Press Release

 

Melbourne July 2020

 [Melbourne, July 13rd, 2020] MOTHERLIFEWORK LAUNCHES ONLINE MOTHER-TO-BE TRAINING COURSE.

“Parents prepare for pregnancy and labour but not for what to do once baby comes home.  Finally a course to do just that – Becoming a Mother – The first 8 weeks.”

After the success of their face to face training course: Becoming a Mother the First 8 weeks, Motherlifework have launched an online course for women everywhere to access.

Women spend so much time preparing for pregnancy and labour, it’s no wonder new parents struggle once baby comes home.   There are so many emotional, social and physical changes to get used to as well as being in charge of another’s life 24/7.

Today women in developed countries are having their first baby much later. The average age of first-time mothers in Australia is 30.3 years,* the US is 26.4 years**and in the UK, 28.7 years**.  When women have babies later in life, it can mean that their transition to motherhood is more difficult due to fewer support structures and social and emotional isolation.

Motherlifework’s spokesperson Bridget Strahan said “These women tend to have been in the workforce for a number of years. They are used to being financially independent; they are accustomed having a rich social life. Suddenly they find themselves at home with a new baby, this change in circumstance, although wonderful and rewarding, can also be a challenging time of transition.  More than ever women need to understand how their life might change once they have a baby and how they can best support their child. Having a baby changes your life and often first time Mums aren’t prepared, Motherlifework’s new online course aims to do just that!”

Motherlifework interviewed new mothers and found that the biggest challenges and surprises new mothers faced besides the obvious – sleep deprivation and breastfeeding were: “Lifestyle change due to the new 24-hour job”, “Less freedom and time to yourself”, “Isolation due to not having friends with children” and “loss of income”.***. From these and other findings a new online course was born. Because the course is based around feedback from Mothers on their early feelings and experiences with a newborn it gives expectant mothers a unique understanding of what they can typically expect as new mothers.

There is so much focus on pregnancy and birth and such a vast amount of information available online and in books, that it’s hard to sift through and know what is really relevant.  Expectant mothers can often feel drowned by all this information.  Becoming a Mother – The First 8 weeks training course, developed through rigorous research and real-life experience aims to reduce this confusion and educate women while they are pregnant so they are in the best possible position to cope and thrive once their baby arrives.

It’s training that gives women a realistic, behind the scenes insight into what their day to day life might look like with a new baby.  It helps prepare women for the challenges they may experience personally and with their partner, friends or family, giving them the information and tools needed to prepare and flourish in the new role of Mother.

More and more mothers (and fathers) are suffering from perinatal anxiety or depression.  According to Beyond Blue “Almost 10 per cent of women will experience depression during pregnancy. This increases to 16 per cent in the first three months after having a baby.”   Motherlifework hope that their course, which focus’ on providing information, education and building skills to assist in the transition to motherhood, will help bring this statistic down.

Here’s what one of the first online participants from Los Angeles, USA had to say – “This online course is perfect for any newly pregnant mom! You could scour the internet or read tons of books on parenthood to prepare yourself for having a new baby, but Mother Life Work has done that all for you! The course is easy to navigate and covers ALL the important parts. I truly do think your online course will help women!”