From some women who are either first-time mothers or already have children, the process of raising babies can be overwhelming, especially if they have no or little support.
But a Sutherland Shire and St George community program that assists families in staying afloat is relying on volunteers to make a difference in someone's life.
3Bridges Community, a charity and non-profit organisation, has been successfully running an Early Years Support Service to help build happier, healthier and connected communities. But it needs the community's help to strengthen its continuity.
It is recruiting volunteers at Menai and Penshurst for its program that supports mothers and their babies/young children who have been referred by health professionals. These families face isolation, a lack of family support, and may suffer from postnatal depression or anxiety. They may be new to the area, from a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) background, serving in the Defence Force, a parent with disabilities, or they may have multiple babies.
The idea behind it is that a volunteer does two days of in-house or online training. The volunteer is then linked with a family for two to hour hours a week to provide emotional and practical support in a family's residential property. Priority is given to families with newborns. Ongoing supervision is provided by professional coordinators with monthly in-service education provided to the volunteer team.
Support may include helping with feeding, settling and bathing babies, playing with toddlers, walking a baby, giving a mother the chance to rest, assisting with household organisation, helping with appointments and outings, or even simply sharing wisdom and experience gained as a parent or grandparent.
No formal qualifications are required, and volunteers will ideally have good knowledge of their community (parks). Work experience in early childhood/nursing is helpful but not essential. Support can range from three to 12 months depending on the need of the family.
Each family is individually assessed by a professionally trained team members prior to allocating an appropriate volunteer, matched specifically for each family's needs.
The Early Years Support Service has been operating for nine years, but there has been more demand for volunteers in recent times. Project Lead Katie Lacey-Evans said the success of the program relied heavily on volunteers.
"The volunteers that we have the more families that can be provided with this vital early intervention support," she said.
"A lot of families no longer have 'the village'. Many mothers face the emotional journey of bringing home a newborn alone or with limited support. The importance of early intervention for mothers who are struggling during this period is critical to maintaining a positive quality life for the mum, child and family unit."
Family workers focus on the well-being of new primary carers, providing vital space to feel vulnerable and open to support, and removing the stigma around postnatal mental health and normalising the act of asking and finding much needed help.
One in five women women experience maternal anxiety and or depression during the perinatal period. Ms Evans said the rates of perinatal depression and anxiety were increasing each year.
"Some of the factors could be due to higher rates of birth trauma, mothers experiencing early hospital discharge and there being a big emphasis on planning for the birth but little or no education around what to expect once the baby is here," she said.
"A newborn brings beautiful highs and sometimes challenging lows. Many mothers face this emotional journey alone or with limited support. The importance of early intervention for mothers who are struggling during this crucial time is critical to maintaining a positive quality life for the mum, child and family unit."
3Bridges linked with Western Sydney University in 2023 on a study that supported its operations. "We partnered with them to develop independent research, generating an understanding of the impact of Early Years Support Services has on the lives of the vulnerable mothers and their child(ren), as well as implications for the social investment from state and federal agencies," Ms Evans said.
