Pēpi Aroha Playgroup

The Great Disconnection
When the Web of Life starts to unravel it is time for the menders, the darners, the joiners, the knitters, and the weavers to get cracking. Let each of us 'pick up the stitches' so that our children are once again safely interwoven into their natural enviroment.

I used to wonder what happened to mums when they had a child. Where did they go?

Almost symbolically, they seemed to gradually disappear from their own pictures and be replaced instead by baby photos. I don't know why but it used to irk me a bit. I would wonder; how was it possible to get so completely lost in motherhood?

NOW I GET IT.

There IS a loss of identity when you become a mum. Well, there certainly was for me.

You become consumed with all these things that never crossed your mind before; milk intake, nappy output, nap timings, meal plans, teething remedies. And somewhere along the way, you lose yourself a bit.

You forget how to talk about things outside the realm of mothering. You lose touch of the things that used to make you tick. Your repertoire becomes limited, and let's be honest, a little bit dull.

Thankfully you find other mums; people you maybe wouldn't have got on that well with before, but you're all rattling around in this lost property box together.

I know deep down that I have gone awol since becoming a mum. I have almost forgotten that there is a world out there, distinct from motherhood, that I can also subscribe to. And share with Casey. I'm sure he too would like to know the person beyond mum.

And so I am slowly trying to reclaim my me-ness. I'm finding when I do, he actually enjoys it more. It feels more authentic. Just little things like we'll have a dance around to the music that I love rather than the wiggles or taking the time to look half-human in the morning and repainting my old face on again.

It can be a balancing act, trying to help this little person develop their identity, whilst not forgetting your own.

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Words: Karen McMillan (Mother Truths)
Art by: Morgan Casey Art

Words taken from: 'Lessons: Reflections on Early Motherhood' Available to buy worldwide: http://linktr.ee/mother_truths

"A baby is born with the need to be loved, and never outgrows it."
Frank A. Clark
Love is a biological need, and the more our babies and children are spoken to with love, and treated with love, the safer the baby feels. When the baby feels safe, then life becomes the adventure and a joy it is meant to be. In the end it's pretty simple: "The first thing your do is treat babies and children as human beings, and love them."
(For those times when it seems anything but simple, remember: Stop. Pause. Breathe ~ and get yourself centered in your own heart.)

Happy Easter

Via Creative Child Magazine

Home | Titirangi Rudolf Steiner School At Titirangi Rudolf Steiner School our aim is to help children deal effectively with an ever-changing world. A Steiner/Waldorf curriculum recognises the developmental stages of a child by stimulating thinking, feeling and practical learning in a structured and collaborative environment. Emphasis is....

You Are Human
Listening and responding to your baby's crying is a gold standard of nurture, yet there is another important consideration to keep in the back of your mind. You too can get stressed, really stressed - and the baby's crying can ramp the stress up until you are a milimetre away from the end of your rope. THAT'S the time to put the baby in their cot and walk away before you snap and do something you will regret.
Breathe. Breathe slowly. The breathing helps your nervous system calm down. Call someone who can empathise with you or who might offer to come over. If you think you need some professional help, seek it from Child & Parent Health Organisations in your community. As Bernadette Jones says in her quote, "You ARE doing a wonderful job", even if sometimes it doesn't feel like it.

35 years ago I qualified as a Comprehensive Nurse and focused on mental health areas.
Then, for the past 27 years, I have worked as a Registered Midwife NZCOM in LMC practice and through hospitals.
For six years I have been an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), and for the last 20 years I have worked in HolisticBaby as an Antenatal Class and Mothers Support Group Facilitator.
For the past seven years, I’ve also been a Happiest Baby Educator, I then in 2020 started my qualification as a Neuroprotective Developmental Care (NDC) Practitioner with the Possum Clinic and a year ago HolisticBaby became the first Possums Clinic in New Zealand.

I am Midwife, IBCLC, NDC Practitioner and mother of three and I believe that every mother and baby has their own special “uniqueness”.

Let me help you to gain inner confidence that will allow you to believe that you are exactly the right mother for your baby.

To book a one on one consult with Cathy to discuss breastfeeding, feeding, mood, unsettled baby and sleep please visit www.holisticbaby.co.nz