MAMA STORY // Danielle - Navigating Motherhood As An Expat

I’ll start by introducing myself. My name is Danielle and I’m a first time mama to my little girl Rosie. My partner and I welcomed our baby girl into our lives 5 months ago (Heavily pregnant in a Sydney Summer….NOT fun) and what a journey Motherhood has been so far! You have no idea how much love you are going to feel for this tiny little human and how much they can change everything from the moment they come into our lives.

My partner Robert and I are both from the UK (Geordie Girl here!) and have always been the adventurous type. Meeting whilst working on an American Summer camp then making the big trip over to Australia. We fell in love with this magical country and are now lucky enough (And after a lot of hard work) to be Permanent Residents and call Sydney home.

I’m very close to my family in the UK, and with the amazing technology we have nowadays I find myself constantly using Viber, Whatsapp and Skype to stay connected. This has always sufficed in staying in contact with loved ones between visits.

BUT…..what happens when you add a baby to the mix?

From pregnancy to birth to motherhood you have no idea how much support you are going to need and suddenly the distance seems a whole lot bigger. I was lucky enough to have my parents, sister and her partner, travel out to meet the newest addition for the birth and first few weeks of Rosie’s life. It will always be a special time that I will cherish. Then, Suddenly they were gone and Robert was back at work. I had few friends with children and found myself feeling pretty lonely and overwhelmed. Time differences do not help either. The times I used to call home changed and Rosie was either feeding or it was bed time which made it difficult.

I felt alone and exhausted, wishing I could just pop round to my parents for a cuppa and a vent. The reality though, I couldn’t.

Being an Expat couple, I started to wonder if we were the only people doing this. Living, working and starting our family abroad. I joined Instagram and soon discovered I was not alone and that there are so many families, all with unique circumstances, living away from their immediate family. Whether it be a different state or country there are always people on similar journeys. I found knowing that comforting.

I remembered back to when I first arrived and just how much desire I had in my heart to make this country home. Fast forward 4 years and that dream became a reality.

The quote by Walt Disney fits very well with me.

“All our dreams can come true If we have the courage to pursue them”

Its a quote that reminds me to look back on how hard we worked to get where we are today and although times can get hard being away from loved ones, When we do reunite, We can truly make the most of that precious time.

Danielle + her babe

That being said, It did not help me with how isolated I felt. I decided that I seriously needed some mummy friends (Adult conversation anyone?)

So I finally did something about it and joined some local mothers groups. Suddenly my days started to fill up with mummy meet ups (Yay…friends!) We chatted about the ups and downs of motherhood, drank a lot of Coffee, and gradually got to know each other. Being able to talk to others about how I was feeling and what I was going through helped so much. My days and weeks began to fill up. It was then I felt the loneliness start to slowly disappear.

Contemplating over the past few months and the transition I had been through I realised that a support network is just so so SO important. So when I came across MAMA TRIBE and started to see people interact and put themselves out there I just knew it was something I wanted to be apart of. I must admit taking the plunge and meeting other people for the first time can be daunting however it can also be incredibly beneficial. So get out of your comfort zones Mama’s, You just don’t know where it will lead you!

Being a parent is the most rewarding yet hardest journey I have been on and having other Mama’s by my side just makes it that bit easier. I look forward to meeting more of you beautiful Mama’s and your gorgeous babes. Building our Tribe’s as we navigate this rollercoaster they call Motherhood.