Look, Ivy is here to wish our group a happy birthday!
Ivy Shih Leung is a postpartum depression (PPD) survivor/advocate. When I was just starting out with my first blog,  PPD to Joy, Ivy’s blog was a source of inspiration to me. Little did I know that one day I was actually going to meet her in person (thank you BlogHer) and fall in love with the woman behind the words. She is the author of the book “One Mom’s Journey to Motherhood: Infertility, Childbirth Complications and Postpartum Depression, Oh My!” and a Postpartum Support International member. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College with a BA in Biology, Ivy lives with her husband and daughter in New Jersey.

Happy 1^st Birthday to Mama’s Comfort Camp!

I couldn’t let the first birthday of a very special community go by without blogging about it and giving it the thanks and recognition it so deserves.

I’d like to start this post by saying that I’ve blogged previously (click here and here) about how it seems moms seem to want to compete more with each other than to support each other.

Here’s an excerpt from one of these two blog posts:

Why the mompetition?
Why not community?
Why not support for each other?…..

Our culture is more bent on pitting mother against mother
Than finding ways for them to support each other.
Through the years, our culture has lost its way……

Don’t give in to our society’s myopic ploy.
A ploy with a focus on situations that encourage moms to compete with each other.
A society with mothers feeling alone,
Mothers feeling stressed out,
And mothers feeling like they’re not mom enough…..

From the time I became a mother in December 2004 until I stumbled across the Postpartum Progress, My Postpartum Voice, and Beyond Postpartum blogs in 2009, I didn’t even know there was anyone out there who was going through anything remotely similar to my postpartum experience.  You see, I wasn’t into social media at all until then.  At that point, I went from no social media at all to a blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter….all at once pretty much.

From my infertility and postpartum depression (PPD) experiences, I’ve learned that common experiences help form bonds between people.  But what I also learned from experiences dating back to earlier years at work and while growing up and in high school, females tend to get very competitive.  It seems that competitive behavior goes up a few notches in intensity once babies arrive in the picture.  And I don’t deal with that kind of behavior very well.  Not at all.

It took me until I discovered Mama’s Comfort Camp on Facebook (formed in March 2012), which I joined last July, to find that there are some truly supportive mother’s groups out there.  You just need to know how to find them.  What an eye-opening experience it has been for me ever since.  It has opened my eyes to the fact—and given me hope—that there really are lovely, caring mothers who are amazingly supportive of each other, rather than being competitive and judgmental. Mama’s Comfort Camp consists of a wonderful group of ladies who are there for each other, through good times and bad.

The Den Mothers Yuz,  Melissa, Jen, Jaime, Robin, Jenna, Susan, and Andrea all have a common bond.  They befriended each other online through their blogs and Twitter while they were recovering from postpartum depression and anxiety.  Realizing the importance of social support and self care and how they should continue, even though they have all more or less recovered from their postpartum experiences, they decided to form this group to support each other and other moms.  Together they think of ways to make this group as supportive and non-judgmental to its members as possible.  Together, they monitor the discussions that take place on a daily basis.

Moms of any age and with children of any age are all welcome into this forum of sharing and caring.  We laugh together, share our concerns with each other, and give each other virtual hugs.  I once posted a concern, and almost immediately got a slew of supportive comments.  I can’t tell you how comforting that was to me.  I wish Mama’s Comfort Camp existed back when I needed support the most….when I was a brand-new mother feeling my way hesitantly through the first weeks and months of motherhood.  Knowing how lonely I felt and uncertain I was at my first crack at motherhood, I would very much like to help prevent other new moms from feeling that way.  So, I try to provide support to the moms in this group, but I will admit it’s been tough to keep up and thankfully, the Den Mothers and many of the other members never fail to respond promptly each time a new comment is posted.  Thank you, ladies, for all that that you do each and every day.

For those reading this blog post that are mothers looking to feel a little less lonely in your motherhood journey and to find some real camaraderie and support from mothers with whom you may bond from similar experiences and circumstances, I encourage you to join Mama’s Comfort Camp today!

Thank you Ivy! I’m so glad you are one of us.

Mama’s Comfort Camp will turn 1 year old on March 12.
We are going to have our first Twitter Party on Sunday March 10 at 8:30pm, and would love for you to join our conversation.
If you are not yet a part of our Facebook refueling station, you are welcome to join us here.
Not a FB fan? You can subscribe to our mailing list to stay connected.

Please help us bring the Mama's Comfort Camp to more mothers by sharing this post via: