When my daughter was a tiny baby and I was home alone with her, I remember thinking: This is not how it's meant to be. I am not meant to be alone in this. I am supposed to be surrounded by other women, by an extended family and a village of friends. I would notice that whenever women would gather together - in both the real life and online yoga classes I went to - we would spend ages at the beginning just talking. We were so desperate for the space to be heard and to hear. This was not about comparing milestones or trying to one-up other moms, it was a deep need to connect and be witnessed in the moment that we were in.
And so, a friend and I started a mom's sharing circle. We met regularly with our babies and while they were little squishes, we could really share some pretty deep things. We shared birth stories, spoke about our relationships and how they changed, about our identities now that we were someone's mother. The sharing carried us through and we are still connected today.
