Mum's Mini Retreats
Mums are notorious for putting everyone but themselves first. They’re often reluctant to share how they feel if they’re struggling and keep pushing on, putting their own needs at the bottom of the pile.
Earlier this year I had the vision to host a series of live Birth Beat events that were created just for mums and mums-to-be. I knew that one of the best ways to get the self-care message across was to encourage mummas to commit to an event and just a few hours of pure me-time.
With the support of Hunter New England Central Coast Public Health Network, Birth Beat hosted a series of Mum’s Mini-Retreats around the North West. The aim of the mini-retreats was to increase women’s awareness of mental health (both perinatal and general), as well as the importance of self- care. We also wanted to provide an opportunity to learn skills such as; resilience, mindfulness and ability to reach out for help, in a warm, friendly and relaxed space.
Each session included a yoga and mindfulness session, massage and aromatherapy, stories about mental health from guest speakers who shared their real experiences, healthy delicious food and amazing gift bag with loads of goodies including products from our generous gift bag sponsors including White Glo, Manicare and Urban Rituelle.
Thank you to ALL who came along to our Mum’s Mini Retreats. We hope you got something out of the sessions, you totally deserved the me-time! We hope to run more events like this next year, stay tuned!
Here are just some of the beautiful words shared by guests after the mini-retreats.
“A great opportunity for such an event to be held in rural remote areas where services are not as easy to find/ approach than larger city areas. Was a great evening, would definitely attend again. Great Mum time out.”
“Today was a wonderful opportunity to listen & better understand issues relevant to me as a mother. It has also been a great time to relax and detach from the pressure and demands on us daily.”
“Mum’s as a family backbone & the lynchpin really need to be resilient which is often at odds with being able to care/ put yourself first. Today provided a wonderful opportunity to check in mentally in a safe, friendly & enjoyable space which will no doubt ensure more mentally strong, supportive & informed women leave.”
“Thank you to ladies for sharing your stories and raising awareness of PND within our community. Particularly relevant to me as I have experienced this also. I originally turned to friends for support but how I felt was dismissed as normal. By increasing understanding of this we can better support others.”
