A Battersea woman has opened up about the trials she experienced as a new mother in the pandemic and has given advice on where other parents can seek support.
Rosie Hart, from Battersea Park, fell pregnant with her first child in March 2020.
Usually, a mother-to-be might rely on the wisdom of parents, friends, midwives and community groups, to cope with her pregnancy.
However, as the coronavirus pandemic gripped the country, the 31-year-old found her support networks suspended.
In an increasingly virtual world, Rosie had to rely heavily on the internet, books and zoom calls for advice.
Rosie's 4-month-old daughter, Beau
“As it was my first child, we didn’t really know what to expect from a maternity standpoint. But as we progressed it was apparent that the care was very different from how it usually is,” she said.
Due to COVID-19 regulations many standard rituals for expectant parents were off limits.
“We didn’t have any meet the midwives sessions or antenatal classes.
“And my partner didn’t come to any of my NHS scans which was sad. It was weird sitting in a waiting room alone, surrounded by other women who were also alone,” she added.
When Rosie’s waters broke her husband had to wait outside of the for the first hour of her labour.
However, they were together when she gave birth to her daughter, Beau, one morning in November 2020.
Rosie in labour
Sometimes Rosie worries about how her baby's future will fare with limited social interaction, as she hasn’t been held by other people – and those she has met have been masked.
But the 33-year-old says she has found a new outlet to her voice her questions.
The Senior Operations Manager has become an ambassador for mum’s social networking app Peanut – that's tagline is “motherhood doesn’t come with a manual.”
By connecting local women at a similar stage in life, the forum seeks to “provide a safe space for mothers, expectant mothers and those trying to conceive to build friendships, ask questions and find support.”
It covers areas such as IVF, adoption, pregnancy, first years or nursery and beyond.
Rosie said getting involved in the app was “a no-brainer” as despite seeing busy playgrounds and lots of prams around Wandsworth she believes it lacks its own support group.
She added: “The area is untapped. I’ve now connected with a lot of mums in the same boat as me – it’s crazy to think how many of us there are.
“In the future I want to host walks, meet-ups and involving local businesses.”
You can find out more about Peanut here.
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