New Mum in the City

An article by Chelle

Just when you thought you knew Brighton and Hove, having a baby and living in a city 24/7 changes everything. Becoming a new mum can be a daunting experience (and that’s an understatement). It can be overwhelming; it can be heart achingly lovely and it can be lonely. Fortunately in city as great as ours there are loads of new mums in a similar boat, looking to share experiences and to get to know Brighton & Hove in a slightly different way than it was pre-mama.

Brighton is totally geared towards families and towards making new parent friends if you’re willing to seek out the opportunities available to you. I’d lived here for eight years before I became a mum and felt like I had to start again by creating a friendship support network who understood about sleepless nights, nappy rash and baby wearing options.

For any new mum having connections with other parents is the best way to know you aren’t alone and there are hundreds of us in the same boat at the same time. The mums I made friends with during pregnancy and after have been a gift to stop me going mad!

So my top 3 tips for new mums in Brighton:

1. Make friends. Yes, it’s a bit like going back school, but be brave…we’re all seeking connections. Sign up to some sort of pregnancy class such as NCT, pregnancy yoga or Daisy Birthing. Smile and arrange a coffee (decaf of course) with anyone you connect with. These will be the mums you’re likely to have the most interesting conversations with about birth and parenting in coming months and years!

2. Find baby friendly venues. Look at where are other mums are hanging out together…the best cafés with room for buggies, changing facilities and good cake (highly essential of course).

3. Child Friendly Brighton. Yes, there’s a website and a new app to download. You can find age and weather appropriate ideas. We did ‘sing and sign’ a weekly singing and signing class for babies…it definitely helped my little one communicate earlier than some of her friends and I made some good friends at the same time.

Please share your top tips for making the most of Brighton when you became a mum…