No doubt that Babes mamas know how to wait - but pregnant mothers shouldn't have to keep waiting for holistic perinatal care. 

At some point in every pregnancy, every mother gets the questions: “How long have been pregnant?”, “How long to go now?”

And at least once, in every pregnancy, the technically untrue but definitely justifiable response comes out: “Forever!”

In other words, pregnant women are used to waiting.

We’ve all seen the Hallmark images - patiently stroking her big belly, the calm and comfy mum-to-be ready to wait forever to meet her bub.

But we all know that’s not the reality.

And while nine months of waiting for baby is inevitable, pregnant women can't afford to keep waiting for holistic, supportive and empowering perinatal care. 

Pregnancy is tough – mentally, physically, and socially.

For so many of our Babes mamas, that never-ending wait for baby is made all the longer, all the tougher, by so many factors.

They're battling mental health issues (a huge 71 per cent), social isolation (47 per cent), drug and alcohol habits (35 per cent), and domestic violence (a heartbreaking 29 per cent) - and without The Babes Project, our mamas would go through those fraught nine months unsupported in their battles, and with no practical or emotional preparation for bub's arrival. 

Worse, countless pregnant women do go through those nine months without support - and there's no relief in sight. 

When Helen founded The Babes Project in 2012, it was because she was sick of waiting for a government response to this huge gap in public services, despite every piece of evidence that perinatal care could prevent or reduce so many problems faced by new mums, and their bubs. 

In 2018, that government response still hasn't come - and once again, we're sick of waiting. 

We know our approach has worked for hundreds of women across Melbourne, and it continues to work as demand grows - not just in our existing communities of Croydon and Frankston, but nationally. 

And as we grow, we've realised - it's Babes that's best placed to step into the breach. 

This year, we're determined to take our services mobile, with our new The Babes Project app that makes key elements of our perinatal care model available to all pregnant women. 

It's the first of many big steps in the coming months - so if you support our work, there's never been a more crucial time to get on board with Babes. 

Stay tuned to share all our big news and big moves, as we step up and say we're not going to wait - we're going to change the world for new mothers everywhere. 

(PS - while our heads are totally in the excitement ahead in 2018, we ended 2017 with a lovely highlight - a profile in the Herald Sun Weekend magazine! Please read and share the incredible story of Helen's personal journey, and the impact on amazing Babes mamas like Lauren!)