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More than one in five Australian mothers feel intense pressure to ‘have it all’ – balancing career, baby, partner and social life within the first 12 months of their child’s life, according to a recent survey by The Baby Show*.
The Baby Show Mother Load Barometer has found Australian mothers feel overwhelmed by social expectations and information; often leading to ‘mother’s guilt’.
The Barometer found mums feel the most pressure to achieve developmental milestones in baby’s life (31%), followed by getting their pre-baby body back (29%), having it all (21%), and establishing breast-feeding techniques (18%).
Bestselling author and baby-toddler guru Pinky McKay says women are facing too many pressures from society to be the perfect mother.
“Australia’s recent baby boom has seen more than 572,900 babies born in the last two years^. This has created a new market of expectant mums that are hungry for information to be the best parent they can be,” says McKay.
“Rather than trying to find the perfect ‘plan’ for the first year of their baby’s life, new mums need to understand that there is no one ‘right’ way to approach motherhood. Mothers should trust their instincts and filter information to match what suits their family,” she said.
The Baby Show Mother Load Barometer also found the old adage; ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ still rings true. Australian mothers say they couldn’t have survived those first 12 weeks of their baby’s life with the support of their husbands/partners (71%), family and friends (17%) and mothers groups (3%). Books and magazines (5%), and parenting websites and forums (4%) also helped new mums in the first few weeks.
As a mother-of-five and grandmother herself, McKay says mothers need to know parenting is a personal style that suits the parent, their child and their home. What works for one baby, will not necessarily work for another.
“Motherhood is a learning experience. If things go pear-shaped, mums need to remember they are not necessarily doing it wrong. There are many sources of support available to mums and mums-to-be every step of the way and events like The Baby Show are a great place to learn more about the support, tools and techniques that can help in being a parent and what,” she said.
In addition to societal pressures, The Baby Show Mother Load Barometer indicates the global economic crisis is also putting financial pressure on mothers, with 42% saying their main driver in their decision to return-to-work was to ‘pay the bills’.
For 38% of respondents becoming a stay-at-home mum is their main focus, while others intend to return-to-work for their own personal fulfillment/satisfaction (13%) or to maintain their career status and job (7%).
McKay says in spite of social and financial pressures, mothers should try and take as much time as possible to enjoy motherhood and bond with their children.
“Mothers need to allow themselves time to be a mum. Connecting with baby is very important, particularly within the first 12 months of their life. This is when maternal instincts develop and evolve with your child,” she said.
McKay will be conducting two seminars at The Baby Show; ‘Baby Bonding’ and ‘Toddler Tactics’. The event aims to help women to feel good about being a mum, providing a unique experience to explore parenting options that will suit their family.
The Baby Show will include seminars on topics such as feeding techniques, sleep tactics, juggling work and family, health options and what to expect in the first week of being mum.
The Baby Show will launch in Sydney on 18-20 September 2009 at the Royal Hall of Industries, Moore Park in Sydney. As the official charity for the event, the Bonnie Babes Foundation will be celebrating National Babies’ Day at The Baby Show on 19 September.
In addition to Pinky McKay, other speakers at The Baby Show will include:
- Jo Ryan, author and registered nurse, will talk about ’My first week as mummy’
- Blake Worrall-Thompson and Jen Dugard, health, exercise and well-being coaches, will be discussing ‘Fit & healthy mummies and daddies’
- Sheyne Rowley, the Australian baby whisperer, will discuss ‘respectful sleep repair’
- Christine Kininmonth, businesswoman and Fertile Mind Director, will host a panel discussion on ‘When ideas take flight – the rise of the Mumpreneur’
- Melissa Hughes, perinatal psychotherapist, will give practical advice on ‘A new mum’s journey and what to expect’
- Fiona Baker, editor-in-chief of Mother & Baby and mother, gives a guide to support and ‘The mummy network’
- Karen Miles, author and career mum expert, will talk through a practical guide for mums returning to work in her ‘Career mummy’ session
- Alissa Thomas, fashion editor of Mother & Baby, will give positive tips and tricks for maternity and post-baby wardrobe in ‘Mums of style’
Designed and created by Single Market Events, The Baby Show is Australia’s newest pregnancy, baby and toddler event, for mothers and mothers-to-be. Launching on 18 September 2009, this three-day event will feature over 14 seminars, 120 exhibitors, 9 fashion shows, a wellness centre and care for bubs. The show will also include the Blackmores Wellness Centre, The Stroller Challenge, Children’s Panadol Shop & Drop, Mother & Baby Feeding Zone, Rafferty’s Garden Junior Café, BabyLove Changing Area and even free childcare at The Little Ones Nursery with nannies supplied by Dial-an-Angel and toys supplied by Fisher Price.
For more information visit: www.thebabyshow.com.au. Tickets are available at: http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=BABYSHOW09.
References:
*The Baby Show Mother Load Barometer was developed from the responses of 1732 Australian women via a series of polls conducted in conjunction with motherandbaby.com.au in August 2009.
^Australian Bureau of Statistics number of births in Australia 2007 (285,200) and 2008 (287,700) www.abs.gov.au