My twin sister, Lucy and I were blessed that our first pregnancies overlapped. She gave birth to her son three months before I had mine. During our pregnancies we logged many hours of phone conversations about anything and everything pregnancy related. Our pregnancies were similar and I was thankful to have someone close to me who understood exactly what I was experiencing.
Unfortunately however, Lucy and I live in different provinces. We’re roughly a four-hour drive from each other. I had no close friends nearby who were pregnant at the same time that I was or who even had young children.
I hoped that I would somehow meet other new moms after my son was born, but I wasn’t exactly sure how.
Towards the end of my pregnancy my husband and I attended a weekly prenatal class. We went straight to the class from work, sat in uncomfortable chairs, and learned all the intimate details of labour and delivery with a room full of strangers. Needless to say, we didn’t stick around after class to mingle with the other attendees.
At the end of our final class, the facilitator announced that she had a contact sheet for those of us who wanted to leave our email addresses so that we could keep in touch with each other. Figuring we had nothing to lose, I wrote my email address on the list.
Like a lot of new mothers, I found the first weeks with a newborn very challenging. Although I had a hard time just getting out for a walk in our neighbourhood, I was desperate to get out of the house and commiserate with other new moms.
I remember hitting the send button on that first email I sent to our prenatal classmates. I hoped that at least one person would agree to meet me for a walk. Only a handful of couples had left contact information though and I honestly didn’t think anything much would come of it. Little did I know that I would make some of the most meaningful friendships of my life.
Fast forward three years and I’m happy to report that three of us from the prenatal class get together regularly for play dates, walks, coffee, and the occasional marathon scrapbooking session. One of our mom friends has moved away and is expecting her second child. Another still lives nearby but does shift work; we always welcome the chance to see her and her little guy when we can make our schedules jive.
The first three years of my son’s life would have been a very different experience if not for these women. There is something about going through a life changing event like new motherhood that bonds people in a way that is difficult to explain. We’ve shared laughter, tears, and common interests. We’ve had deep discussions about religion, marriage, breast-feeding, and the terrible twos. We’ve watched our little ones mature from month-old babies to happy little three-year olds. Their friendship has been so important to me and I know that it will continue to be vital to my emotional health even as our children grow up.
Did I mention that I almost didn’t meet these women at all? My husband and I signed up for a prenatal class that ended up being cancelled due to the facilitator undergoing surgery. We managed to get into the class that we did attend at the eleventh hour. I think we were among the last few couples, if not the last couple, that they accepted. The Lord works in mysterious ways. 
I am pleased to be participating in Motherhood: Celebrating the Difference, a blog hop conceived and hosted by Inspired By Family Mag. Each blogger will share a parenting story on a topic of her choice. Stop by to laugh, cry and be encouraged in your parenting journey.
Celebrating the differences of Motherhood is brought to you by our host Inspired by Family, and by the following contributing blogs: Kids Activities Blog, Rainbows within Reach, Powerful Mothering, Fun-a-Day, The Pleasantest Thing, Royal Baloo, Laly Mom, True Aim Education, Kids Stuff World, Milk and Cuddles, The Imagination Laboratory, Smiling like Sunshine, Teach Beside Me, JDaniel 4’s Mom, Kitchen Counter Chronicle, My Nearest and Dearest, Nate and Rachel, Two-Daloo, Mamas Like Me, Mama Miss, One Mommy. Martys Musings and Mothering From Scratch.
If you are a blogger and you have a story or something to share about motherhood, feel free to add a link to your post so we can read your story as well. Note: by sharing you give us permission to feature you (attributing of course).
