A new national campaign has just been launched to bring back the humble coffee morning as a simple and effective way to provide support to new mothers at a time when they’re most susceptible to the baby blues
.Fronted by TV presenter (Loose Women) and mother-of-two, Kaye Adams, and backed by the charity Cry-Sis and Colief Infant Drops, the ‘A Problem Shared’ campaign calls on today’s generation of mums to revive the coffee morning. The Campaign also hopes to get health visitors, who provide vital support to new mums, to champion the benefits of coffee mornings during their visits.
A recent survey* found that loneliness, lack of sleep and dealing with a crying baby are the hardest things to cope with for new mums, and that nearly half suffer due to a lack of adult interaction in the first few months following the birth of their child. Often dismissed as idle chit-chat or time-wasting, the coffee morning is a vital source of support for new mums and an effective and natural alternative to resorting to modern-day medicines such as sleeping pills and anti-depressants.
Elsie Matthewman, Chair of Cry-sis, the charity for parents with excessively crying babies commented:
“Far from being a nostalgic call for ‘the good old days’ this campaign has a serious message: Today, many women’s social networks are formed around work so maternity leave can be a barrier to established sources of support. Furthermore, many find themselves living miles away from family and friends because of their job or rising house prices so being part of a community is harder than ever before. A coffee morning provides an ideal opportunity to share problems, such as dealing with a crying baby, feeding difficulties or lack of sleep, and to help relieve tensions.”
Jane Terry, a Health Visitor added:
“Peer support has been found to be an effective way of helping families, this is why I felt it was important to contribute to the A Problem Shared Campaign leaflet ‘Your Baby’s First Weeks’.”
As with many practical and profound solutions, the idea itself is very simple. A Problem Shared campaign web site, www.problemshared.info, has been set up to help parents set up a coffee morning in their local area.
*Colief Parenting Survey of 3,500 parents, September 2006
June 2007
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Market Research, Parents and Babies
