces around us shape the way we think, feel, and connect.

To register, it is here: https://afloatgermany.org/berlin

First register to our Afloat group and then book the actual session on July 9th on our calendar.

See you next Thursday!

20/05/2026

Exciting news!
Afloat will be at the IamExpat fair Berlin 2026!
Ever wondered what we do?
How we do it?
Or you simply want to know which of our communities suit your needs the best?
Stop by and let’s talk about it.

We’d love to see you.

Meet us at the Fair!
Date: Saturday 30th May 2025
Time: 10am – 5pm
Place: ECC Berlin (Estrel Congress Center) Sonnen Allee 225, Berlin
Find us: Booth 49

Grab your free ticket now: https://www.iamexpatfair.de/

20/05/2026

Exciting news!
Afloat will be at the IamExpat fair Berlin 2026!
Ever wondered what we do? How we do it?
Or you simply want to know which of our communities suit your needs the best?
Stop by and let’s talk about it. We’d love to see you.

Meet us at the Fair!
Date: Saturday 30th May 2025
Time: 10am – 5pm
Place: ECC Berlin (Estrel Congress Center) Sonnen Allee 225, Berlin
Find us: Booth 49

Grab your free ticket now: https://www.iamexpatfair.de/

16/02/2026

This is incredible. We are so grateful!
Your support is already turning into real access to care.

Thanks to you, 32 donations have already brought us to 74% of our goal. €1,867.50 raised out of €2,500.

Thank you for making this possible. Your support is already turning into real access to care. With this amount, we can cover many weeks, even months of helpline availability and ensure that immigrant FLINTA mothers* facing emotional and mental health distress can reach a real person in English. A voice. A response. Safe guidance. Real support.

Each new donation now directly extends how long the helpline can stay open and how many mothers* we can listen to, support, and guide towards care this winter… and let’s dare to dream that we surpass our fundraising goal and support mamas* throughout the whole year.

If you have been considering giving, this is the moment to help us reach the finish line.

Donate today.
Be part of the support a mom* may need tomorrow.

LINK IN BIO
betterplace.org/en/projects/168669

13/02/2026

Maternal* rage is often misunderstood, minimised, or softened into silence. Yet for many caregivers, it is a response to prolonged stress, exhaustion, unmet needs, and the pressure to hold everything together without support.

Rage does not appear out of nowhere. It carries information. When we name it, we can better understand what is missing and why so many caregivers feel overwhelmed and alone. Naming rage matters. When we recognise it as a response rather than a failure, we create space for understanding, support, and change. Maternal rage tells a story about what is missing, not about who someone is.

At Afloat e.V., we hold space for these conversations through peer support, shared experiences, and listening without judgement. You do not need to explain or justify how you feel.

We have shared a new blog post exploring what maternal* rage is, why it happens, and how compassion and peer support can help reduce shame and isolation. The post is based on research and insights from Postpartum Support International and lived experiences within our community.

Read the full blog post on our website to learn more.

🔗https://afloatgermany.org/afloatblog

09/02/2026

Maternal rage exists.

And it deserves to be spoken about with care.

Many mothers* describe rage as feeling like drowning and exploding at the same time. It often builds quietly through exhaustion, overstimulation, unmet needs, and lack of support, before spilling over in moments of overwhelm. What follows is frequently guilt and shame.

Mom Rage Is Defined As:
Uncontrollable episodes of intense anger associated with mothering that are not goal-directed and may derive from feelings of powerlessness, injustice, and stress. (Billotte Verhoff et al., 2023).

Maternal Rage is the umbrella term for mom rage experienced at any point during the motherhood experience.

Postpartum Rage is maternal rage experienced specifically during the postpartum period.

How Does Mom* Rage Look and Feel? ..With So Much Guilt and Shame

Many mothers experience Mom* Rage accompanied by relentless guilt and shame for feeling angry.

These feelings of guilt and shame can stem from:

Failing to live up to the concept of ideal motherhood*

Fear of being shamed by other mothers*

Concerns about being a “bad mother*”

The expectation to always experience motherhood* as blissful

Maternal* rage is not a personal failure.
It is a signal.

A signal that too much is being carried alone.
A signal that needs have been compromised.
A signal that support is missing.

Research shows that maternal* rage is closely linked to stress, powerlessness, and unrealistic expectations placed on caregivers. When we name it openly, we reduce shame and isolation and create space for understanding and support.

Rage does not make someone a bad parent. It points to a system that is asking too much.

At Afloat, we believe maternal* rage can be met with compassion, not judgement. Peer support, shared experiences, and being seen without explanation matter.

Come this Thursday to the Mothers* Story Circle to talk about Maternal* Rage and much more.

Register here:
https://afloatgermany.org/berlin-support-group

09/02/2026

https://afloatgermany.org/afloatblog/maternal-rage-lets-name-it

What is mom* rage? Afloat e.V. shares research-based insights on maternal rage, postpartum rage, guilt, coping strategies, and peer support in Germany.