Bumps and Babies
At Home-Start we understand that becoming a new parent can feel daunting and sometimes overwhelming. Our Bumps & Babies project aims to offer support to parents at the earliest opportunity to help them feel confident and ready for the next steps in their parenting journey.
What support is available?
Home Visiting
Staff and volunteers can visit families at home to offer practical help and emotional support. Whether it’s help to get ready for the arrival of a new baby, an extra pair of hands in those tricky early weeks of parenthood or someone to talk to, Home-Start support is compassionate, confidential and non-judgemental. Our staff and volunteers all have parenting experience themselves, so we know how tough raising little ones can be!
“I was feeling really low when my baby was first born. I thought that everyone else was loving being a Mum and there must have been something wrong with me because I wasn’t feeling that way. I didn’t want to admit it because I loved him but just felt really flat. My health visitor said that she thought a Home-Start volunteer would be a good idea. She was so right! The volunteer was lovely. She came every week and we would chat about how hard it is and that what I was feeling was really normal. She helped me feel more confident and encouraged me to get out of the house. We went to a group together and I made some Mum friends. Now I feel a lot less lonely and even though it is still hard sometimes I am enjoying being a Mum”.
Baby Group sessions
We understand that life with a young baby is sometimes very lonely and it can be hard to reach out for support. We run weekly Baby Group sessions for new parents who need support to feel more confident, bond with their baby and to meet other new parents in their local area. During the sessions parents can get support with a variety of topics including feeding, sleep and weaning as well as the opportunity to try some new activities with their baby. The groups are small and ‘invitation only’ to help those parents who may feel anxious about meeting new people.
If you think, or someone you know might benefit from our Bumps & Babies project please complete our referral form and one of the team will be in touch.