OlyBabies: A Social Network for Mamas & Papas
Online social support for local parents is just a click away at www.olybabies.net!
Social support for new parents is proven to reduce the duration of postpartum mood disorders and makes adjusting to life with baby a whole lot smoother. Social support is anything that gets parents together in an environment where they can safely share their stories, worries and discoveries. It can include support group meetings, meet-ups for play and walks, parent-baby classes and online chats and forums.
Many of us are using social networks, like Facebook, to keep in touch with friends and socialize. While Facebook’s the biggest, social networks come in many shapes and sizes. OlyBabies is a little social network for mamas and papas in the South Sound area of Washington State (the “Oly” in OlyBabies is for Olympia, our home town).
OlyBabies was created in March 2009 as a way for our childbirth education class to stay in touch. From there it’s turned into a sweet and supportive community of parents of young children. It includes discussion forums, personal blogs, web links and events. And it has a archives of discussions about diapering, sleep, breastfeeding, green poop and on and on!
OlyBabies welcomes visitors and new members. It’s free! Parents and loved ones in the South Sound area are welcome. Commercial memberships and promotions are not permitted, except for local sponsorships by baby-focused businesses that are invited to help pay the costs of Internet hosting (so no one’s going to try to sell you on a pyramid scheme there!).
Please come check out OlyBabies! Expectant parents and those with newborns are especially wanted to create discussion forums that will meet your needs as you take the plunge into parenthood.
