Bellarine new mums support group launches

A SUPPORT network for new and expecting Bellarine mothers is being established to provide more localised access to pre and postnatal care in the region.

“For mums living around Ocean Grove and surrounds it can be quite an effort to access these services by the time they get the baby organised, drive into town, have their appointment and get home again it can be a three or four hour task,” Ocean Grove physiotherapist Alex Humphrys said.

“Often this won’t fit into a wake cycle for their baby and can have a big impact on their routine, so it may just not be practical for a mum to prioritise accessing these supports.”

A PhD Candidate in Women’s Health and Exercise in Pregnancy, Ms Humphrys has teamed up with personal trainer and female health and performance coach Flick Ryan and local mum and doula Beth McDonald to form the ‘Bellarine Mum’s Support Network’.

“Chatting to some of my clients who are new mums on the Bellarine and the Surf Coast, many of them have said they had no idea what services were available or who to see if they were in pain, or struggling with feeding, or needing guidance around what exercise they could do at certain stages of pregnancy and after birth without injuring themselves,” Ms Humphrys said.

“It really depends on who you know, and it shouldn’t.”

The Bellarine Mum’s Support Network is holding an information night next Tuesday, April 5, to brief new and expecting parents on some of the local care providers in the region and to provide an opportunity for mums in similar stages to make social connections, especially given many will have been isolated throughout the pandemic.

For more information or to RSVP, contact: [email protected]