Peer-support is…
Peer-support is a coffee & maybe a biscuit or three.
It’s people there, and not just for the cute baby, but people there for me.
It’s kind words said by others that I took home and said to myself.
It’s an exercise in self-care, it’s good for my mental health.
It’s an ‘oh my goodness, yours does that too?’
It’s never feeling alone.
It’s a sense of community and togetherness.
It’s a hug from inside my phone.
It’s the reassurance that I craved, in the most caring of voices.
It’s the information that I needed to help me make informed choices.
It’s moaning about sleep deprivation in a safe place, full of trust.
It’s never caring that my top is stained or my hair hasn’t been brushed.
It’s talking to people that believe in my strength as a woman and a mother.
Peer support is all of the beautiful things that happen when people empower one another.
It’s about empathy and understanding and not about knowing what is best.
It’s about evidence-based, independent information that ALL families can access.
It’s about ensuring that the myths peddled are discredited and busted.
It’s about promoting sources of support that women and families know can be trusted.
It’s about giving women back the confidence in their bodies society has left in tatters.
And I don’t know about you, but I think that bloody matters.
By Cara Jamieson
Scottish Volunteer Development Officer
