Should we build our village before we give birth?

If you’re pregnant or had a baby you’ve most certainly heard people talk of ‘The Village’.

The concept of a village is bound to look different for everyone but universally it translates to those who are there to offer support to a new mother and her family once a baby is born as she transcends in to her postpartum period.

For some, this may be family and friends. For others (if resources permit), this may look like a postpartum doula to offer support such as cleaning, cooking and holding baby. But a village may be as simple as having a mothers group to lean on or a trusted family GP or maternal Child Healath Nurse. A village can really come in so many forms including online these days.

But as many of us are all too aware, the journey itself towards motherhood is rarely an easy one as we navigate the bumps, twists and turns of various pregnancy symptoms, emotions, aches and pains. Preparing of course for one of our greatest hurdles yet.

Birth.

So does it make sense for us to build a pregnancy village and what would this look like? We wouldn’t expect a new mother to do everything alone yet we are comfortable for women to literally share their body with an entire person (or maybe two or three in the case of multiples) and experience all the challenges this brings without offering support.

Should the meal trains start earlier? Should we make appointments with our pregnant loved ones simply to help around the house or be a support for the other little child/ren already at home, particularly as they get closer to the third trimester?

How I wish looking back on my own journey through pregnancy (especially the second time around) I had taken the time to learn more and afforded myself the support of a doula. To me back then it was a fairly new concept and pig-headedly I thought I could just do it all on my own. Having someone to help take the stress off me particularly in the latter part of pregnancy (and of course in postpartum) would have been a godsend.

So now as I look back and reflect I wonder if we as a society need to become better at proactively holding the mother-to-be as well as the new mother Especially if we have travelled our own pregnancy journeys already. Pregnancy can be challenging especially when we are expected to continue on with our day to day life. And this is one of the reasons that we have developed our Facebook group for new mums to be. So that women can connect with others who are also on their pregnancy journey to seek support and share tips and experiences.

So let’s check in on our loved ones before baby arrives. Bring them food. Shower them and no just baby before they give birth. Offer support in any way you can.

Stat your village early and reap the reward of the support it brings.

Teya x