Supporting women through the postpartum phase

A London pub bustling with parents and their babies at midday on a Tuesday afternoon.

On top of tables were coffees, beers and handbags, as well as milk bottles, purée packets and toys.

This was one of the Bring Your Baby events, where parents bring their babies and toddlers to a pub quiz.

The aim is to provide a comfortable environment for both parent and child, and help parents enjoy a sociable afternoon whilst caring for a little one.

Pub staff were grinning all afternoon, excited to host so many babies at a time when the pub would otherwise be empty.

There are now 16 Bring Your Baby pub quizzes across London as well as nine guided walks in the city next month.

The events were started in 2019 by Lucy Madison after she had attended a guided walk with her one-year-old.

She told us: “I remember being stuck at home with my child and the only things to go out to were really baby-centric.

“I have a particular interest in London’s history and had done some guided walks for friends, so thought it was worth hosting an infant-friendly version.”

The walks allow for parents to drop off and re-join at any point, follow buggy-friendly routes, and include an hour’s break halfway through for feeding.

The walks started in June 2019, with the pub quizzes starting just a few months after.

Commenting on the covid lockdown, Madison said: “We had to cancel the quizzes and walks because there was something in the water, we knew the lockdown was imminent.

“I remember I cancelled one event in Angel and people were so understanding, I mean, many of them told us not to worry about the refund.

“After a few weeks following the end of the lockdown, I started to run the walks again.

“We had parents coming who’d given birth in hospital where no partners were allowed to be present and who’d not met any other parents.

“I had parents practically in tears when they met other parents for the first time, they were swapping numbers, and it was magical in a bitter-sweet kind of way.”

Madison said that many parents have grown to be more vocal about their mental health, particularly those who had their first children during the lockdown.

_{Photo credit: Lucy Madison, Bring Your Baby founder}

In conversation with Emily Emmott, a biological anthropologist researching social support around the family

This openness about mental health was visible in a disagreement online.

A comment on one of the pub’s Facebook posts arguing that babies should be at home, not in pubs, was met with fierce criticism from customers, who stressed the importance of their mental wellbeing. Click on the post to see the comments in full.

A study into the impact of the Covid 19 lockdown on mother's mental health revealed how isolation and a lack of communication worsened experiences of postpartum depression.

The report stated: “While Western childrearing norms focus on intensive parenting, and fathers are key caregivers, our results highlight that it still 'takes a village' to raise children in high-income populations and mothers are struggling in its absence."

We spoke to Emily Emmott, co-author of the report. Listen to her insights on postpartum support networks via the soundcloud link.

Her comments were echoed in the conversations we had with mothers at the event.

We attended one of the pub quizzes in Hither Green, Lewisham, and spoke to parents about their experiences.

Lucy, who had her first child during lockdown, and her second last year, said: “It’s a chance to feel normal, to have a drink, to do something social during the week.

“There’s such a drastic difference since when I had my first baby during covid– I’m just enjoying this time with friends.”

Another mum, Sally, said: “These events are great because you’re not playing buggy tetris, there’s loads of room for all your things, and you don’t feel like a nuisance.

“The quizzes are also in the day, which suits us so well.”

Kate, attending the quiz with her family, said: “It’s adult focussed, so it’s nice to come here, especially when you go to baby classes, and you feel a bit brain dead.

“Another great thing is that sometimes with baby events, you have to sign up to a package deal, like eight weeks of baby yoga for a certain price.

“But sometimes we have to miss classes, sometimes I go and he [her baby] just doesn’t let me do the class, so this is great because you can book as and when you like.”

For those interested in attending an event, visit https://bringyourbaby.org/ .

Note: All videos and photographs taken by author, except photograph of guided walk. Posters from Bring Your Baby website, courtesy of founder.