Serenity Mothers founder Farah Alashhab and director Haleema Ahmed at Bulli Beach, where the group was born. Photo: Serenity Mothers.
Motherhood can be brutal, lonely and traumatic, with new mums often left lonely and isolated in what should be a joyful, healing time.
Serenity Mothers is an Illawarra not-for-profit that aims to change that.
The charity is about to begin a pilot program providing personalised, in-house and culturally appropriate support for new mums and mums of children below school age.
Mums in the program can get support from physiotherapists, occupaional therapists, doulas, breastfeeding consultants – and most importantly, other mums.
Wollongong woman and founder Farah Alashhab was inspired to start the project after her less-than-smooth introduction to motherhood.
Farah was eight months pregnant with twins when the first COVID lockdown hit, and welcomed her sons to the world in a turbulent time.
“It was really isolating,” she said.
“I wasn’t able to leave the house without my husband for the first year because it was so challenging with two babies.
“There was no care in the sense of that safe, warm, nourishing support you would get from your mum.
“Often the mother’s experience is put second to the baby, but in a lot of cultures there is 40 days after birth that is dedicated to complete rest and support for the new mum.
“This is what we want to reintroduce to the health care system.”
Farah said better support for new mums could reduce rates of post-natal depression and PTSD from birth trauma, and the potential positive ripple effect of well-supported mums for children and families were huge. She said care that respected culture was crucial to achieving those outcomes.
Serenity Mothers is supporting a special screening of Aseel Tayah’s documentary Motherhood in the Colony at the IPAC as part of a cultural storytelling event.
The short film brings together eight First Nations and Palestinian women who mother under occupation, displacement and grief and shows how mothering is an act of resistance in a world shaped by violence.
The event will include a post-film storytelling and reflection circle led by the film’s director.
Farah said the event would honour all mothers and provide a healing space.
“Motherhood in the Colony reflects and explores our histories, our connection to land and how we need to see women as together, not alone,” she said.
“It’s a safe space to explore mental and physical health, recover, repair, heal and be well so that ripples into the whole family unit.
“I am a Palestinian mother who has been raised in Australia and I know how a woman should be treated through a cultural lens, and also through the services we have access to.
“They say it takes a village – there are mothers out there with oceans of experience, and we want to extend that out to create a community.”
Motherhood in the Colony, presented by Bukjeh and the Shifa Project, with support from Serenity Mothers, Illawarra Women’s Health Centre and the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre is on in the Bruce Gordon Theatre at the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre on Friday 11 July from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.
Book through IPAC or online.
