MAMA POWER - GUIDANCE

Life at the best of times can feel like a maze as we try to figure out who we are and all the other big questions.  Where we may feel lost in life this is often is multiplied 10 times when we become pregnant and realise that we're starting a journey with little preparation.  There are so many versions of the truth which can be confusing but fear not, today's Mama Janey Carey has taken her own experiences and created a support system known as Mummy Buddy to guide expectant and new mothers as they step into their new roles as Mums.

Janey shares her Mama Power - Guidance with us and how it's helped her as a Mum.

Janey became a mum when Jumbo Joe was born in October 2016. Before he arrived she’d read all of the baby books and completed a thorough antenatal course but nothing really prepared her for the “head-wrecking, don’t-know-what-i’m-doing whirlwind” that followed his arrival.  She decided to set up the Mummy Buddy programme, a free local and friendly buddy system for mums to be, providing them with a dedicated local new mum who offers guidance and support through to the end of their 4th trimester.  She’s a proper northerner at heart, she works for a local authority as her day job and she lives in the friendly London suburb of Northfields.

What’s been your experience of motherhood – your triumphs and challenges?

Getting through each day felt like a triumph in the beginning! I  struggled at the beginning following a traumatic birth. It was unexpected and knocked me for 6. The biggest challenge was getting through the couple of days in hospital after my boy was born. The noisy sweaty shared ward was utter hell. It was very stressful and I feel like it impacted on my emotional capacity and precious bonding time.

What led you to start the Mummy Buddy programme? 
I look back now and realise that during my pregnancy I didn’t once hold an actual baby or talk to a mum who had just been through it. It was all theory and no practice. I set up the Mummy Buddy programme to enable pregnant women to have a dedicated friendly support to talk to and find out about the realities of motherhood.

What would you say to your pre-mum self now? ​
Prepare to be unprepared!

We've chosen your power as guidance - how would you say your that's helped you as a Mum?

You can’t have too much guidance and support during this time in life. I feel that there is some great medical, professional support out there, but it’s important not to underestimate the value of friendly, local guidance and support too.

If you want to find out more about Janey and Mummy Buddy head over to www.mummybuddy.org.uk .