Our Baby Club Tunbridge Wells

09/05/2021

💛 speaking our truth means we are vulnerable sometimes but in the end we can give ourselves so much more by opening up 💛

💛 ***Sometimes, I was envious of other mothers***
The compare and despair cycle was a killer. You know the ones who had babies who slept, ni***es which didn't hurt, hair that was washed... you name it, I compared mine to it.
She had an incredible set of lungs from birth and I used to look at all the quiet babies and think... aww how lovely that must be.

💛The best thing I learnt to do in these moments was to look at my baby and remind myself that we are both totally unique and on this journey together. She is she and I am me. That is AMAZING not something to be ashamed of.
Now she uses those powerful lungs to sing with me and giggle and shout "Daddy wanna Cuppateee" up the stairs and I wouldn't want her any other way.

💛Embrace what makes you and your baby unique. You are doing a great job! And if it all gets too much- you are not alone- we ALL have moments like this- talk, talk and talk some more.

Safe spaces to talk:
💛Your midwife or GP
💛Tommy’s midwifery-led pregnancy line is available for anyone worried about mental health in pregnancy (0800 0147 800). Their very helpful website is here http://www.tommys.org .
💛Pandas – advises parents and their networks who need support with perinatal mental illness. Their website is here pandasfoundation.org.uk and their phone line is 0808 1961 776.
💛Our Baby Club- our inbox is always open - we are always here to talk, support and help you

@ Tunbridge Wells

07/05/2021

💛Continuing on with our campaign as part of Maternal Mental Health week, here is our wonderful Kensington Parent & Baby Educator Emefa with her truth.

***I had no idea how heavy the mental load could be**
Having a new baby and feeling utterly overwhelmed: my main challenge was trying to do it all.

💛I pushed myself- taking care of my new baby, keeping my house clean and stocked for all the well-meaning visitors, responding to all the friends messages on time, planning/ organising playdates,... the list just kept on growing until eventually it all caught up with me and I realised I was pretty burnt out and had to ensure I was in a happy place to be the best mum to my baby.

💛Learning to take time out for myself as a new mum, even if it was just a few minutes, to alleviate the mental load was a worthwhile lesson.

06/05/2021

💛 We are in full support of Tommy’s campaign
💛 share your story to Tommy’s and help make those that need to change this - do it!

Are you one of the many parents who had to go through 3 miscarriages before getting support or tests? Please help us shine a light on this issue, and share your story with us in the comments below.

: https://bit.ly/3aHOEM7

05/05/2021

💛 Find out what makes us different!
💛 Take a peek at our website and find out what drives us to be part of the
💛 We are here for you no matter what choice you make

05/05/2021

💛 Happy International Day of the Midwife 💛

💛 Wonderful news of the midwives at Pembury, Maidstone and Crowborough Birthing centre, all part of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust, receiving special gifts and a wonderful video of thanks from recent parents.

💛 Between 1 April 2019 and 30 April 2020 the Trust’s midwives brought 6,024 babies into the world.

💛 See the brief video celebrating our wonderful midwives right here!
https://youtu.be/98qqS3kWhjI

It's International Day of the Midwife!

A huge thank you to all of our midwives at Tunbridge Wells Hospital, our birth centres in Maidstone and Crowborough as well as in the community. You are amazing!



*Please note the photo was taken before the pandemic

05/05/2021

💛I WAS SELF ASSURED, CONFIDENT, I WORE A MASK OF HAPPINESS!💛

The pregnancy was going to be a breeze! In my naivety, I was in total control!

I was young when I was pregnant with my first baby. I always masked my real self, my true feelings, put on a smile! Told myself I’ve got this!
But I didn’t - and I felt very alone and anxious at times.

💛It’s not weak to ask for help when feeling low, it’s not a failure to admit you need support.

💛When feeling blue or sadness, anxiety and other negative emotions get in the way of everyday life, it’s time to reach out! Support was just a call away! I got better and you will too - just keep talking

💛Safe spaces to talk:
Your midwife or GP
Tommy’s midwifery-led pregnancy line is available for anyone worried about mental health in pregnancy (0800 0147 800). Their very helpful website is here http://www.tommys.org .
Pandas – advises parents and their networks who need support with perinatal mental illness. Their website is here pandasfoundation.org.uk and their phone line is 0808 1961 776.
Our Baby Club- our inbox is always open - we are always here to talk, support and help

04/05/2021

Our Baby Club continues the campaign with the lovely Becki

*** I was really surprised to find myself struggling after the birth of my 3rd baby**

I felt like I had failed, that somehow I had done something wrong in pregnancy that led to his premature delivery. I hated being away from him as I felt he needed me there all the time to make sure he was safe. I was not myself at all. I was scared to talk about how much I was struggling with my family. I had been the one who really wanted a third baby so I felt I needed to show I was capable mum, that I could handle it all.

💛After talking with a friend who had been through similar I admitted to myself that I had to acknowledge that trauma & know that it didn’t make me a ‘failure’ or ‘not normal’ to be feeling anxious. By acknowledging what happened & the impact it had - it helped me start to make small manageable changes to help my road to recovery.

💛The most effective of these changes was a brilliant technique I learnt to deal with the anxiety. When I felt a wave coming, I would acknowledge and recognise it for what it was . . . a thought. Rather than fighting it which made it more fearful, by letting it come & giving it a nod as such, I was then able to ‘let it go’ quicker. This brought me much needed freedom from the trap I had felt my brain was in.

It doesn’t matter if it’s your 1st or 2nd or 3rd or so on. It does not make you a ‘failure’ as a parent to struggle, becoming a parent is one of the toughest things you’ll ever go through so make sure you ask for help and NEVER feel ashamed to do so!”

💛Safe spaces to talk:
Your midwife or GP
Tommy’s midwifery-led pregnancy line is available for anyone worried about mental health in pregnancy (0800 0147 800). Their very helpful website is here http://www.tommys.org .
Pandas – advises parents and their networks who need support with perinatal mental illness. Their website is here pandasfoundation.org.uk and their phone line is 0808 1961 776.
Our Baby Club- our inbox is always open - we are always here to talk, support and help

04/05/2021

💛 Every week matters 💛

High rates of early, non-medically necessary, planned caesarian births are putting babies' health at undue risk, a major new report has warned.