Having your first baby can be tough – sometimes we all need reassurance, advice and companionship during those fragile first months. To help, here’s our round-up of the best support groups in Singapore for new mums...
Looking for a new mum’s support group in Singapore for play dates and good company? To put it mildly, we think support groups are awesome – possibly the best thing since sliced bread joined forces with kaya and a toaster. No matter how much research you do, how many books you read, or whether ‘Dr Google’ is your best friend or worst enemy – as a new mum, the experience of interacting with a like-minded human (either online or in person) is priceless. Want to know if your baby’s rash is normal or a cause for concern? Ask a mums’ group. Need info on how to travel safely in taxis with kids? Ask a mums’ group. Just want to know that someone else is experiencing the same gut-wrenching worry as you? Ask a mums’ group. There are plenty on offer in Singapore, so we recommend finding a few that work for you, and milking them for all they’re worth.
Stork’s Nest Singapore
Perfect for: mums looking for advice from hundreds of others who’ve been there.
With a private Facebook group boasting more than 12,000 members, Stork’s Nest is the ultimate go-to for new mums in Singapore. No question is too silly or too obscure, as you can guarantee that someone out there has experienced exactly what you’re going through and lived to tell the tale. The founder, Jani Combrink, is a certified lactation consultant and a lovely lady who makes herself and her team readily available to all mums in need.
New Mothers’ Support Group
Perfect for: new mums looking to break their routine and connect with others at regular events. Also a handy resource for expectant mums.
If you’re going a little bonkers at home (it happens), this group could be your lifeline. With regular events out there in the big bad real world, you’re sure to find something that takes your fancy and breaks the daily routine. Coffee dates, yoga classes and nature walks combined with a good chat will get you out of your funk in no time.
Mother & Child – New Mothers’ Get Together
Perfect for: brand new mums who don’t have loads of support from family or friends in Singapore, and those who want an instant, like-minded support network.
Rare is the new mum in Singapore who hasn’t heard of Mother & Child! The ladies at these centres in Tanglin Mall and East Coast offer years of experience in midwifery, nursing and lactation consulting to help expectant and new parents muddle their way through anything and everything related to babies. The centres offer plenty of prenatal and postnatal classes, including a New Mothers’ Get Together that connects you to a few mums with babies of a similar age. If you sign up for this one you’ll attend a weekly class for a month, then your group can decide how to take it from there. You do have to pay for the class, but it’s well worth considering for the instant and ongoing support.
Where: 03-11 Tanglin Mall, 163 Tanglin Rd, Singapore 247933
New Mums Singapore
Perfect for: expat expectant mums looking for recommendations, goods for sale and some social interaction.
A Facebook group that separately caters to full-time working mums and stay-at-home mums, to ensure activities are relevant. Use the group to sell all those things you never used, get recommendations on anything baby-related and touch base with other mums at occasional events.
East Coast Mums’ Support Group
Perfect for: New mums in the East who’d rather not travel far to connect with other mums, plus those looking for useful products and services.
This group provides online support for mums in the East Coast. East Coast Mums’ Support Group (ECMSG) offers a virtual shoulder to lean on for all East-side mums (and beyond). This one is for locals and expats, is completely inclusive and a lovely source of useful info, advice and networking.
Meetup
Perfect for: Mums looking for groups to connect with based on a geographical area, an age group or a topic of interest.
This is the place to go if you want to get a lot more specific with your mum networking. Meetup is an online resource that facilitates get-togethers centred on a topic of interest, not just for mums but for basically the entire human race. Spend a few minutes scrolling here and you’ll find meetups from ‘Indonesian Happy-Go-Lucky Mum’ to ‘West dads and moms’ and everything in between. You never know, by the time you exit the site you might also have picked up a few skills in capoeira and cupcake baking.
Breastfeeding Mothers’ Support Group
Perfect for: any breastfeeding mum and supportive partners or family members.
Breastfeeding in Singapore can be a tough gig, and is sometimes the most confusing but also rewarding part of becoming a mum. This online support group is there to help, day and night (and in those first few weeks, who really knows whether it’s day or night??). The group offers emotional support and education through its Facebook page and counselling helpline, as well as handy events for expectant parents and mums returning to work. A big thumbs up to this group for aiming to create an understanding in Singapore that breastfeeding is a positive and entirely normal part of our society.
SNS: working moms support group
Perfect for: any working mum, or mums planning to return to work soon.
A subsidiary of Stork’s Nest Singapore (see no. 1), this group provides a forum for discussion and friendly support among working mums. The lovely members of this group support each other through challenges such as pumping at work, sleep deprivation and morning tantrums (both mum and baby).
Singapore Special Needs and Parents / Special Needs Kids Singapore
Perfect for: parents and family members of special needs children.
These two Facebook groups, Singapore Special Needs and Parents and Special Needs Kids Singapore, aim to provide a space for parents of special needs children to support each other in all the challenges and joys of parenting. They can also be a helpful resource for goods and services.
BumpWise
Perfect for: expectant mums wanting to learn more about doulas in Singapore, holistic support and natural alternatives.
If an intervention-free birth is especially important to you, it might be worth checking out this online support group. Managed by a group of doulas, the group offers information and support on all things pregnancy and birth. It even includes specialty areas such as nutrition, herbal healing, aromatherapy, yoga and massage.
Conscious Parenting
Perfect for: mums who need expert tips on child-rearing.
Parenting can be a tricky thing for even the most seasoned among us, but we always feel a little bit better about it after hanging out on the Conscious Parenting group: everyone here is encouraged to be empowered by individual child-raising decisions. No judgey pants.
Singapore Expat Wives
Perfect for: mums who need ALL the info.
Singapore Expat Wives can answer your most obscure questions. Want to know where to buy the best sausages? Or who that dude is who drives around your neighbourhood honking the horn of his truck? This diverse group of 11.5k expat women probably have the answer!
Single Parent Support Group
Perfect for: single parents who are looking for buddies on the same journey.
Started by a passionate single mother to help other solo parents, the Single Parent Support Group (SPSG) is a goldmine of information, advice and compassion for anyone facing parenthood alone.
Respectful/Mindful Parenting
Perfect for: mums who are keen to try Magda’s RIE approach to parenting.
If you are working towards bringing up your small people in a way that involves them as an individual from the very start, then Respectful/Mindful Parenting is the group for you. Chat and connect with new friends who share a similar philosophy.
2020 SG Mummys’ Support Group
Perfect for: mums who are looking for other mums with babies who are the same age.
It’s always so comforting as a new mum to have a support crew of women. And, even better, those who are at the same stage as you. Is it normal for my bub to sprout a tooth at four months? Is anyone else’s baby still waking five times a night? Joining one of these Facebook groups specifically set up according to year of birth could be exactly what you need. Try 2018 SG Mummys or 2019 SG Mummys as a starting point. And if you’re giving birth next year, there’s a 2020 group too!
Singapore Moms Preloved and Blessing Group
Perfect for: mums looking for a great deal.
Not quite a support group but we had to share: if you are lucky enough to have too much stuff, and are looking to donate rather than trash, then join Singapore Moms Preloved and Blessing Group where you can give away or sell the goods you no longer need.
And if all else fails, keep your eyes peeled! You’ll be amazed at how many new and expectant mums you’ll meet!
