Save Babes Frankston: "It made me feel like I was less alone"

When Justyna discovered she was pregnant with twins in her mid-forties, “everything was just a major whirlwind.”

“I just had convinced myself that it wasn't going to be possible for me anymore and... here I was, pregnant and just not prepared for it at all.”

In one of her first hospital appointments, a social worker recommended Justyna refer herself to The Babes Project, but she remembers thinking, “I don't know if I'm crisis enough for this, is it okay for me to be reaching out to these people?”

Read more

We're Stronger When We Partner With: Eat For You

We're so excited to have another young and game-changing company on our side, partnering with us to give women the support they need.

Eat for You produce food that fosters health and wellbeing. They create organic, nutrient dense, delicious food and DIY recipes, using only whole food ingredients to support you and your family.

Founded by Dr Hayley Dickinson, PhD, Eat for You is supported by science that makes sense. They believe that nutritious food and good health is a fundamental human right, and that our behaviour impacts others - which is why both The Babes Project and Eat For You exist - to have an impact. 

They value transparent and authentic relationships, time with family, and sustainability - like we do. 

It is so important to us to partner with companies that have good values behind them, and who do what they do with the intention to make change.

 

Read more

Save Babes Frankston: "Babes made me feel that someone cared about me"

Beatriz describes life in Chile, close to her family and working as a sociologist for six years, as fun. But all at once, she found herself in the midst of a global pandemic, in a new country, and pregnant.

“It was crazy… to live a pregnancy in an unknown country and a world where [nothing] was working. I didn’t know anyone to ask for advice. If I was sad, I didn’t have anybody to talk with.”

Read more

Save Babes Frankston: "Babes helped me see what I could achieve"

Growing up being raised by her Grandma, Courtney had created a picture of the family life she wanted to provide when she had kids.

“Grandma had taken us on when we were really young, and having her in my life helped me realise how someone should be treated, that everyone should feel valued and loved,” she says.

“When I found out I was pregnant, mentally I wasn’t well, and my life wasn’t at a stage where I was sure I could be a good Mum, that sent me to a pretty dark place.”

A friend recommended The Babes Project early in her pregnancy, and Courtney felt her feelings shift.

“I felt so young - I wanted the baby but I absolutely felt not ready!” she says.

“I had a lot of goals and aspirations I wanted to fulfil, I’d just done my Diploma and wanted to go onto Bachelor of Early Childhood Education, so I was very deflated not being able to achieve those things.”

“I talked about that with Babes, how I felt disappointed and wanted better for myself, and they helped me to see what I could do, how I could achieve things even though having a baby means it takes it longer.”

Babes is here to give hope to every young mum feeling overwhelmed. 

Will you be here for her too? Help us Save Babes Frankston

Read more

Partnering this International Women's Day

MKM-20210223-111450_0360.jpg

On 8 March, individuals and organisations around the world will recognise the many achievements of women across industries and countries. There will be morning teas, speeches and awards, providing opportunities for us to learn more about our communities and the people who keep them running. 

Of course, International Women’s Day (IWD) is more than a celebration; its history is grounded in the quest for gender equality. This year’s theme, #ChoosetoChallenge, calls us all to consider the actions we can take to ensure that our communities are places where every single person has every single opportunity and encouragement to thrive.

Read more

Keep Us Here for Her: Save Babes Frankston

MKM-20210223-102113_0141.jpg

"When I brought Lilly home... getting to that point took so much support and reassurance. The Babes Project was a safe space for me, and that’s how I want my family to be for our baby too.” - Georgia, Frankston Babes mama, 2021

Five years. 

That's how long The Babes Project has been creating a safe space for pregnant women and new mothers at our Frankston Pregnancy Support Centre. 

For five years, we've been here for her. 

Here to congratulate pregnant women and new mums – often when no one else is.

Here for the practical preparation to calm confusion, overwhelm and anxiety.

Here building the trust that means she can finally take action against domestic abuse.

Here as the birth partner in the labour ward when there is no one else.

Here to connect her with safe housing, and a secure future.

And here as a life-changing advocate for pregnant women and new mothers right through the perinatal period.

Now more than ever, we need you to be here for her too. 

Can you help us Save Babes Frankston?

Read more

The stuff about stuff

Photo: Miranda Mayle

When you find out someone is pregnant, it is a beautiful thing to be excited about the gorgeous gifts to celebrate a new baby. You might imagine a nursery filled to the brim with blankets, cute outfits and soft toys ready to greet the little one home. Every new parent and baby deserve all they need to thrive in life, including safe furniture and warm clothing. 

Here at Babes, we love to shower our mamas with the things she needs on her pregnancy and parenting journey. And while this can be in the form of a brand new nappy bag or car seat, we know there’s so much more to motherhood than that. Luckily, so do our mamas!

Read more

Grateful with grit in 2021!

MKM20190211112005_(1).jpg

Babes tribe, we are here. 

And let's face it, after the year that was, just that feels like an achievement. We are so grateful. 

But you know us - at Babes, we are always determined to achieve more, for every mama doing it tough!

In February last year, our "more" plans prompted us to launch 1 Million for Mums. Funding for our vital service was already shifting due to bushfires, and that big goal was aimed to prioritise stability, and ability to plan long-term. 

Of course, the months that followed threw stability out the window, and not just for us. Financial priorities for so many Australians shifted.

Amazingly, we were still able to raise $95K in ten months of this campaign.

THANK YOU for your contributions - without you we wouldn't be able to support so many mums and their babies.

Now as we plan for post-COVID survival and recovery we have decided that this campaign no longer fits with our fundraising priorities, and we are closing the 1 Million for Mums fundraiser site this week.

But we won't stop pursuing "more" with every bit of grit and determination we can muster.

Because for Babes, "more" means every pregnant woman and new mother getting the support she needs. 

And we need your help more than ever to make it happen. 

Read more

When it's never mattered more, will you stand up for vulnerable mums?

1M4M_banner_black___white_w_logo_2020-3.jpg

Amidst all the tough, strange and downright horrible aspects of terrible 2020, we've all seen one reliable bit of normality. 

Babies just kept being born.  

Lockdowns across Melbourne meant for the first time in 11 years, The Babes Project had to close our physical doors to vulnerable pregnant women and new mums.

But like the babies, we didn’t stop. 

And after nearly nine months of delivering remote perinatal support to vulnerable women and their bubs, we're finally welcoming them back into our centres, and supporting them to recover from lockdown experiences that left them more isolated, traumatised and at-risk.

Now, post-pandemic and into the future, we need to keep the doors open.

And to do it, we need your support for 1 Million for Mums

Read more

Babes labour prep to help every new mum

TBP_Labour_ed_e-course_blog_banner_2020.jpg

From the earliest days of The Babes Project, we’ve worked to prepare and empower women for pregnancy and motherhood, in the face of every kind of crisis.

But it shouldn’t take a crisis to connect new mamas with the information and advice they need to feel confident for their journey.  

With more than a decade of experience providing perinatal support, Babes knows that countless pregnant women feel underprepared for labour, birth, and beyond.

And feeling disempowered during labour and birth can have negative impacts for how women connect with their baby, and engage with health care, for years to come.

That’s why we’ve created Labour Education, by The Babes Project.

Read more