WATCH: Life with a Baby is helping new moms in need from practical tips to emotional support.
TORONTO- Life With A Baby is a peer support program that helps prevent postpartum depression in new parents. Many new moms, including the founder of the program Claire Kerr-Zlobin, feel they do not receive enough emotional and practical support during this time in their lives.
“I had a difficult transition,” said Kerr-Zlobin. “I was the first of my friends to have a baby. I just found I was at home by myself, just isolated and I started getting depressed.”
A lot has changed for Claire since that time. She’s now a happy and content mother of two, and Life With A Baby has grown from an online chat group to a peer support community for new parents.
“New moms need other moms. They need support, they need peers, they need to know they are not the only ones going through it,” said Kerr-Zlobin.
By collaborating with a team of healthcare providers and experts on a variety of subjects, Life With A Baby remains relevant at every stage of a child’s life.
“I had no idea what postpartum depression was,” said participant Laurie Bader. “I never thought someone like me could’ve gone through it. It was horrible and Life With A Baby really helped me deal with it.”
Covering everything from colic and teething, to sleeplessness and daycare dilemmas, the needs and concerns of parents are addressed during online discussions, workshops and events.
“I did stroller walks with the moms,” said Sandy Nayani, a participant of the program. “I slowly started coming out of this cocoon that you put yourself in at the very beginning with your first child. So it was really amazing!”
“This was just something I believed in so passionately, that even though I was not making any money from it and was volunteering my time completely, I had to do it,” said Kerr-Zlobin. “When you go through something similar to what I did, you just can’t walk away.”
Comments