Natalie & Jordan
Meeting three took place at Three Flamingos in Albion Park. On a rainy Wednesday morning, I spent time with Natalie and Jordan over a much needed coffee. I was curious about meeting Natalie as we had spoken about her side hustle, ‘Mums Gather’ which she has been building in the background for some time. The idea behind this is to create weekly meetups at local parks and cafes, trying new locations as frequently as possible. Each gathering will be allocated a conversation topic encouraging women to speak their minds and work through different stages and challenges of motherhood and life.
More about Mums Gather and how to join will be outlined later in this post.
Natalie’s passion to be an ally to other mothers has inspired me to continue unravelling the stories of women, creating space for their voices to be heard and for authentic connections to grow. The Mother Village will be partnering with Mums Gather to bring women together through storytelling, creativity and adventure.
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It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know Natalie not only as a local mother but also as a friend. At present, she is connecting with other mums 0-2 times per week, depending on her busy work/life schedule. Natalie enjoys planning events and bringing people together which brings me to the exciting announcement of the launch of Mums Gather scheduled to take place at the new Yirran Muru playground at Shellharbour City Centre at 9:30am on 01st May. Everyone is welcome to join!
Each of the mothers involved in this project were interviewed about their experiences and connections to community. Throughout this blog, I will share some direct quotes captured in these interviews.
“I just think it’s the most special and important role we can do as humans.”
How would you describe motherhood? Honestly, a series of joy and challenges all collected in a montage of moments we remember. I can sit in my rocking chair with my babe assisting her to sleep and be replaying the birth or her first moments in my head. I just think it’s the most special and important role we can do as humans.
What does your Mother Village look like? It’s not very big as I am quite engrossed in creating moments and memories 1:1 with my 1 year old, whilst also being pregnant with my second child. My mother and best friend Trudie are my village. I feel like I can conquer anything with them by my side.
How do you connect to other mothers? I frequently catch up with Trudie, both face to face and in messages. I attended baby sensory and made some friends there and have started my own mum’s group, however, I’ve had struggles getting myself out there to fully get it up and running. I know what I want to achieve and what I want it to look like but I haven’t had the confidence to fully establish it yet!
I prefer face to face catch ups, but like any mum, it’s hard when your child is on the go and sometimes you get taken away from the conversation.
What do you love about your Mother Village? The awareness that we are busy people, you can pick up right where you left off, when bubs goes for a sleep you can say “hey I’m back!” They will ALWAYS understand. I think sometimes friends might think you’re ignoring them but we aren’t.
I enjoy being my purest self, and they have seen me at my worst.
Is there anything missing from your Mother Village? I’m quite a social person in the right environment, I do see a lot of mums have big groups of friends and they might holiday together with their families or go on big outings and their houses look perfect. I’d love to have that! But reality is my husband and I are both shift workers and the house is the last priority. My babies, dogs and hubby and work are the most important things right now.
Where is somewhere local that you visit to meet up with other mothers?
Little Lake
Lakeside Reserve, Kanahooka
Little Park, Shellharbour
Lakeside Reserve, Kanahooka
About Mums Gather
Mums Gather has blossomed from an idea I had as a first time mum to create a village of like-minded women who may not have the confidence to reach out for advice, friendship or support. It is quite common for new mums or even mums with multiple children to not have family or friends they can lean on, and that's why we're here!
As a first time mum, I really struggled to reach out to others as I felt like a burden not realising that many other mums felt the same way. I believe that sometimes all we need is to hear the words "OMG, same", helping us realise that our experiences are normal and we are doing ok.
We need to be mindful that mums are juggling postnatal doctor's appointments, Centrelink applications, maintaining contact with work, trying to stay in touch with friends, all while also spending quality one on one time with their little ones.
My hope is that Mums Gather becomes a circle of security for women and their children. We would love for you to join us and please feel free to come along in your PJ's if need be because we understand that the reality of being a mum means we don't always have it together. We know that some days, the most positive things that we can say is, "today I survived".
How can I join/ get involved?
You can email us at mumsgather@outlook.com tell us a bit about yourself! Check @themothervillage
These photographs were made on the 22nd March, 2023.