ANDREA'S STORY Becoming a new mother during the pandemic is the hardest thing I've ever done! In late August last year, I waved to my family who were peering in through a garden window of Squamish Hospital's maternity ward.  I was grateful that my room was on the first floor and that we could share this special moment together - me, my husband and our new little baby, Stuart who'd come just a few days early, my parents who had travelled from the Okanagan - and the window screen. These screens became a third wheel for me over the next months - in the form of a mask, a computer, a window, a counter screen or a cellphone. As ever present as they were unwelcome, they have been the only real witness to my life and learnings, my flops and failures, and my moments of sheer joy in becoming a new mother.  A second surprise that August day was that my HPOP friend was there with me - not as a visitor, but because we serendipitously gave birth just hours apart.  We connected at HPOP because we were the only two pregnant women in the class - all the other participants already had their babies with them.

ABOUT HPOP (HEALTHY PREGNANCY OUTREACH PROGRAM)

For those of you who don't know, HPOP is a program that helps pre- and post-natal women maintain good physical and mental health and have healthy babies.

And they feed you!

It seems silly, I know, but some days I just dragged myself to HPOP at CenterPoint for the egg sandwiches. But I was always glad when I did. Sometimes I didn't even realize how much stress and anxiety I was holding inside until I was able to connect with the group and let it out by talking, laughing, and just connecting.

A new Canadian study looking at the mental health of mothers before and after the start of the pandemic has found that our levels of depression and anxiety almost doubled in 2020, shedding more light on the burden parents are carrying during this crisis and the ever increasing need for these simple touch points for mothers going through the loneliness of a pandemic pregnancy.  

The act of sharing is sometimes joyful, sometimes heartbreaking, but always empowering. At HPOP, it always took one of us to say "Sure I'll go first - On a scale of 1 to 10, today I am a 3."

SUPPORTING EACH OTHER THROUGH THIS

So here I am going first again. I don't feel like a 3 today, maybe more like a tentative 7. I am grateful to live in this beautiful part of the world, where we can go outside and get fresh air, I am grateful that we're making ends meet, I am grateful that my mum was able to visit for a bit - twice, I am grateful we have social media and that my family can see Stuart learn to crawl on Facetime. And I am full of hope that soon, perhaps by Stuart's first birthday, we will be rid of the screens that separate us. I am hopeful that he will be able to touch and smell and tumble in the grass, and hug and kiss for real.

But I do know that many new moms in the corridor are struggling. We're being brave, but for so many of us its been very hard. We can really use the help, the acknowledgement and the camaraderie! 

Will you join us in lending your support to this campaign today?  And are you willing to share your story and help grow our community connection? 

Maybe you're a new mom like me, maybe a new dad, grandmother, a sister, an aunt, a friend, a grandfather or an uncle.  Let us know how you're doing and if you can, please make a contribution to this fundraiser and ask your friends and family to join you. 

This program meant the world to me, and with so many moms in need of support in the corridor, it must expand its reach.  I'd like to ensure that all women in Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton know about this program and that they can access this extraordinary resource in their communities.

HOW YOUR DONATION WILL HELP

Reaching our goal of $25,000 will allow for the extension of the HPOP 'Drop-by' program and the free meal program. And hopefully, when we can meet in small groups outside in the summer again, it would allow SSCS to offer more opportunities and hours for this to happen, supporting more moms. SSCS would also like to create a "Mothers Supporting Mothers" facilitated support group in all three communities in our corridor as a COVID response for moms who are finding it exceptionally difficult to connect and have been more isolated.

We've been through so much this year, but through our action, our empathy, and the love of our families and friends, we are building our resilience as a community and we'll all be here to see each other in person again soon.

Sea to Sky Community Services is a registered charity and your gift will receive a tax deductible receipt.