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. 

If you're around The Babes Project Admin Hub when we hear news of one of our Mamas having her baby you'll most likely be swept up in the fun. Whoever sees the news first calls out "Babyyyy!" and everyone stops what they're doing... "who who? Who is it?" And we spend a few moments gushing over a photo sent, a mama's message, the sweetest name. 

Is it just us, or can November seem like a series of great big downers for mothers?

Many of us have barely recovered the heart-wrenching stories that mark October's Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, and suddenly our Facebook feed is another tear-inducing onslaught.

First it's Perinatal Depression and Anxiety Awareness Week (one in seven new mums affected!), and National Adoption Awareness Week (46,000 Australian children in out-of-home care!)

Then World Prematurity Day highlights everything that might go wrong in a pregnancy - and too often, the agonising days and weeks that follow a tiny bub arriving a little too soon. 

On November 20, the Universal Day of the Child reminds us how many children are born into poverty and violence, then November 25 marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. 

Even thinking about all the challenges that women - and especially new mothers - can face is exhausting and overwhelming. 

So just imagine living through any of these nightmares - and doing it without support.   

At Babes, we're determined to make help available for the women who need it most. 

And excitingly, our team is making great progress getting the community on board!

For so many of us Christmas is a time of fun, family and celebrations. But for some women, they're so busy looking after their little ones or planning for a new baby, that they often go without. It can be a time where loneliness and the feeling of hardship is heightened. So we want to make sure all of the women we walk alongside receive something special this Christmas... and we'd love you to join us to make that happen.

Adoption. It’s not a comfortable word for a lot of us.

In Australia, its history brings up sad and cruel practices, often betraying mothers and children, and leaving both on a life-long mission to find their stolen family.

But the grim past can’t be our excuse to ignore the sad and cruel present: that every year in Australia, thousands of children are born without the support of a permanent and loving family, deprived of their right to develop and thrive.

And while society puts it head in the sand over these complex challenges, countless mothers are being locked out of making a choice: to give their babies a life, and the stability and permanency they can’t provide themselves.  

Here at Babes, supporting those mothers who are given the option of adoption is only a tiny part of what we do – but it is the most emotionally-charged, the most intense, and can ultimately be incredibly rewarding for all those involved. 

Mishalle and Elliotte, featured in Rewriting Motherhood, share a story.

At Babes, we love a good story. Everyone has one, and sharing them can empower, can move, can change the way we all see the world.  

Storytelling has been part of the Babes MO since the beginning. Not always epic sagas - although we worked hard with ten women to deliver just that for Rewriting Motherhood, our incredible book that let women tell their own stories of crisis pregnancy, of all its challenges, and of their amazing determination in the face of it.

Often, though, it's just a pregnancy progress photo, or the name of a gorgeous new bub. But each little piece tells a bigger story - and to the mama, and to us, every one is another step on the journey, another mountain moved.   

And of course, there's the story that started it all. 

The Babes Project founder Helen Parker with graduate mama Lauren and her bub Willow. 

It's a proverb from Africa, and one that resonates around the world - to raise a child, it takes a village. 

We hear it as friends admonish each other for not seeking help in those tough early days of motherhood. We hear it as folks tut-tut 'young people' gone off the rails. We hear it as mums at the end of a long day dream of a nice village wine bar with a play pen!  

But beyond the cliche, what does a "village" actually do - and how can it help as women in crisis pregnancy face a litany of challenges to keep and raise their bubs?

Can a village mentality even exist in our fast-paced, plugged-in, too-busy-to-care world?

At Babes, we're stepping up to say it - we are the village! And we're determined that our village will set the standard for supporting and empowering new mamas in our communities, and Australia-wide.  

We were shocked too, little one - fifty bubs already! Photo by Miranda Mayle at our Frankston centre. 

September 17 marked a milestone for everyone here at Babes - bub number 50 this year came into the world! 

And while little Addison-Maree - and every one of the 49 before her - is a miracle, we think it's just as miraculous to have hit the big 5-0 already! 

But of course, we can't stay wide-eyed for long. There's too much still to be done!

Image from Wonder Woman (2017), republished under fair use. 

There’s no shortage of wonder women around The Babes Project, so when the Wonder Woman movie came out last month, more than a few of us were keen to see it!

Of course, superpowers are a bit beyond our reach – but there was one line in the film that rang familiar for our Babes team.

As the bad guy challenges Wonder Woman to abandon the world, he tells her that humanity “does not deserve you”.

“Deserve” is often a word that comes up for Babes too, as we appeal to the community to help our mamas.

Whether we’re asking for volunteers for our Equip a Mum campaign, or donations for a crowdfunding project, or even just sharing the Babes mission – “deserve” appears in many shapes and sizes.

We're currently running our equip a mum campaign, where all you wonderful people support our women through packing a nappy bag or new mums basket.  And we've had a few questions, so thought we'd let you know some of the answers to our most common ones.

Here goes...