What do you most remember about those first few days of becoming a mother?
I remember the most delicious cold cup of tea and toast that I've ever had in my life. Relief that labour was over. Large folds of post-baby tummy in a red bath. And then the confusion. The exhaustion, and the loss of identity. The love, yes. But also the self criticism and an often overwhelming sense of failure.
I wish someone had been able to tell me then what a great mum I could and would become.
This month's activity is about looking back at those early mama moments and remembering how it felt...
And then thinking of the words you wished you had heard (and believed) about yourself in those early days - what would you tell yourself now that you didn't know then?
Create an honest, inspiring, exhausted and beautiful New Mama Mantra to share with other mums who might need those words, right now.
Make together at our next #somum Make Date!
We'll be getting together to make our New Mama Mantras and share new mama wisdom at our next #somum Make Date on twitter on Weds 9 April from 8.30 - 10pm GMT (find world times here). We have some fantastic prizes for you!
The lovely Catherine Redfern is giving us TWO copies of her amazing New Mama Welcome Pack.
The pack is the perfect gift for a new mum - it's stuffed with hand-picked digital goodies designed to inspire and support, drawn from over 60 contributors and delivered over those first 3 challenging wonderful months of motherhood. Exactly when a new mama most needs the love.
(The pack also features Pippa, complete with unbrushed hair and teeth - to convincingly recreate those early days - and many current days If I'm completely honest...).
And a very special Mamas' Reward Chart, encouraging new mamas to celebrate all those little successes that can so easily get overshadowed by the bigger challenges.
PS if you buy a pack using this link, we get a contribution to support Story of Mum too. Thank you :)
Plus, the marvellous Amy Beeson (remember her My Mum Story film?) is giving us THREE copies of the memoir she has co-written with her own mother, Sarah Beeson: The New Arrival.
The book tells the story of Sarah's experiences as a trainee nurse in Hackney in the 1970s, including lots of work on the infants' ward supporting new mamas...
Join in
Root out a photo, and take a good look at that new mother. What does she need to hear?
Come play with us on Wednesday 9 April. We'll choose winners of the 3 books, and the first New Mama Welcome Pack at the end of the Make Date, selected randomly from everyone adding #somum to their tweets.
And if you miss out then, don't worry - there will be another chance to win a New Mama Welcome Pack - by loading your image up to the New Mama Mantra page in April.
What happened last month?
We made some brilliant Mum Trumps cards - have you shared yours yet?
We also had some more fabulous additions to our inspiring Mama Self Care Carnival celebrating the launch of our DIY Mamas' Retreat Kit.
Take five minutes for yourself and read some of these brave and beautiful posts from mamas worldwide:
- Why self-care doesn't matter to mamas - Kirsten Hanlon, Mums and More
- 12 Tips for Scheduling Your Mummy-Time - Amy at Real Kids Rising
- New Mama Self Care - Leisa at Insync with Infants
- What if self-care was fun - Tat at Mum in Search
- Self Care For Rejuvenation or To Unwind: free printable - Kerry at Handmade Success
- How to make a Mama Retreat go From a Dream to a Reality - Ellen Nightingale
- Mamas Retreat - Kat Pearce of Kat Sighs (her experience of taking a full 24 hours to herself on our real-life mamas' retreat in Cornwall in February!)
- Self-Care: An Ongoing Commitment - that lovely Kat Pearce of Kat Sighs again...
- My Top Ten Self-Care Activities - Hannah of Liberate from Weight
And there are still more to come today! Visit the Mama Self Care Carnival page to find all the posts in the series.
We also hosted our first ever Working Mama, Happy Kids workshop with Dr Emily Jane in Penzance and it was ace - we learnt about how to truly connect with our kids in the moments we have (and that we're doing it already!). And we all left feeling like better mamas.
I was particularly proud of our Bad Mummy Bingo prize (seen here, complete with fibre-optic infused gold ribbon... )
Best of all, when you detach the brush, you see the words "I AM NORMAL - even when I win at Bad Mummy Bingo". Perfect for clearing up those everyday mama disasters...
What's coming up this month?
It's our 3rd birthday (we can't believe it!!) on Friday 4 April, and we're planning some special celebrations...
So we have a little favour to ask - could you take a moment to send us a couple of sentences telling us what Story of Mum has meant to you, right now? Just ping us back a very quick email (you don't have to include your name if you don't want to).
Because we would SO love to share your stories on our birthday. And there might just be a special gift for you if you do...
Have you fallen off your to-do list?
You have just ONE day left to use our special code for a discount on the DIY Mamas' Retreat Kit on our Mama Self Care Carnival page...
With love and new mama memories,
Don't forget just how amazing you are.
Pippa and Penny
Psst, there's still a day left to enter our competition with Juno Magazine. And you have until 11 April to enter the competition we're hosting with Mum Plus Business... Good luck!
