Addressing social connection in expectant parents

NOT-FOR-PROFIT organisation Friends for Good will start a program providing social connection for expectant parent thanks to a community grant from the City of Greater Geelong.

The program, Bloom and Connect, focuses on building social connections and educating parents about mental health in the pregnancy and post-natal space.

Friends for Good national research and community education manager Eleisha Casañas said they understand the challenges around finding connection while taking care of a newborn.

“The real difference between this program and other programs is that it’s about building social connection before babies are born,” she said.

“The idea is to build social connections beforehand so that people feel really supported and have a group that are going through the same phase, and they can go through that transition into parenthood together.”

The funding will allow Friends for Good to complete their research and cover the costs of the program’s facilitation and room hire.

Open to expectant parents around Geelong and the wider community, the program will run for six weeks with hopes of securing more funding to extend it further.

Ms Casañas said while focused on building a social connection, the program also addresses loneliness and isolation.

“We’re really hoping to raise awareness about the challenges around loneliness and what kinds of support people might need to be able to do really well and have strong social connection.”

The program was inspired by research and the relationship between loneliness, depression, particularly post-natal depression, and anxiety.

Ms Casañas’ own experience as a mum of two has also contributed to the initiative.

“I just felt like if we could do something like this, it would really have such a beneficial impact on so many different aspects of people’s lives,” she said.

“I think it’s through my own lived experience and witnessing what’s happening in this specific area and then also seeing all the research that backs up that something like this would be really helpful.”

For more information on the upcoming program, head to events.humanitix.com/bloom-and-connect or to complete the survey shaping the program, visit surveydau.pureprofile.com/survey/selfserve/5e1/250226?list=0&ptest=0#?