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Please pop your questions here by Wednesday evening and I will pass them on to Emily on Thursday for our chat on Friday!

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📍🔗 📆 💯

Here are the dates for our chats for the next few months.

*pls note that these are subject to change (illness/unexpected events etc)

To join the video meeting, click this link: https://meet.google.com/gex-kbhc-awd

Otherwise, to join by phone, dial +44 20 3957 2205 and enter this PIN: 875 823 370#

To view more phone numbers, click this link: https://tel.meet/gex-kbhc-awd?hs=5

October 4th 1-2pm

Oct 18th 1-2pm

Nov 8th 1-2pm

Nov 15th -2pm

Nov 22nd 1-2pm

Dec 6th 1-2pm

Dec 20th 1-2pm

Jan 10th 1-2pm

Jan 24th 1-2pm

Feb 7th 1-2pm

Feb 21st 1-2pm

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Hey dudes! Introduce yourself here.

Name

Age

Location

Kids

Snack of choice

Drink of choice

Interests

Issues

Random fact

Photo

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Name- Catherine

Age - 38

Location - From Cornwall, now North London

Drink of choice - Earl Grey tea! Used to be partial to a G&T but can’t face the hangover now! Never say no to a glass of champagne, however.

Kids - Freddie aged 3.5 and Mia aged 7 months. Freddie is a tornado of a human, always running, screaming and telling us all what to do. Mia seems more chill and is very smiley and cuddly but is currently undertaking an experiment into the effect of profound and lasting sleep deprivation on her mummy 🫠

Snack of choice - A wispa bar, twiglets or cream cheese bagel.

Interests - I used to love running and horse riding but have lost my identity somewhat since motherhood. I love reading (which has become audiobooks), going for a good stomp on Hampstead Heath or sleeping (which I fantasise about but haven’t actually slept through the night in nearly 4 years.)

Issues - remembering who I actually am apart from being a mum. Dealing with feral 3 year old who I love so much but who is determined to challenge everything. Terrified of going back to work as a corporate litigation lawyer. Also finding mum friends - my two best mum friends have moved to Hong Kong and Oz respectively…

Random fact - I used to work as a professional hamster judge.

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Hi guys! My name is Agata, I am a 36 Polish mum of two (4.5 yo girl and 3 month old boy). I studied and worked in UK before I moved to the Netherlands with my Greek husband. We have no family to help here, we do have a friends group but we live quite far away from everyone ! Fun facts: speak four languages and raising kids quad-lingually, love Pilates, walks. Drink of choice: coffee, kombucha, Aperol spritz, Espresso Martini. Issues : mum rage, being a mum of two ( find it much harder than one), relationship struggles, low self confidence, no ability to ask for help, parental burnout, body image post eating disorder, generalised anxiety.

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I’m Helen, 39 and live in Hertfordshire but grew up in Cheshire. I’m a food product developer for a supermarket which is as amazing as it sounds - dream job! I have 2 kids, Joey who’s 4 and either a delight or the devil and Ayla who’s 1, smily and an opportunist menace!

Fave snacks, I love a bar of Tony’s, or chocolate orange almonds, or black pepper crisps. And dips! Drink, I drink wine of all colours.

Interests, I love a jigsaw but never get time anymore, reading, tv craft competitions (GBBO, Sewing Bee, Pottery TD, anything) and food.

Issues - never wanting to make a mistake for fear of being thought as ‘stupid’. Over apologising. Not much free time for myself. Anxiety.

Superpowers - classic Northern friendliness, prioritising relationships, vulnerability, organisation and most of the time a good mum!

Random fact - when I was a child I wrote a rap and performed it on a TV phone in.

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I’m Helen, 38 and live in Hertfordshire but grew up in Cheshire. I’m a food product developer for a supermarket which is as amazing as it sounds - dream job! I have 2 kids, Joey who’s 3.5 and either a delight or the devil and Ayla who’s 11 months, smily and an opportunist menace!

Fave snacks, I love a bar of Tony’s, or chocolate orange almonds, or black pepper crisps. Drink, I drink wine of all colours

Interests, I love a jigsaw but never get time anymore, reading, tv craft competitions (GBBO, Sewing Bee, Pottery TD, anything) and food.

Issues, never wanting to make a mistake for fear of being thought as ‘stupid’.

Random fact - when I was a child I wrote a rap and performed it on a TV phone in.

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Name - Karen B

Age - 37

Location - Essex

Kids - Isabelle (11 months) and Lucy (3 yo - 4 in March)

Snack of choice - Anything savoury but I particularly like Bombay Mix. If I get started on Dairy Milk, I’ll inhale the whole thing though. Also quite partial to Guylian…

Drink of choice - A cup of tea. I think most alcoholic drinks taste grim but I usually have a Buck’s Fizz at Christmas because then I’m not strictly teetotal but I’ve failed the last few years as I’ve either been pregnant or breastfeeding…

Interests - Watching Neighbours, drinking tea, avoiding exercise and then moaning I’m unfit, musicals, quizzes

Issues - Mum guilt, imposter syndrome (at home and at work), my in-laws (I’ll bore you with that saga on a video call some time, I’m sure - apologies to anyone in Becca’s first group who’s already heard it!)

Random fact - I used to play the mandolin when I was at secondary school and got my Grade 5 but struggle even reading music now!

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Share the Load: Track your household chores - Starling Bank

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Share the load - work out how equal your household load is between you and your partner.

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Share the Load: Track your household chores - Starling Bank

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Our Share the Load tracker helps you to see at a glance how your household chores are split between you and your partner.

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I’m Anneli, 38, live in rural North Oxfordshire. I was part of Beccas previous mum gang and loved it.

I have a 15 month old called Arabella who thinks sleep is for the weak. I found pregnancy awful and the first 9 months of motherhood the worst thing I’d ever done. I’m now starting to enjoy it more but have issues around mum guilt for not enjoying many moments let alone every moment and identity struggles of who I am now.

Favourite snack is chocolate and favourite drink is definitely champagne or red or white burgundy.

I have my own management consultancy and my husband runs his own vets practice so we are sometimes flexible but mainly working.

Before having Bella I was also in Team GB for triathlon and one of my goals is to re qualify for the team as I loved travelling round the world in my spare time competing… but currently I have no spare time to work out let alone compete.

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I’m Nora, 40, live in East London and currently mid extension/renovation. My two tornadoes are Matilda (3 going on 13) and Felix (16 mths) plus our furbaby Frankie (3yo Schnauzer). I’m half Swiss/Swedish, we’re from Australia and have lived in the UK for 5 yrs. I work full-time as a management consultant, am doing a Masters in Psychotherapy and volunteer with the Samaritans.

Snack of choice: Dark chocolate with nuts or cheese and olives

Drink of choice: Decaf americano (no milk)

Interests: Traveling, exercise, theatre, eating out (though this was all pre kids, now it’s any amount of uninterrupted sleep and surviving the day)

Issues: 4 miscarriages before the 2 kids, complicated pregnancies, birth trauma, PTSD, PND/PNA, no village, frazzled and overwhelmed a lot of the time, mum guilt, I mean I could go on and on…

Random fact: I can’t stand honey. Even just the smell of it makes me queasy.

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Hi! I am Agota (Agi), going to be 36 in 8 days and we live in Wandsworth, South West London. We moved here 13 years ago and lived in London since. We are planning to move out, but don’t know where (recommendations welcome).

I am a Transylvanian (Hungarian) mum of one. My daughter is 20 months old.

My snack of choice is fruit flavoured dark chocolate and any salty snacks.

Drink of choice is hot chocolate since I gave up coffee 2.5 years ago.

I am a curtain maker and had my own business till I had my daughter, but I love knitting, sewing, anything doing by hand. Love learning new skills, but this is not possible at the moment. I am home with my daughter by choice.

I have soo many issues hahaha. My biggest issue is not prioritiesing my physical and mental health due to finance, lack of time and guilt.

Random fact: I came to UK with £50 in my pocket.

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Hi 👋 I'm Katie, 40 year old mum of two based in South Cumbria.

Kids - Beth, 6 nearly 7, and Finn, 2 and 1/2

Work - 4 days a week. Have a Friday off with the hurricane tiddler

Snack of choice - I will eat pretty much anything! If I was pushed then Walker's Thai Sweet Chilli crisps or dark chocolate

Drink of choice - red wine! Soft would be black coffee or full fat coke if I'm severely sleep deprived! (Frequent occurance)

Interests - I barely have time to have shower these days, but in a previous life I loved running, walking in the mountains, reading (and buying) books, binge watching TV series (favourite TV series is West Wing). I bought a paddle board last year so hope to use that more and make the most if where I live!

Issues - Motivation, work life balance, mum guilt, anxiety, depression, no time for me, disorganisation, book buying addiction 😄

Random fact - I once beat Alan Davies (of QI fame) in a pub quiz

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Hi, I’m Laura, 36 from Hertfordshire, mummy to 2 boys 3yrold Sebastian and 3month old Michael, both very strong, determined and stubborn little boys.

Favourite snack would be strong flavoured crisps like prawn cocktail and salt&vinegar. But I’m not a fussy thing and I would gladly accept most things except a twiglet.

Drinks, a good coffee or a lemonade&lime, motherhood stole alcohol from me and I’m completely unable to drink anymore without feeling ruined.

I used to be a bookworm gym-bunny who loved cooking, crafting and lots of hobbies but my brain is now mush and I have neither the time or energy for the others. I now mainly watch an awful lot of shite on Netflix & all the iPlayers while nap-trapped or trying to stay vaguely on top of the never ending things you have to do to keep the house running.

My main issues are the mental load, my loss of knowing who I am anymore beyond a wife and mother, and the lack of drive to dig myself out of this hole.

I don’t have any interesting facts, but I’m an architect and normally people are really excited by that (it’s not exciting FYI, I love it but it’s an incredibly dull and fairly poorly paid job!)

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Hi Everyone, I am Lesley. An older (47) solo mum to 2 boys. Owen, almost 4 and Isaac who just turned 1. We live in Twickenham, South West London. I have just returned to work after 2nd maternity and trying out part time (3 days a week). I used to love a beer in a pub on a Sunday afternoon. For snacks my sweet tooth really ramped up post babies and I consume more than my fair share of cake! My interests used to be a lot of travelling, theatre, cycling and watching sport. Now my aspirations are drinking a whole cup of tea and sneaking an episode of Judge Judy on CBS reality (guilty pleasure). My struggles are all linked to identity...letting go of the old and accepting the new and that it will never go back. Making a new life that has some highs and real fun times vs a flat line 'it's ok' vibe. I was in the old group and found it both helpful and enjoyable hence signed up again :-) Not sure if it is an interesting fact but I work for Coke so smiling at all of you that put Diet Coke as the drink of choice....if we ever meet I can bring you a case :-)

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Name - Heather

Age - 32

Location - rural-ish North Dorset

Kids - I have one lovely girl - she's 5 and started (mainstream) school in September. She's still a total sleep thief!! Etta adores animals, loves swimming & is a little superstar. She's also autistic (her formal diagnosis is being written up at the moment which is so exciting after such a long wait!) which for her means she has a lot of anxiety and is a super sparky little thing. Switched onto everything and her memory is incredible!!

Snack of choice - chocolate and cheese (not together though thanks!!)

Drink of choice - honestly....water! Unless I'm out for a drink and then I'd either be rum or gin based!

Interests - I love arty/crafty things, baking, countryside walking (in dry weather!), gardening (specifically roses and fruit/vegetables!)

Issues - sleep! And a big one at the moment is school refusal. There is one boss in our house and it isn't a grown up!!

Random Fact - I play the trumpet 🎺 I started when I was 7 and still try to play in a local community orchestra now (when Etta allows!)

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Write something incredible, what a challenge. Well, I’m Francesca, 36, soonish to be 37. I live in Aylesbury Buckinghamshire (where the ducks come from) with my husband, 2.5 year old Daughter Rosanna (Rosie), ancient Border Collie, cat and 4 rescue chickens.

I work as a Florist specialising in Weddings and Events which has lead me to do some amazing things, but also leads to a lot of guilt as I work Saturdays and a lot of holidays, which means we only get one day as a family together.

I’m currently pregnant with Baby 2, and this has totally peaked my anxiety and stress, how on earth am I going to deal with a newborn and a Toddler having a screaming fit?! I struggle with intrusive thoughts, and had PTSD after Rosie’s traumatic birth.

When not Pregnant, Vodka and Diet Coke is my all time favourite drink, Pregnant San Pellegrino Limonata, but I drink a lot of Ginger ale to help with the 🤢.

Favourite snack, Frazzles. Total trash, but delicious, especially as a sandwich between cheap white bread buttered.

Something interesting about me…. I used to do the house flowers for David Yates, who made the Harry Potter films, so I’ve been on the Fantastic Beasts and where to find them film set, I went to the premiere of the second FB film (I nearly caused Jude Law to trip on the Red Carpet. Oops) and met Johnny Depp.

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I'm Meg mum of 2 boys currently on maternity leave from work in the NHS

Age 33

Location - little village in Nottinghamshire

Kids Alex age 3.5, my covid baby. The funniest and most strong willed little boy! Drives me insane and melts me at the same time, inherited my high emotionality and his dad's stubbornness which makes a pretty spicy combination at times! Loves role play games, making me pretend to be a knight/Robin good/ one of the avengers on a regular basis.

Harrison "Harris" who is 8 weeks old, much more chilled baby than his brother so far and very smiley and chatty. Loves cuddles and chatting!

Snack of choice - weakness for chocolate, have sunk to eating chocolates my son has been given just to get my chocolate fix lately.

Drink of choice - red wine at the moment and decaf white mocha from starbucks!

Interests - have struggled to maintain pre babies interests but love to read and get out in nature. Love long walks somewhere peaceful. Used to be very into fitness, ran a lot and went to the gym and want to get back into that when I can. Competed in a few tough mudders and other obstacle events. Used to do a lot of yoga which I'd love to get back into!

Issues - struggle with lack of a village/support despite my parents living 2 miles away. Husband working a lot so often just me and the children. The mental load of motherhood often makes me a feel burnt out and I often feel like I can't get any kind of break. Sometimes feel anxious and depressed, had terrible ocd after having Alex. Often clash with my husband on parenting styles which adds extra stress which I dont feel like I can handle right now.

Random fact - I can irish dance and danced competitively from age 5 to 17.

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Hi! I'm Helen, I live in Granada, in the South of Spain, but I originally come from a small village near Sheffield. I also lived in Belgium for a few years. I'm 39 years old (turning 40 in April, which came as a shock because I thought I was turning 39!)

I have two 2 extremely high-energy boys: Alexander, who's just turned 5 and Oliver who is 15 months old. I'm really happy that my oldest just started speaking English to me most of the time after only responding in Spanish for the first 5 years of his life. The toddler still shouts 'hola' back at me every time I say 'hello' though!

My snacks of choice are mostly savoury stuff like nachos and guacamole, crisps (I love kettle chips), bombay mix. etc. Although I do love Dairy Milk. Drink of choice: mostly water cause I'm always thirsty, I love a good beer or a glass of red wine though.

Interests: Most of my interests are pre-kid interests -- travelling the world, photography, hiking, video games, craft beer tasting. Still trying to find time to pursue any interests post-kids, I need to find myself again.

Issues: Uf, quite a lot! Some of the major ones at the moment are feeling totally overwhelmed and burnt out. I had a lot of postpartum issues with both kids ranging from PPD to breast rejection and exclusive pumping stress to intrusive thoughts and I think I've probably got a degree of residual PTSD from my second birth which was pretty traumatic and my first baby getting sent to the special care baby unit. Having some pretty big relationship issues right now too...

Random fact: We had 50-plus earthquakes in my city the other year (it's been really calm since though!)

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I’m Rachael, 42, from rural Lincolnshire, mum to Forrest (10) and Roman (9 months). My favourite snack isa bag of chocolate peanuts and my favourite drink is a bramble.

I’m a Reiki practitioner, tarot reader and aspiring dog trainer but I don’t have time for any of that at the minute as I’m busy with the baby, a five month old large breed puppy and trying to hold down a job with no childcare!

My issues are mainly rage and intrusive thoughts. I met my partner at 38 after five years as a single parent (shared custody) and my life has changed so much since then. I used to have so much time to myself to do whatever I wanted, now I am at everyone’s beck and call 24/7 and I hate it. I miss my old life. I had two miscarriages and three rounds of IVF to get Roman and a very traumatic birth, then went from post partum straight into perimenopause. It’s been quite a ride!

Random fact - I used to train gundogs and would love to get back into it one day

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Shared Links - Mental Health / PND Support

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Shared Links - Mental Health / PND Support

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Drop in any links or resources you’ve found that might be helpful. We talked about this today on the chat 😊

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Got a podcast?

Got a charity?

Got a good resource?

Shared a link in the chat and wanna immortalise it?

Share it here! Just hit comment or reply 👇

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Name - Kat
Age - 40
Location- South Wales
Kids - 2. James is 3.5 years and Sarah turns 1 very soon
Relationship- been together 18 years, married 8 in June… currently rocky due to the kids mainly 🙈
Me - I’m an extrovert, I love people, I love people watching to finding out what makes people tick.
Before a mum I loved motorbiking and lifting heavy shit as well as walking for miles with my dog.
Now I’m a mum, our dog passed away and I have zero time to myself between family and work.
Very much trying to find “me” again and it’s hard!
I’m all about family and the outdoors, my husband prefers gaming 🙈
I love my mum friends, but since having Sarah I lack connection to those who don’t have 2 or at least 2 with 2.5 years apart.

So that’s me…

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Name: Clare

Age: 36

Location: near Knutsford, Cheshire

Kids: Toby, who is 3 (nearly 4)

Snack of choice: Walkers prawn cocktail crisps, anything cheese-based, Tony's Chocolonely salted caramel milk chocolate

Drink of choice: black coffee (the stronger the better), or wine (a full-bodied red or a chilled dry white)

Interests: I love singing in a choir - it's one of the things that makes me feel like 'me'. It was really hard to get back into after having Toby but I'm so glad I did. Also enjoy exercising (yoga, kettlebells, going for a walk, running when my knees agree).

Issues: one and done guilt, BFing a toddler, body image, assertiveness and conflict avoidance, finding time for myself.

Random fact: I was a contestant on Mastermind in summer 2021 when my son was 6 months old and I was a sleep-deprived mess, but I managed a respectable score.

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The fantastic Samia had the idea for a place for us to share our locations. That way it might make it easier to create links in real life!

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Please submit questions/topics for Kassi Slade our sleep expert 

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Please submit questions/topics for Kassi Slade our sleep expert 

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Hi, as promised, here are the recordings of the live calls!

Please do NOT share with anyone outside of our group.

Love Becca x

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Name - Natalie

Age - 31

Location - South East London (West Dulwich)

Kids - 4 month old girl, Nell

Snack of choice - definitely have a sweet tooth so will always pick chocolate and love a mid morning pastry

Drink of choice - very much missed the pub during pregnancy! I enjoy a beer, wine and a cocktail now and again but also love a cup of tea.

Interests - been getting back into pilates, the lido is my happy place, crap reality TV is a guilty pleasure and also love cooking (when I get the time).

Issues - currently working through a long sleep regression, loss of confidence in my decision making with Nell and managing unhelpful family opinions.

Random fact - trying to learn some French after a recent holiday (Duolingo streak is going strong)

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Please submit any questions for our finance chat on Friday with  nugget Savings! 

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Please submit any questions for our finance chat on Friday with  nugget Savings! 

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Please add your questions about nutrition for yourself, toddlers etc..

Here is a link to Nichola's insta https://www.instagram.com/nicsnutrition/?hl=en

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