The world is talking about postpartum depression, anxiety and psychosis. All very real, very scary experiences for new parents. 

Resources in Prince George that helped me when I was struggling with new motherhood, include:

• Attending the weekly breastfeeding drop-in session at the Health Unit, and the meetings hosted by Jocelyn at the Breastfeeding Cafe (returning via Zoom tomorrow)
• Starting Hike it Baby, and arranging regular walks with other new parents to get outside and find purpose.
• Attending drop-in play sessions at South Fort George Resource Centre
•  Reaching out to my EFAP for therapy
• Talking to my family doctor, and re-evaluating what medication would be a good fit for me
•  Finding a purpose to my day-to-day as a mediocre mom blogger. Writing about my experiences helped me process it.
• Traveling, taking time to visit my friends and family in their spaces. I would travel to visit my mom every season. 

Other fantastic resources to check out

• The Pacific Postpartum Support Society
• Prince George Public Library
• Framework Fitness
• Strong Start

It’s hard. A lot of these programs are limited in some nature of who can participate and in what capacity. 

And as a fellow socially anxious introvert, many of these suggestions can be absolutely terrifying - especially if you’re a transplant that worries about where to park, and what to say. 

It gets better with each visit.

I didn’t make mom friends on the first visit, or even say much. You might also hate everyone for a bit, and then one day you realize the woman you couldn’t stand is the one you call for drinks on a Sunday night at 8pm because she’s actually awesome. 

And when you get better, and feel your strong empowered self - let’s make it a priority to protect third places, community programming, and social spaces for connection. These are too often disappearing due to lack of funding, poor attendance, and general clawback that even need to provide this. 

You can also take the initiative to make it happen - if you’re feeling it. I started Hike it Baby because I felt alone. We used to have a Babywearing group. We could again with the right leadership and passion. But organizing things for people is a fine art that is challenging. 

One day, I hope to have a store big enough that I can host workshops and meet ups - but we’re not there yet. Until then, feel free to stop into the shop, pull up a chair and just hang out with the team members. You don’t need to buy, you can just have a conversation or a moment alone.