Mummy friends are worth their weight in gold.
When it comes to getting through that first year and beyond, you need a squad behind you to help each other survive. Here’s why:
1. They get you out of the house
It’s easy, and totally lavish, to just stay indoors in your PJs all day after you’ve had a baby.
While this is to be encouraged some of the time, you don’t want to be stuck indoors all day, every day.
Meeting up with a friend is your reason to get out of the house and pretend to be a normal human being for an hour.
2. The jokes
Parenting is bloody hard work. Sometimes it’s such hard work we want to scream and then cry and then scream some more.
But laughter is indeed the best medicine and if we can laugh about the things that are driving us totally mental then we tend to deal with it so much better.
With mum friends you can laugh about how ridiculous all your endless worries are and joke about those unpleasant post-partum symptoms. Piles and hair loss are hilarious after all!
3. Knowledge is power
There is no greater learning resource than fellow mums who have been there before and have your back.
A friend will tell you what did and didn’t work for them and why. It’s amazing what you can learn about breastfeeding issues, sleep and, crucially, what not to buy for your baby from fellow mums.
4. Another point of view
When we can’t see the wood for the trees, sometimes it helps to get a second opinion.
If you’ve been spending all week stressing out about how often the baby is feeding or trying desperately to find a routine that works, sometimes talking it through with someone else is the best way to find a solution.
Plus mum friends have your best interest at heart, so all their views come from a place of kindness.
5. It can stop you going crazy
It’s easy to get stuck inside your own head during the first year with a baby.
It’s an extremely overwhelming time. But friends are like free therapy, and mum friends can listen and understand like no one else.
6. Brutal honesty
Sometimes you need someone to just tell it to you straight, like if you’ve been obsessing over room temperature for hours every single day.
You need a fellow mum to tell you to just stop worrying so much, babies are tougher than they look!
That first year is exhausting and at times the relentlessness of caring for a baby can take it out if you. Having someone there who reminds you of the bigger picture, that you have a healthy baby and life does get easier, can bring you back from a dark place.
7. Free reign to rant
When your partner can’t listen to your epic tirades about sleep training any more, it’s time to call in friendly reinforcements.
Sometimes you just need to spend an hour being totally negative and p****d off. And with mum friends that’s ok, because they get that being p****d off is part of the magic of motherhood.
8. Baby playmates
Once your baby has grown a bit and is getting mobile, it’s great to get them socialising with other babies.
Plus eventually they will entertain each other so that you can sit and have a coffee in peace. Yes it might be a while off before playtime is interrupted every five minutes by someone crying, but remember that it will happen eventually.
Plus it’s so damn cute seeing babies crawling around excitedly together.
9. Solidarity
Mum friends have your back. If anyone judges you or makes you feel down about your parenting skills, you can bet a true mum friend will be at your side being furious on your behalf.
10. They just get it
For me there was nothing more reassuring than knowing that I wasn’t the only one feeling totally overwhelmed by the whole motherhood thing,
It also surprised me how we would all be going through exactly the same things. It’s easy to imagine yourself being the only one struggling at motherhood, particularly with the lies social media can tell us.
It can make us think we are getting it all wrong,
But when you tell your friend about how you spent all night trying to put your baby down in their cot to sleep with zero success, and they say “me too”, suddenly you realise you’re not alone.
You’ll find your fellow mum friends also suffer from self-doubt, guilt and worry, just as much as you do.
11. The nights out
They are rare after having children but when those nights out come it’s great to share them with people who are just as excited as you to get out of the house.
Relishing in prosecco and good friends in a grown-ups only environment is a fantastic mental break from the daily slog of parenting.
You will of course end up being home and in bed by 10.30pm.
Do your mum friends make motherhood bearable for you? Are there any times you can remember when they came through for you and really helped you out? I would love to hear from you.
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Let me tell you, in the teen years you need the safety net of close confidants. Keeps you sane, and means you can vent without any judgement (or reserve). One thing I’ve learnt, is everyone is going thru something with kids, they just may not choose to tell you…#fortheloveofBLOG
I can count on one hand the number of mummy friends I have, but they’re so important! #fortheloveofblog
I’d be lost without my fellow mummy friends. A small number of them will definitely be friends for life. #fortheloveofBLOG
Love having a few mum friends. Just the reassurance and support of all going through the same stuff. And the laughter at the ridiculousness of it all! #fortheloveofBLOG
YES YES YES! I’ve written a few times about this as I can’t say enough how important mummy friends are. Mine have kept me sane, provided a safe place to rant and been a great resource for getting me out of the house and doing things too. #fortheloveofBLOG
My good mummy friends are the best. Especially if you catch us without the kids! #fortheloveofBLOG
I was pretty isolated as a young mum. I think some friends would have been wonderful. I did have some supportive aunties however, who always made me laugh. Where ever we find them, loving and supportive women are sanity savers! x
I didn’t have many friends when my boys were young. I was easier with my youngest, I’d learned to make new friends by then. It’s so important to have someone to talk to. 😉
#fortheloveofBLOG
I would be so lost without my mom friends! “They just get it” is all you need!!
Thank you for sharing this today! I’m going to text my group of wine drinking mom friends to tel lthem how much I appreciate them!
#fortheloveofblog
My friends are so important to me. They put things into perspective and we always lsugh our heads off #fortheloveBLOG
This is so true, we all need a mummy friend or two! #fortheloveofBLOG
Oh, the nights out that end early enough to get to bed at a decent time – how I love them! #fortheloveofBLOG
Mummy friends are the best. I’m so grateful for mine 🙂
I dont think I could have gotten through parenthood without my mummy friends! One of my friends became a mum and few months back and I like to think I’ve been a great help to her also! #fortheloveofBLOG
I dont know what I would do with my mummy friends! To share the highs and the lows of parenting is a life saver with those who are experiencing the same as you! Oh and to natter over a coffee too is a must! #fortheloveofblog
Love getting together with the ladies – even if it is just once a month. We have been rescheduling a bit now as life happens but we’ve set a date for our next meet up.Just to have real conversations with women who understand what you going through.#fortheloveofBLOG
Yes to all of these – they do ‘get it’ and don’t mind if I have a rant about something or other. Also, as the kids get older we help each other out with the school run /drop offs and pickups at clubs etc which is brilliant too! #fortheloveofBLOG xx
Mum friends are great, even when your kids are older like mine (12 & 19). Instead of worrying about nappies and sleep, you move on to hormones and teenage tantrums lol.
#fortheloveofBLOG
Oh my goodness finding that you are not alone in going through parenting challenges makes it easier. #fortheloveofBLOG
Ooh yes yes yes to mummy friends. We have a messenger group and we regularly use it to *ahem* comment on what our DHs are doing…! #fortheloveofBLOG
Never underestimate the power of a mum rant!!We have a mum night out scheduled this weekend , fully expect to be in bed by 10!! #fortheloveofBLOG
I imagine this is so vital, through every stage and phase of growth to maturity! We do get it. Super post! #fortheloveofBLOG xoxo