Birth Support Through Community

“There is so much to learn from collective knowledge. Making space for all kinds of voices, experiences and professionals enriches us.”

We are all familiar with the African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.” It’s no secret that parenting is hard work, but what about the path to parenthood?

What about figuring out how to get pregnant when you spent your entire adult life up until now trying to avoid it?

What about wading through the books, articles and instagram accounts that all say they know best when it comes to pregnancy and childbirth? ?

What about feeling so lonely and disconnected after experiencing a miscarriage that you wonder if you’ll ever feel normal again?

What about preparing for birth while not knowing completely what to expect?

What about navigating your relationship with your partner as you add a new member to the family?

What about experiencing perinatal depression and not feeling connected to your baby?

This shit is HARD. It can also be joyful and scary and beautiful and heartbreaking, sometimes all in the same day. And no one should have to figure it out alone. 

That’s why community is so important to us at Mental Push Plan. It’s more than building an audience on Instagram, or promoting discussion in the comments section. It’s bigger than that. We want to raise awareness around the mental load it takes to navigate the path to parenthood. We want to provide a safe space for you to come with your challenges, your joy, your grief, and feel heard. Finally, we want to give you resources to bring these conversations to your own communities so we can reduce the stigmas and help others feel less alone in their journeys.

The Push Circle

Whether you’ve purchased our products or you follow us on Instagram or just happen to be reading this blog, we welcome you to our Push Circle. This is our community of birthing people, hopeful parents, grieving parents, and experts in their field surrounding perinatal and parental care. The circle is symbolic in so many ways (no beginning or end, the shape of our world, etc.), but most of all, it symbolizes the connection we feel through our community.

Community = trust

Before we can create connection amongst others, we (Lauren and Carolyn, founders of Mental Push Plan) have to build trust with you (our Push Circle). We want to be your community especially if that’s something you may be lacking, perhaps because of the path to parenthood that you are currently on. That is why our proverbial door is always open. We welcome your emails and messages. We are here to listen, and empathize with your challenges, but also rejoice in your wins! We are cheering you on every step of the way. 

We also seek to build trust by sharing our own experiences. We, like so many others, perhaps entered pregnancy and parenthood with some naivete… which is now long gone. We know what the bumps, bruises and heartaches feel like. We also know what the deep love, pride and awe feel like. We don't (and never will) have all the answers but we firmly believe that when we bring others along with us we can share the load and learn collectively. So, we will never shy away from being as real as we can be about our own experiences when needed and when it has the potential to bring comfort or knowledge to the Push Circle. 

This also means we want to highlight the voices of others. Maybe even YOU! Whether you realize it or not, you have wisdom to share. Sometimes it might be what not to do (like don't give your kid apple juice on an airplane because they will likely have an explosive poop), while other times it may be what really worked for you (such as writing down your miscarriage story or holding a small memorial to help process your grief). These are all things we can learn from each other instead of feeling like we’re stumbling around with a blindfold on, learning the hard way.

If you have a story you’d like to share, please reach out. Send us an email at hello@mentalpushplan.com.

Community = connection

The path to parenthood is rarely linear. It comes with ups and downs, twists and turns, and how someone becomes a parent may look very different than their vision of how it was going to go. We respect and honor all of these paths, and through sharing and facilitating open dialogue around what these different paths may look like, they may feel more familiar when you or someone you know veers in a different direction. This is the foundation for connection.

Community = communication

Connection is at the core of community, and so is communication. That is why we emphasize plans for communication in our products. It can sometimes feel awkward or difficult to dive into conversations about deeply personal topics surrounding pregnancy and birth; however, the more we are able to clearly articulate our feelings and our needs, the more our loved ones can be there to support us. Another layer of communication may be conversations with those people who are not as close to you, such as coworkers, that will inevitably find out a part of your story (such as when you start showing that baby bump or when you take time off after a miscarriage).  If we can share what we are going through in an authentic way that still respects our own boundaries and comfort levels, we are, by default, spreading awareness of what has been talked about far too little in the past - the varying roads to parenthood and how the general community can support someone on whatever path they may be on.

So it is with trust, connection and communication that we’d like to foster community through Mental Push Plan. We want to show up for you as a close friend would - one who is comfortable and easy to talk to, maybe a little cheeky, but honest, and always willing to listen. We are also a work in progress, so if there is anything you notice we could be doing to better cultivate our community pillar, we are all ears. 

Thank you for being a part of our Push Circle!