I came up with the idea for Merry Mamas initially back when I trained to become a Havening Techniques Practitioner. As I was learning all there was to know about Havening, I was also immersing myself in all things motherhood and fertility as I hope to become a mother soon. During this time in 2021, I had the thought that the Havening Techniques would be a fantastic resource for mums to have, not only because they would be of immense support to themselves but also to their children. In 2022, as I threw myself wholeheartedly in my new trauma healing practice, I was learning so much about trauma and how it affects our mind, body but most importantly our nervous system, I had this strong intuitive sense that I needed to start getting this out to mums as soon as possible.
In September 2022, I set a date, booked the hall near me and started planning out the themes/topics I would discuss and the tools and resources I would share. I was so excited as I knew everything that I had to share would be so valuable to the ladies that would book their place. I started advertising – putting out flyers, sharing on instagram, ad in the free local paper and had the great opportunity of speaking about it on 96fm.
A week to go and I was feeling really excited and really nervous, more than I usually would when I would be about to launch a new element to my business. The ladies I couldn’t wait to meet had all booked their places. Looking back now, I can see that subconsciously I could sense what I was embarking on was huge. Hugely beneficial but also a huge responsibility.
The first Merry Mamas workshop was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done in my life. Every week my heart was singing with happiness and pride, listening to how much the ladies were enjoying it, how they were putting themselves and their needs first a bit more, how they were much more self-aware and able to manage their emotions and feelings so much better which was leading to a largely increased sense of wellbeing and how the benefits and knowledge they were gaining was also benefitting their family too. I was able to balance wisdom and knowledge with practical demonstrations and discussions relevant to each of the ladies’ lived experiences of motherhood so far. It was an honour, pleasure and success beyond all my hopes and dreams!
As the weeks went by, it became ever more apparent to me that in terms of Maternal Wellbeing, mothers in Ireland are nowhere near as supported as they should be. Research suggests that up 80% of new mothers experience “baby blues” in the first few days or weeks after baby arrives. 1 in 5 mothers experience post natal depression which can begin weeks or months after they have had their baby. Unfortunately, there aren’t very many studies done in Ireland yet on maternal mental health and wellbeing and as a result, resources and support is limited too. There are so many ways that mothers can improve their wellbeing however the problem is that this knowledge is not being actively communicated to them.
This is why I am making it my mission to get out and share the helpful knowledge, information, tools and techniques that I have learned, with as many mothers as I can.
I have learned so much alone from my very first workshop and I am so excited to share it with many more mothers! So if you know someone who would really benefit from time and support like this, I would be ever so grateful if you could share this page with them and spread the word!
