Words by Smiley Team
When Maggie Gordon-Walker became pregnant with her second child in 2008, she felt lonely and isolated but wasn’t sure where to turn for help. While plenty of mothers’ groups focused on childrearing, she realised that few offered a space for women to talk about their own experiences.
To fill this void, Maggie decided to set up her own peer-run sessions, Mothers Uncovered, for women to support one another through the process of becoming a mother. Through art activities and discussion, the women share the highs and lows of parenthood, to come to terms with their new situation.
“Of course, Mothers Uncovered participants talked about their offspring, but in the context of the whole person, because behind every mother is the woman she has always been,” Maggie said.
Initially, she only intended to run three groups in one year, but subsequently met many more women keen to attend and so the group grew, with past participants stepping into the role of facilitator.
“We have helped hundreds of women with our events and creative peer support groups focused on the mother, rather than the baby,” she said.
Based in Brighton, but tackling challenges faced by women across the nation, the groups help a wide range of women.
“Every single person on this planet has, or had, a mother. It is not a niche issue affecting a few, privileged women,” she explained. “Contrary to the beliefs that some might hold, the groups comprise a range of ages, personal circumstances, social and cultural backgrounds.”
The sessions help women find considerable solace from sharing their experiences with other mothers.
One participant, Emily, said: “It was really quite life-changing for me. Through lots of discussions and activities mothers were able to tell their stories and share their experiences of motherhood, in a way that didn’t really happen when I went to parent and baby groups.”
Mothers Uncovered addresses challenges faced by women that Maggie suggests are exacerbated by inadequate government support.
“It should be a no-brainer to invest in it. It isn’t. Inadequate maternal care costs the UK £8bn a year, with a comparatively modest £337m required to tackle it. Why are we playing catch-up instead of investing in preventative measures?” she asked.
The parent organisation of Mothers Uncovered, Livestock, is a registered charity, funded by course fees and grants. To support their work donate via Paypal to [email protected] or via Localgiving.
