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Why WhatsApp and Facebook communities are the go-to useful resource for first-time mothers, particularly in a post-lockdown world
Why WhatsApp and Facebook communities are the go-to useful resource for first-time mothers, particularly in a post-lockdown world
In February 2022, Jaipur-based Almas Hussain discovered herself struggling to nurse her then month-old daughter. With no parental support, the first-time mom sought the support of fellow mothers on a WhatsApp group. “My baby is a rainbow baby (born to someone after a pregnancy loss) and I was constantly overthinking the small things. Being a new parent is a rollercoaster ride and the group guided me on everything from nursing and cough remedies to starting solids,” says Almas, 30, of the group, Bubs and Mumz, created by Yahanka Nayak in March 2022.
Almas is among a rising crop of mothers who are actually turning to the digital world as they navigate the motherhood maze. Be it Facebook, WhatsApp or Instagram, the tribe is simply rising and the a number of threads — discussing every little thing from dwelling treatments for a rash, product evaluations for top chairs, eating regimen charts, and the reasonably painful subject of sleep routines — are proof. Bengaluru-based Yahanka, 31, a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) coach by career, says she created Bubs and Mumz when she realized there was quite a bit of combined data on methods to introduce stable meals to infants.
Vaishali Sudan Sharma, who runs the favored interactive parenting weblog The Champa Tree since 2014, says it was the shortage of credible assets for pregnant and new mother and father that prompted her to kickstart a weblog. “From being a communications consultant dashing in and out of fashion shows and events, pregnancy in 2013 slowed things down for me. I felt there was very little ‘real’ content being written about pregnancy/parenthood. I started the blog when my son was three months old, and also worked as a PR consultant remotely,” says Vaishali, who, began searching for full-time jobs when he turned three, however realized many recruiters questioned the hole years with out recognizing the careers she had managed from dwelling alongside elevating a baby. “In no time, the weblog was monetised and there was no trying again. I partnered with a like-minded staff on a contract foundation, and at present, we’ve got near 2 lakh views a month, and in addition run communities on Facebook and WhatsApp.”
Sleep training and solids
While the group started off as a resource for solids, it has evolved into a safe space for women to discuss any issue along their parental journey. The focal points being baby-led weaning, traditional weaning, traveling with babies, recipes, says Yahanka, who is now working on an app. “I had no idea we would come this far. Such groups are a blessing as mothers need the freedom to ask questions without being judged,” she says.
A mom feeding her child | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
And most significantly, fast solutions for when they’re alone or a physician shouldn’t be accessible. Situations that prompted Maheen Arab to create Mamahood India – A Support Group For New Moms on Facebook final yr. “I created the group during my pregnancy with the intent to save reference articles to keep handy for the baby’s arrival. However, in October 2021, post the birth of my daughter, the group became active. As family members couldn’t travel due to pandemic-induced restrictions, I tried to figure out parenting through online sources, asking experienced friends and family along with my husband,” says Maheen, 32. “Being on the brink of postpartum despair impressed me to create Mamahood India, and join with new mothers,” adds the Pune-based healthcare consultant who has over 630 members on the private group today.
With a focus
While these all-encompassing groups are perfect for new mothers getting their way around the many facets of pregnancy and motherhood, the community is now seeing several offshoots with a single-point focus. Like The Baby Support Co., a group specialising in baby sleep created by Aishwarya Deshpande in May 2022. “I had recently started designing my baby’s schedule that was enabling her to sleep through the night, and I responded to a fellow mom’s query on sleep patterns on a WhatsApp group. Soon, I had several mothers reach out to me for the same issue and I realized infant sleep was such a common problem. For ease of communication, I started a separate group where I could help moms at large, and we soon branched out to potty training too” she says of the group with over 252 members.
A similar platform that is helping streamline information for new mothers overwhelmed with the gamut of resources online is Breastfeeding & Pumping support : India. It was started in 2018 by Hannah Grace, a registered nurse and midwife, who was depressed after facing hiccups in her breastfeeding journey. “My personal experience coupled with the difficulties faced to get appropriate help made me sensitive to the needs of other mothers,” says US-based Hannah, who went on to become a certified lactation eductor.
The pandemic parents
Social media support groups for parents might not be new, but for a majority of these recently-formed communities, it was the pandemic that brought them together. Pooja Mankani, 40, a member of Mamahood India, says her delivery during the peak of the pandemic was a challenge. “Shops had depleting stocks and I remember being anxious and wondering if I would find what I needed for my girl. Also, we couldn’t get a doctor to see her after our discharge,” says the Canada-based first-time mother was diagnosed with postpartum anxiety, depression and rage three weeks later. “ I have high gratitude towards the health care system in Canada where mental health is prioritized, and I now have my anxiety and OCD in control,” she says.
Closer home, for Yahanka, who got pregnant during the pandemic phase, tackling a high-risk pregnancy during lockdown was a challenge. “After a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy and miscarriages in the past, Yahvi is my rainbow baby. She was borderline weight, and my husband and I struggled to feed her. We also have a pet at home who did not accept the new member that easily. We had no support during the lockdown, and I barely slept. Some days would begin and end in tears.”
For many mothers, the lockdowns have been particularly difficult | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
With hospitals proscribing guests and companions within the supply room, many mothers have been compelled to beginning in isolation. Like Maheen, whose mother and father and in-laws could not journey when she was in labour. “A lot of hospitals required a negative RT-PCR at the time of admission, so during the last leg of my pregnancy, I used to get a test done every four days in case an emergency came up. During my entire labor of 10+ hours, I didn’t have any family beside me, and eventually had to go through an emergency C-section.”
Admin challenges
Maheen says such platforms not simply operate as a repository of worthwhile and informative knowledge, but in addition play an important position in creating consciousness and imparting steerage to new mothers who battle to deal with the sudden transition. Having mentioned that, managing all of it comes with a justifiable share of challenges too. “The most difficult task is to try and keep the group safe from prying eyes, which includes filtering fake profiles and running random checks to ensure only women are a part of the group,” she says.
For Preeti Rajulapudi, who runs Pregnancy Support Group – India together with Sneha Munta, approving question posts and membership requests is a time-consuming job. “We are a community of 6,000+ people and receive 40-50 new joinees every week. We also have a strict rule of no promotions on the group, so we need to screen all the posts before approval,” says the 34-year-old digital marketer, who kickstarted the group with Sneha in 2020 with simply three or 4 of their pals.
A mom of two, Preeti recollects her first being pregnant in 2015, when she shied away from asking her doctor questions on breastfeeding, parenting, and so forth “as I didn’t want to sound stupid or uninformed”. “I would spend hours every night researching the Internet and I was sure that there would be many in my situation as well and I wanted to create a community. Things hit pause after my son was born, but during my second pregnancy in 2018, I felt a lot more confident and decided to create the group.”
Having constructed The Champa Tree for over eight years, Vaishali says probably the most difficult half “is to say no to specific brands and agencies”. “They push for barter deals, or free content, and our platform, like many others, spends on SEO, annual domain site costs, etc. To explain the process is challenging.”
Sydney-based Chaitali Dhua, an admin of Cloth Diapering India (CDI) on Facebook (based in 2014 by Chinmayie Bhatt), says most new mother and father come to the group searching for a fast reply. “The most common question asked is ‘which is the best diaper for my baby, please recommend’ — while it is understandable in the current age of high consumerism and short attention spans, it is really our biggest challenge. To teach new parents to be patient with themselves and give the time required to learn the basics,” says Chaitali, 36, of the group with over 25,000 members. “With many brands in the Indian market we do find it challenging to keep conversations neutral and helpful, instead of promotional. Many people want shortcuts and want to know the ‘best’ diaper without doing any research,” says admin Debashree Pal.
Turning professionals
For many admins, putting in significant research to answer queries has resulted in a long-term, professional relationship with the subject. Aishwarya, who studied a lot about baby and infant sleep, initially started off by helping fellow mothers streamline their baby’s schedule and found that it worked for many. “I am now getting an infant sleep certification,” she says, adding that she plans posts in advance, and is on the constant lookout for relevant topics.
With over 11,000 members today, Hannah’s breastfeeding group has grown to include nurses, midwives, lactation professionals, health educators, and mental health professionals on the team. “We offer free virtual meet-ups every Thursday with lactation professionals,” she says, including how the main target is on offering care in the course of the first 1,000 days of life, ranging from the being pregnant (lasting 280 days) by way of the primary two years of the kid’s life. This, as any new mom will say, is simply what she wants.