Connecting Mums
Feeling like you could do with getting out the house with your baby? Want to chat to other local mums about the joys and challenges of motherhood?
Connecting Mums is the local mum community you’ve been looking for! Come along to make new friends and have fun with your baby - you don’t need to navigate this journey alone!
Grab your space now at your local mum and baby group, and give yourself this time to build your local ‘village‘ and relax with your baby.
The Station Hotel and pub (Hither Green) - Tuesday 9.45-11.45
The Honor Oak Pub (Crofton Park / Honor Oak Park / Perry Vale / Catford) - Tuesday 1-3pm
Scroll down for more information and booking details
Mum and baby groups
What to expect from a Connecting Mums group?
Each weekly session lasts 2 hours so we have plenty of time to all catch up on how our week has been and discuss our weekly topic.
Each block lasts for 6 weeks so you can make real friendships with the other mums and babies. You can then re-book for another group when yours ends if you’ve enjoyed your time at Connecting Mums.
We meet at relaxed and comfortable venues where you can get a nice hot drink (or something stronger!), there’s space for buggies and chairs for feeding. We have a private room at each venue so babies can play and roam freely - play mats, toys, and possibly a bouncy chair or two are provided! Sometimes just getting out the house and being around other mums can be just what we need, especially after a bad night’s sleep!
The circle will be a fun and safe space to share your motherhood journey and emotions. There will never be any pressure to share more than you feel comfortable doing – you’re very welcome to come and just listen to how other mums are finding things to learn from and support each other. It will be a space without any judgement, for open and honest conversations so you feel less alone navigating the highs and lows of the motherhood rollercoaster.
Each group will have its own Connecting Mums WhatsApp group so you can keep in touch and continue supporting each other between and after sessions.
Each week, after our general catch up on how everyone is doing, we’ll discuss a different motherhood topic to share your own experiences, ask any questions of the group and help you make informed decisions. Topics will cover such things as:
o Baby sleep
o How we’re coping
o Birth stories
o Motherhood expectations versus reality
o Motherhood mental load
o Baby comfort (colic, reflux and allergies etc)
Why join a Connecting Mums group?
Come connect with local mums and their babies to grow your ‘village’ and friendships.
By coming together with other mums going through the same joys and challenges as you, you’ll feel less alone and motherhood will feel less tricky and overwhelming.
As well as having fun, the warm group connections you make will help reduce any anxiety and stress. You’ll gain more confidence as a mother, and feel more empowered to mother the way that feels instinctively right to you.
Chance to get out the house (pyjamas welcome!) for a hot drink (wine welcome too at our pub venues!) without needing the hassle of arranging the plans and worrying if friends will cancel.
Knowledge sharing from myself and the group so you know where to turn to access information and leaving you confident to make informed decisions.
Improve your self-esteem by giving yourself this hour and a half to nurture yourself and your needs. The better you feel within yourself, the more resilient you will feel when the going gets tough.
Show more kindness to yourself by carving out this time for you. The more kindness you can show to yourself, and the more at ease you feel with motherhood, the more the bond can grow between you and your baby.
A chance for your baby to interact with other babies in the group and see a more relaxed and happier mummy!
Booking details
The station hotel and pub, HITHER GREEN ,se13 5NB
We have a cosy area at this beautiful hotel and pub in Hither Green. They do delicious coffee, and even brunch! There‘s room for buggies in the pub area, paid for parking outside, or free parking a 10-15 minutes walk away.
09.45-11.45
From birth to pre-crawling
£59.10 for the 6 week block
Please check Eventbrite using the link below (on the right) to see when the next block is.
The Honor oak pub, honor oak park / forest hill / CATFORD ,se23 1JG
We have an airy private room at this wonderful pub on the Honor Oak/Forest Hill border. The pub serves all the tea and coffee you could want (or something stronger!) and a great food menu if you‘re peckish! Plenty of room for babies to play, and space for buggies downstairs.
13.00-15.00
From birth to pre-crawling
£59.10 for the 6 week block
Please check Eventbrite using the link below to see when the next block is.
Sign up to the mailing list to hear when spaces are opened up for new blocks. Occasionally I run sessions on other days of the week too (other than Tuesdays), so please do sign up if you’d like to hear when any spaces are released!
Mailing list sign up form
FAQs
Does it matter if I’m late?
I'd love you to be there for the full session, but as a mum myself I totally understand babies often have their own ideas on timings! So please feel free to come and go when suits you.
Is there parking nearby?
The Station Hotel and Pub - there’s paid for parking on Staplehurst Road just outside the pub, and free parking a 10-15 minutes walk away near Mountsfield park.
Honor Oak Pub -There’s free street parking on St German’s Road, and on the streets on the other side of the South Circular. Be careful that Brockley Park is a school street and closed to cars from mid afternoon.
What should i bring with me?
Play mats and toys for the babies are provided but please feel free to bring your own if you prefer!
Cushions (and chairs!) for you mums are also provided but if you have a particular feeding cushion you prefer to use then please bring this along.
What facilities are available?
At both venues there are toilets, and either nappy change facilities or space in our room to do nappies. You are very welcome to change your baby in our group.
Is it easy access with my buggy?
The Station Hotel and Pub - there are no steps into the pub. Buggies will need to be left in the bar area as our space is a bit too cosy for buggies.
Honor Oak Pub - We are in a private room upstairs. Buggies can be left inside the pub downstairs, or I can help you carry it upstairs if you prefer!
Can I bring my own food?
Yes you can bring food for yourself and your baby, however both venues have great food and drinks selections!
What is your refund policy?
Unfortunately I don’t offer refunds, but if you can no longer make the sessions (I understand life can be unpredictable!) please just email me as we often have a wait list, and I am happy to refund you and transfer your place.
Can I do a one-off session?
I don’t tend to offer one-off sessions as I’d love mums to commit to each other for the block to build friendships
About me
Hi, I’m Hannah! A (tired!) mum of 2, coffee lover and interested in all things motherhood.
I feel very lucky to have 2 wonderful children, and can genuinely say I (mostly!) love motherhood (apart from the lack of sleep and illnesses!)! I would never say being a mum is easy though, and my first few years in this new job as a mum (let’s be honest, it’s more than a full time job!) were really not what I had expected them to be.
Losing my first son in 2019 a few weeks shy of full term from a Termination for Medical Reasons (TFMR) catapulted me into a world of navigating trauma, grief, and health anxiety.
Less than a year later in 2020, my daughter Ellen was born unexpectedly premature at 30 weeks, which exacerbated my anxiety even further - but as she grew older and stronger I did too. The strong loving bond we have today grew gradually as I became more confident in my instincts as her mother, and I felt less weighed down by nap stress!
By the time my second son Edward was born in 2022 (he kindly waited till the day I reached full term to decide he was making a quick arrival, almost making his grand entrance in the glamorous car park of Lewisham hospital), I felt more like the mum I am today – a combination of tired, grateful, slightly overwhelmed at times, but content, self-aware and more confident in my parenting decisions.
I started Connecting Mums as I want to create the supportive community I think all mums could benefit from! I want to create a friendly, fun and safe space for mums to get out the house, connect with the mums around them, all whilst their baby can enjoy a change of scene and other babies to play with.
Contact me
I’d love to hear from you! Please email me with any questions:
hannah.connectingmums@gmail.com
Hopefully I’ll meet you and your little one at a Connecting Mums group soon!
Completed courses
Mind - Conversations in the Community
ARC support network volunteer
In training
Baby Em - Infant Allergies, Colic & Reflux
Baby Em - Perinatal Mental Health
Mother circle guide, accredited with The International Association of Therapists