It really does take a village

New maternal mental health charity starts up in Limestone Coast

It takes a village to raise a child. It is a time honoured proverb and a nationally registered maternal mental health charity is looking to reinstate ‘the village’, providing support for young mothers and families across Australia.

The Nurtured Village is that charity and it is now in the Limestone Coast with Taegan Partington and Georgia Tarca joining forces to set up the essential support network.

Maternal mental health has been declared a global mental health crisis and The Nurtured Village is changing the face of maternal mental health in Australia. One in seven mums will be diagnosed with postnatal depression, one in five with anxiety, one in 20 with birth related PTSD and 75 per cent of mothers don’t reach out for support.

The support of The Nurtured Village takes many forms but its overriding message it is OK to ask for help.

“As mums we are not great at asking for help,” Taegan said. “I don’t know that there’s a mum with kids under five that is not struggling in some shape or form. The transition to motherhood is so huge – not just the first child but every child. You don’t know what you are doing or what you are supposed to do.”

“The first step is admitting it (motherhood) is tough,” Georgia said. “It doesn’t always come naturally and sometimes for think you’re on top of things and then you have a shocker. Social media paints a perfect picture of motherhood and we are trying to change that because that just makes the struggled harder. You can have a beautifully dressed child, a clean house or you can look and feel amazing but you can’t have all three at once.”

The good thing about the Limestone Coast is it has started those conversations but there is also the practical help. Each month, Taegan and Georgia collect donated items, home cooked meals, non-perishables and baby essentials, generously donated by the community and deliver the hamper to a nominated mother.

“It is a random selection – we do not compare people’s struggles, we are here to support mums,” Taegan said.

“We put together the hamper to the nominated mum navigating significant hardship in our community as a gesture of solidarity and support,” Georgia said. “It reminds them that no matter how deep the trenches of parenting feel, the village is behind them and walking with them.”

If any individuals or businesses want to get involved, you can find the group on facebook ‘The Nurtured Village Hampers – Limestone Coast’ or email limestonecoast@ thenurturedvillage. org for more details.

“We would love to hear from anyone who would live to get involved, whether it is a once off or every month,” Georgia said. “The village is not just mums, it is about anyone who wants to help and we are looking for anything that lightens the load.”

The Limestone Coast group has just delivered its second hamper and they are also working on other aspects of ‘the village’.

“We are also collating local resources where you can receive face-to-face help, which is limited across Australia, and also pointing people to online services,” Taegan said. “And long term we are talking about lots of ideas including mothers cocktail party, long lunches. We want to be sustainable and make a lasting change to people in this community. Raising awareness is the first step and thren building something bigger and long lasting.”

“We are hoping people will realise we need more resources – the stats don’t lie,” Georgia said. “We have to remember that normally when people reach out they are at breaking point.”

THE NURTURED VILLAGE: (Above) Georgia Tarca & Taegan Partington presenting the group’s first two hampers – first to Paige (above left) and most recently to Krystal.