Being a new mum is an incredible feeling but it can also be a very anxious and isolating experience, as Paloma Espindola discovered when she had her beautiful little girl Oona last year.
When her daughter was just three months old, Paloma, who is from Aberdeen, moved to Thailand, where her partner Ryan Cosgrove was working at the time.
But being miles away from her family and friends, and with a new baby to look after, Paloma, 30, felt completely overwhelmed and lonely.
“I felt quite lonely out there in Thailand,” says Paloma.
“Being in a new country and having a newborn without my support network made me feel really anxious about everything.
“So I found myself grappling with postpartum anxiety and the challenges of motherhood.”
Postpartum anxiety inspires outdoor project…
After three difficult months in Thailand, Paloma returned home to the Granite City where she slowly started to feel better thanks to her fantastic support network.
Experiencing postpartum anxiety had such a profound impact on her that it inspired her to set up Nurture the Wild, a project where mums and babies can connect with nature and each other through outdoor activities.
“My experience in Thailand inspired me but it was also the fact that when I returned home, Oona was six months old so we had missed out on meeting other mums and babies at groups,” says Paloma.
“I also wanted to work for myself and I was keen for Oona to experience being outside.
“When I was in Thailand, I was so anxious about going outdoors anywhere so it was important for me to let Oona experience being outdoors.”
‘I started the sessions with Oona strapped to my back’…
With her background as a forest school leader, Paloma, who lives in Garthdee, relished the opportunity to share her love of the great outdoors with other new mums and babies, launching sessions in the woodlands next to Den Wood Car Park in Aberdeen.
“When I started the sessions in March this year, I had Oona, who was eight months old, strapped to my back,” says Paloma.
“Today, it has blossomed into a thriving community, now with my 15-month-old strapped to my back.”
Life-changing outdoor sessions…
Over the last nine months, Paloma says her sessions have been ‘life-changing’ for mums.
“This project has been life-changing for so many mothers, helping them to tackle isolation, form meaningful friendships and strengthen bonds with their children,” says Paloma.
As part of the project, Paloma runs weekly ‘Wild Mummas’ sessions for new mums and their babies.
“We start off with a 40-minute walk to give the mums a chance to unwind and let their babies nap if need to,” says Paloma.
“After the walk, we’ll head inside the bell tent where there will be baskets full of natural resources for the babies to explore.
“Then I get the mums a cup of tea, a bowl of soup and some garlic bread.
“I also have a special soup for the babies so everyone has lunch together.”
Walks, crafts and songs…
Paloma also incorporates crafting in her sessions.
“It’s always a really easy craft which the mums always enjoy; for example, we do handprints with the babies and the mums can decorate them with dried flowers or ferns.
“Then we end the session with sensory and interactive songs for the babies.”
As well as sessions for babies, Paloma also runs a ‘Wildlings’ group for little ones up to the age of five who can confidently walk.
“That session is a proper forest school so we start off with a little walk and then we return back to camp where I’ll have lots of different activities set up,” says Paloma.
“It’ll be things like mud pies, a painting station, a hammock, a fire circle, and the bell tent has toys and stories.
“So the children get to enjoy exploratory play for the first half of the session and then we all have lunch together followed by some natural crafting.”
‘I love seeing the world through a child’s eyes’
Paloma also runs a ‘Little Wildlings’ group for tots aged between 12 to 24 months which has also proved to be a big success.
“I love seeing the joy on the little ones’ faces when they see something for the first time in nature, like seeing squirrels dancing in the tree above them – it’s magical,” says Paloma.
“I really love seeing the world through a child’s eyes.”
Mums say it has helped their anxiety…
Paloma says her sessions have also helped mums who, like her, were struggling to cope with the challenges of motherhood.
“I’ve had quite a few mums who have had postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety who say that they’ve found just being outside with other mums so helpful,” says Paloma.
“There are some mums who have told me that they were quite outdoorsy before but were quite anxious about taking their baby outside.
“But they’ve said that my sessions have given them the confidence to get back outside and do what they love.”
Looking to the future, Paloma hopes to expand her project even further.
“My ultimate dream is to expand the project by owning a woodland, allowing me to run these sessions daily and reach even more families,” says Paloma.
Wellbeing diary with Paloma Espindola
What are your top three tips for health and wellbeing?
1: Get outside even when you don’t want to.
2: A good nutritious diet, especially for mums who are breastfeeding. Also being outdoors is very important.
3: Don’t take yourself too seriously.
How do you like to de-stress?
For me, being outdoors is my happy place. Especially in the forest or along the River Dee. Those places are my sanctuary.
Do you have any daily habits which help your mental health?
A good sing song and dance is always part of our day.
Have you read any inspiring health/wellbeing books or listened to any good podcasts recently?
I really loved Iona Andean’s podcast ‘Nurture with Nature’. There’s some really inspirational stories and she’s also an Aberdeen local which makes it even better.
What advice would you give new mums who are keen to get outdoors but are perhaps struggling with their confidence?
Start small by going to your local park or nature reserve or even have a sit in your garden.
Even if you just take a five minute walk and a sit on the bench, you’ll feel so much better for getting some fresh air and some Vitamin D.
Take a small picnic blanket and sit together.
Babies love being outside, it offers such a rich sensory experience from the way the light moves between the trees, the gentle sound of the wind, and the birds chirping.
Those first moments in nature with a newborn are my most cherished.
For more information about Nurture the Wild, check out Paloma’s Instagram page @nurturethewildproject, her Facebook page @nurturethewildproject or email nurturethewildproject@gmail.com
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