Advice for New Moms Group at Work.

Balance~
Ideas on how to balance being a mom, a wife, an employee and all those that go along with it. Help come up with chore schedules for mom and dad. Come up with ways to help approach dad when you need more help from him even though he's already overwhelmed too.
Food~
It's always hard to get a healthy dinner on the table at a decent time when you're taking care of everthing else. Add a job to it and it's a race against the clock.
Needless to say you still have 2 meals and snacks to figure out.
Cleaning tips~
Enough said.
Hidden policies and laws for working mothers that work may not always advertise~
Things like pumping at work or taking time off for a sick child or the family leave act.
You are creating a wonderful group. I wish I could come! Have a great time with it.

A topic could be how to cope with the guilt of leaving your child to go back to work. I know that this is a huge struggle for many woman. What helps is knowing you're not alone.

A few more topics:

Sleep issues

Relationship issues (many marriages are compromised once children are a part of the equation)

Quick and easy dinners/recipes to prepare for busy working moms

Product review night. Everyone can exchange information on their favorite products such as stain removers, household cleaners, vaccuums or anything that makes your life easier.

You could do a possitive topic and have everyone bring in pics of their babies/kids and share a happy or funny moment. Talk about what they love about being a mom.

You could have everyone create a time capsule (for themselves not the group) Have everyone write down their hopes and dreams and then put it away for years later.

I hope this is what you were looking for!

H., this sounds like a great idea. I concur with the previous two responses as to what to talk about. But, I have two conerns.

First, be very cautious about letting your group be a gripe session. Try to keep things as positive as possible. If a gripe is brought up, try to keep discussion focused on solutions. I've seen too many "support" groups become the source of negative feedback loops leaving people disgruntled and unhappy. No one needs that at work, ever.

Second, be very cautious about your group turning in to an advocate for special priveleges at your worksite. If your gruop advocates for policy change, it should benefit all employees, not just moms. In today's economy, everyone is worried about their job and likely to be more sensitive to perceived lost priveleges or a group growing to dominant.

I was very fortunate to have worked at a job where there were many moms, of varying ages, so there was always a great support system for me. You're doing a wonderful thing by offering that to other moms. Good luck!

Hi H.,
I joined a group online from www.meetup.com. Totally awesome!! You can start one up for your group in your area. Group topics- Pumping, nursing, getting out of the house, sex after baby, nannies, exercise after baby, baby massage, naps etc. I probablly did not answer your question- But check out meetup.com.
Have fun,
Steff

Hello H.. In reading your post, I couldn't decipher whether you meant physically "go to" or go to as in log on to. If the latter is true, the there is a great site called babycenter.com. There are all sorts of groups. I am a member of a couple of them. One is single parents, and another is the March 2009 babies. The March 2009 babies group is a group of pregnant women who were all due at the same time. We have all had our babies by now and still keep in touch, offering and receiving advice. The spectrum of groups is completely diverse, so I am sure there is probably one for women returning to the work force. If not, one could be created! I hope this helps!! Best of luck to you )

H. P.

You have a great idea!!! This will help these new and experienced moms share ideas on how to handle child rearing. Does you company have a day care for these parents? This would allow the children and the parents to be close by as the children grow, and during the breaks they can not only talk about their children's progress, but also learn new ways of dealing with each new and exciting change their children go through. Good Job, and good luck with your new ideas for your company.

H.,
I think you have to make it sound fun. Not a "forum", who has time for that? "Let's get together" sounds better, and the other stuff, topics and conversations will come naturally. Sometimes just being together is support enough.
I am part of a mommy group that fromed from a yoga class. There are about nine of us. We use to walk together with our strollers. We must have been quite a sight, all nine of us with our strollers. And on the bike path, that is when we'd talk to eachother about whatever came up. Initaially baby stuff, but later preschool, etc. Then people began having their second child. When ever someone had a baby we would take turns bring dinner to her home. I cannot tell you enough how wonderful it is to feel the warmth of friends bringing you food and visiting your bundle of joy. I would say, bring up the food thing and the exercise/walking idea. I bet you'll get a lot of people interested.
Best,
C.