DON’T SHY AWAY FROM MAKING MUM FRIENDS

It’s common for pregnant women and new mums to feel isolated and intimidated. Here, Emma advises how to make new connections

For me, one of the toughest parts of being pregnant was finding likeminded women in the same boat. I like to be busy and

I’m not the greatest social networker, so putting myself out there felt a little scary.

There are plenty of online mummy bloggers, sharing their journeys and letting you know they relate to how you feel, but nothing is as comforting as hanging out in person with women who understand what you’re going through.

USE APPS

A whole host of social sites for mums and mums-to-be have popped up, where you can get real-life interaction. Buump Active allows you to connect with local mums who want to keep fit in pregnancy and beyond. HOOP lists loads of children’s activities going on in your area – including thousands that are completely free. While Mush and Mummy Social work just like dating apps, but are designed for new mothers to make local friends. These apps, and plenty of others like them, help you break the ice and get past those awkward introductions, so by the time you meet, you’ll already know a bit about each other.

SIGN UP TO THE NCT

Your local NCT class is a fantastic charity that offers ante-natal and post-natal classes that support you socially and educationally, as well as hosting activities, workshops and meetups. The key to moving chats from the classroom to the coffee shop is communication – so set up a WhatsApp group and this quickly gives an indication of who is looking for friendship. Send a group message suggesting a meet-up at a local cafe – it feels less intimidating than asking directly.

BUILD FRIENDSHIPS Becoming a mum is brilliant, but it can also be isolating, stressful and scary at times, so having some solid friendships with people who can relate to you and appreciate your life stage can be an absolute life-saver – both mentally and emotionally.