“We’re constantly told, ‘it takes a village,’ but where is this village, and how do we find it?”
Motueka’s Bekki Young reckons that no woman should experience motherhood alone.
The mother-of-two is now on a mission to support maternal mental well-being in Nelson and Tasman. In 2022, she founded The Perinatal Directory - a grassroots, mother-led organisation which seeks to address the lack of support for maternal mental well-being in New Zealand.
“Perinatal” is a term that encompasses the time of pregnancy and the first year after giving birth.
The directory connects new and expecting mothers with local service, support groups and businesses. The site is comprehensive and has a simple layout, with 20 subcategories that include mental well-being, massage and bodywork, photography and father support.
The Perinatal Directory has had about 7500 hits in the last year – a great achievement which also highlights the huge need, Bekki reckons. The directory also facilitates face-to-face support and mothers’ circles, “building the village,” as Bekki puts it.
She says that mothers’ group often heavily focus on the baby’s well-being and development, without making space for the well-being of the mother.
“Our pop-up spaces offer mothers time and space to share openly and honestly, find connection and see their experiences mirrored by other mothers.”
The Motueka Mother’s circle has been operating at Te Noninga Kumu-Motueka Library from 10am-12.30pm on the last Friday of each month, with an average of about 10 women attending.
“We’ve had a lot of women say how healing it’s been to see their stories reflected in the group.”
Bekki is also hoping to grow the groups to St Arnaud, Nelson and Richmond.
She cites the Helen Clark Foundation Report “It Takes a Village”, which states that around one in seven Kiwi women will suffer from perinatal depression or anxiety, and that the leading cause of maternal death is suicide.
“I’m not the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff,” she says determinedly. “I’m putting up a fence at the top.”
She founded the directory after her own journey with postnatal depression and anxiety.
“I was isolated, I didn’t realise how much support there was available. No woman should go through the transition to motherhood alone.”
Bekki is now crowdfunding to grow The Perinatal Directory. With a funding target of $22,000, she will use the funds to support more mothers in Nelson Tasman with free workshops and circles, to register The Perinatal Directory as a charity and to improve the website.
