an aussie in austria

If there is one piece of advice I could give other expecting mothers, it would be this: FIND YOURSELF A MUMMY FRIEND!

It’s lovely to have a supportive husband, supportive family, and supportive friends, especially those who already have children and can relate to your challenges.

But there is absolutely nothing like someone who is going through the exact same thing as you at the exact same time.

Becoming a mum is extremely isolating. Even at the best of times. And I had the added complication of being miles away from family and friends, and coming out of an isolated Covid lockdown. I was already lonely.

But I was lucky. I found my mummy friend.

It was scary, I’m not going to lie. I mean I knew of her. But would she like me? Would I like her? Luckily, for me, it was best case scenario – though it wasn’t instantaneous. And I have to admit I had a very romantic vision of how it would go: daily walks, coffee dates, afternoon Aperols while watching the kids play in the garden. God, how wrong I was!

We started walking together… a challenge in itself coordinating two babies. Her little boy was only two months older than mine, but it made a huge difference when they were very young. Our walks were carefully timed around sleeping and eating, so until they were on a similar schedule, it was almost a constant ah sorry I can’t come today he slept longer/shorter/needs to eat etc.

We tried play dates at each other’s houses and even though they were barely rolling it was still taxing ensuring they didn’t accidentally gouge each other’s eyes out or push into sharp corners between sips of tea.

So maybe the play dates weren’t all honey and roses to begin with… but the friendship was. And like so many other things, it was the little things that made it so important. Someone to tell you that what you were going through was normal. Someone to commiserate the previous night’s crappy sleep. To this day, the daily ‘how did Sam sleep’ text still makes me feel better.

And like the other few close friends I’ve managed to garner while here in Austria, my mummy friend came along at just the right time. She saved my sanity, listened to my rants, and sympathised with me through the hardest parts. She provided a friend for my son. Became a friend for me… an extension of my little Austrian family.

And that’s no small thing.