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!

This week, we heard we were a finalist in the Female Empowerment Grant, a new initiative from The TOM Co (the amazing company behind TOM Organic and Tooshies by TOM!)

While we didn't get the cash, we got some great feedback from the organisers - and a fantastic chance to share our story with a new audience. 

Photo courtesy of The TOM Co. 

Hope you'll have a look at what our founder and managing director Helen told the grant organisers about our vital work! 

The TOM opportunity is the latest in a long line of good news - including new grants from Leader Local News and Bendigo Bank, and the chance to share our story through community events, and extending our Rewriting Motherhood project. 

Just as exciting, all this activity has bumped up our Facebook profile - suddenly, there's more than 20,000 followers helping us advocate for mamas, and sharing our news, too! 

Of course, in the face of all the bad news in our feeds and in our faces, all this may seem trivial.

But at Babes, we're sure the antidote to bad news is good works - and actually making a difference in our broken world. 

We can only achieve that if our community knows about us, and gets on board.

So please - if you're feeling overwhelmed by the sadness, injustice and isolation faced by so many women in our community, take a stand and help us share our mission, or make a contribution as part of your Christmas giving.   

Together, we can deliver better news for new mothers in our community, and everywhere.