Join Mandy and Michelle as they complete their peer support training.
We'll be following their training, starting from when they attended the volunteer taster course, right through to supporting their first mum as they share what it's really like to train as a peer support volunteer.
Starting as a volunteer, Debbie has been a paid Peer Supporter for the past 5 years. In her story Debbie shares her journey and reveal what it's like to be paid to do a job she loves!
Helen became a parent 10 years ago. She has a history of mental health problems but following the birth of her first child, she suffered a postnatal psychosis. She was admitted to a local general psychiatric unit and separated from her child.
Helen explains how her experience led her to set up a peer support group that works to support emotional and mental wellbeing during pregnancy and after birth.
Chantelle, Debbie and Terina, Peer Supporters from Parents 1st Essex share their experiences of providing virtual group support to pregnant mums during the pandemic.
Lisa became a mum herself at 21. As a young mum, she was nervous and often struggled with midwife and health visitor appointments.
As time passed, Lisa wanted to help other mums who felt the same so she overcame her anxieties and joined Parents 1st Essex as a volunteer peer supporter.
As she grew in confidence she progressed from volunteer to paid employment. Her passion for peer support is simply infectious!
Annette, a retired education worker, has been volunteering as a ‘birth buddy’ with Parents 1st Essex for over four years. She fits it around her other family commitments for a few hours a week. It’s a role she sees making a big difference to people’s lives.
I first got interested after I had supported my daughter through a difficult birth” Annette says. “My daughter told me she couldn’t have done it without me and it made me wonder whether I could be of any value to other women in that way.”
Marie met first-time teenage mum Rachel when she was around 17 weeks into her pregnancy and was living at home with her parents.
Rachel had limited social networks outside of her family and was experiencing difficulties in her relationship with both her mum and dad. She was not in a relationship with the baby’s father and felt she needed someone to talk to.
During their journey together, Rachel grew in confidence and resolved the conflict with her parents. Marie has no doubt she’ll be a great mum...
When I first met Carly she was living in cramped conditions with her partner and his friend. All three of them were smokers so there was a very smoky atmosphere. Carly was worried about her diet, was scared about the labour and birth and hesitant about breastfeeding.
Carly and her partner also had no knowledge about the services available to them via the Children’s Centre. As they had little social support, they wanted to access groups and activities to make more local connections."
