Mama’s Comfort Camp was created in March 2012. When I first had the idea, I ran it by Melissa who helped me imagine it more fully. Then we invited a few more friends to join us, and the Mama’s Comfort Camp was born.

The Den Mothers and I share ideas and brainstorm about how to make the Camp more effective and comforting to our members, and we also jointly monitor the discussion to make sure that sense of safety and freedom from judgement are maintained in the group. If your post does not respect our group culture, the first Den Mother to see it will let you know and ask you to modify or remove it. Den Mothers have the capacity to delete posts and ban members from the group (so far the only time we did this was when someone joined the group in order to spam us with links to a website selling diet pills).

One thing all the current Den Mothers have in common, is that we met each other online while we were recovering from postpartum depression and anxiety. Now that we we have all since recovered (more or less), we noticed that we still need all the support we can get. So we wanted to have a space that is less about depression and more about self-care and self-kindness, for moms of kids of any age. And we are still really good friends who share a commitment to helping all mothers find comfort through community. Oh, and by the way, the blogs of the Den Mothers are seriously worth your time!

The Den Mothers are:

Melissa 

Hello my dears. I’m Melissa (aka @story3girl) and am so proud to be a Den Mother here. I have one little girl (with the increasingly inaccurate online nickname of “baby girl” or BG) who is now 2 years old and another girl who was born in December. I blog at http://hardtomommy.blogspot.com/ where I try to turn my darkest moments into glitter, lovefests and poetry. Sometimes I seem to get it right.

Yuz

Hi everyone, I’m @notjustaboutwee, blog at http://www.notjustaboutwee.com, & live in Melbourne, Australia. I’ve got 2 kids. Orli who’s 4 & Flynn who’s 19mths. I suffered severed PPD & PPA after I had Orli & was admitted to the nuthouse for three weeks. A year later & through social media, I had the opportunity & honour of meeting Yael & the other Den Mothers of which true, honest & beautiful friendshi[s & mutual respect was formed.

I’m grateful for the MCC space being a safe place where I can be a mum that sometimes struggles with motherhood & parenting & can admit it without the shame, knowing that support is readily available & most importantly, that judgement isn’t on the menu! I also love that it’s a place to celebrate wins, share helpful & loving advice & to also come together as mothers no matter what background, circumstances & country we live in. Being a Den Mother is such an honour & I hope I can bring with it lots of hugs, support, love & laughs.

Jen

Hi ladies!  I’m Jen.  I am so proud to be a Den Mother and be a part of this welcoming community.  I’m @jenrenpody on Twitter. I blog at http://www.tranquilamama.wordpress.com. I have a 5 year old daughter, who I refer to as Munch on the blog and a 2 year old daughter, who I refer to as Skeeter as on the blog. I was hit with PPD and PPA after my second girl was born.  When I’m not with my girls and my husband, I work in Healthcare in Regulatory Affairs.  In my very limited spare time, you can find me running, doing yoga, singing, dancing, reading, blogging and tweeting (not all at the same time).  I believe that we all have a story.  I am amazed at how social media has helped enrich my experience of motherhood.  I hope it enriches your experience with our group.

Jaime

I’m Jaime and I am very excited to be a Den Mother for Mama’s Comfort Camp. You may know me as @jamesandjax on Twitter and through my blog, James & Jax (http://www.jamesandjax.com). I have one kiddo, born in August 2009. I am recovered from PPD and PPA, thanks to therapy, social networking, music, and blogging. I still experience seasonal depression and occasional anxiety (which I do blog about sometimes)–but what parent doesn’t experience some lows?! When I’m not with Jax, I work full-time as a Managing Editor on two health care journals and I’m currently trying to launch a third journal, on perinatal mental health. And in my spare time, you can find me on the floor or in the grass playing with my kid. Or blogging or tweeting.

Robin

Hi all, I’m Robin – @FarewellStrangr and my blog is http://farewellstranger.com. I have two boys – one born June 2008 and the second in October 2012. I had PPD after my first but didn’t know it (or resisted it) and it took me a long time to get the right treatment. I’m one of the ones who had a horrible experience with rage and am happy to provide support on that to whoever needs it. I’m interested in the concept of motherhood and how it affects women’s identities, and of the community of mothers and how it’s evolving in a social media world. Looking forward to watching this group grow and getting to know all of you.

Jenna 

I’m Jenna, @frelle on twitter. I have four kids, three girls who are 12, 9, and 6, and a son who is 4. My oldest has Aspergers. I first had PPD/PPA after my second daughter was born, but it went undiagnosed for several years and through two subsequent pregnancies. I work part time in retail and also do freelance writing, and in my spare time I’m either reading, listening to music, writing, breaking up fights between my children, or on twitter and facebook. I blog at http://mademorebeautiful.com/

 

Susan

Hi Mamas, I’m Susan.  You can find me @learndhappiness on twitter and I blog at http://www.learnedhappiness.wordpress.com.  I have two girls, born in 2008 and 2011.  I suffered severe postpartum depression and anxiety after the birth of my eldest (whom I call No1 online) and had a relapse into antenatal depression when I was 7 weeks pregnant with No2.  Because I knew the warning signs and where to turn for help, I’m happy to say that my second pregnancy ended up being joyful, my birth experience healing, and my postpartum period…well this last year has been amazing.  And though I wish mental illness on no one, I truly believe my journey to wellness has made me a better version of myself.  I’m grateful for all I have learned about myself and vulnerability because of my struggles.

I am an elementary teacher by degree but currently work from home teaching primary piano lessons and tutoring academic subjects to area children.  When I’m not refereeing small children or cleaning up the chaos they bring with them, you can find me crafting or writing.  Also?  I love video games and abhor reality t.v.

Andrea

I’m Andrea and I am so excited to join the Den Mothers of Mama’s Comfort Camp. I’m a stay-at-home mom (to a kindergartener) who is itching to get back to work at some point. I’m a social worker by education and experience and have had my own bouts with PPA and generalized anxiety that flourish and strike at any time. I’ve worked hard at maintaining a semblence of normalcy in my home, and share a bit of everything on my blog http://goodgirlgoneredneck.com. You can also find me on Twitter @goodgirlgonered and I LOVE when people reach out to me there as Twitter is my fave method of social media. It’s a virtual cocktail party without the stress of dressing up! My husband and I relocated to NC in 2006 after I lived my entire life in New York, so being online has been a huge lifesaver for me when it comes to connections, support and more than anything, incredible friendships. I look forward to continuing to learning about you all in this new role.