To avoid the peak summer TL;DR, I’ll keep this short and sweet. In a recent class some mamas and I chatted reminiscing about when we joined FIT4MOM, how long ago it was, and those initial feelings of why we joined.

I am approaching my 6th anniversary with FIT4MOM DuPage County. I joined my first class when my daughter was 9 weeks old, just as I was about to return to work. I remember coming up and apologizing for being late. The instructor looked at me and said, “there’s no such thing as late to these classes” and all the mamas in the class nodded along, I was floored. I was brand new, first class, and instantly welcomed into a new community.

Fast forward, my daughter was 5 months and I tried my first Body Well (previously Body Back) session. We met before the session to introduce ourselves and talk about our goals. It came to me for intros and I started sobbing, barely getting words out. I was the first of my family and friends to have a baby. I didn’t realize how isolating, lonely, and scary it could be, how lost I felt. The mamas in that circle just reassured me they were there for me, I was in the thick of it and encouraged me to find myself. I just met these women, and they told me they were there for me.

What keeps me coming back, what encourages me to welcome new mamas to the village, what keeps me going is remembering why I started. The mamas I chatted with had similar stories - you don’t realize how badly you need this village until you are part of it and you can’t imagine yourself otherwise. When I go through the motions of motherhood and I need people who understand what I’m going through, I remember why I started with this village and know when I go to a class, mom’s night out, book club, etc. I’ll feel the feeling of belonging and connection, just like when I started.