Why I started The No-Village Mama
Share
I’ve always loved writing, but this blog wasn’t born out of creativity—it was born out of survival.
When I became a mum, I thought I was prepared. I’d read the books, followed the accounts, saved all the posts about baby sleep schedules and postpartum checklists. But nothing—and I mean nothing—prepared me for what it would feel like to become a mother 17,000 kilometers away from my family.
The “It Takes a Village” Realization
Before moving to Australia, people would often say, “It takes a village to raise a child.” I nodded, thinking it was just a nice saying. It wasn’t until I became a mum myself—far from my parents, siblings, friends, and any kind of support system—that I realized it’s not just a saying. It’s a survival guide.
Our son was born here in Sydney. We were so in love, so grateful—and so exhausted we could barely function. There was no grandma dropping off dinner, no friend coming to fold laundry or hold the baby while I showered. It was just us. And as much as my husband is an amazing partner, two people (one of them running on two hours of sleep) aren’t exactly a village.
That’s when the loneliness hit. The kind of quiet, invisible loneliness that comes even when your hands and heart are full.
The Breaking Point (and the Rebuild)
There were nights I’d rock my son for hours, crying silently and wondering how other mums did it.
I scrolled through social media seeing women with family around, playdates, babysitters, coffee dates… and I felt broken for struggling so much.
Motherhood almost swallowed me whole. Not because I didn’t love my baby, but because I had no one to lean on. And that’s a truth we don’t talk about enough—the emotional weight of mothering without support.
Then came the twins. (Yes, twins. Because why not make things interesting? 😅)
And somehow, instead of completely falling apart, something inside me shifted. I realized I wasn’t the only one doing this without a village. So many mums are in the same boat—expats, migrants, single parents, families far from home. We just don’t talk about it enough because we’re too busy trying to keep everyone alive.
That realization became the seed for The No-Village Mama.
What This Space Means
This blog isn’t about complaining—it’s about connection.
It’s a reminder that even without a traditional village, we can still build one—online, through shared stories, through small moments of “me too.”
Here, I want to write about the messy middle of motherhood:
the days when you’re grateful and exhausted at the same time, when you cry folding tiny clothes, when you love your kids so fiercely it hurts, and when you miss your old self just a little.
If even one mum reads something here and feels a little less alone, then this space has done its job.
So Why The No-Village Mama?
Because it’s real. Because sometimes it’s just you, your coffee (cold again), your thoughts, and a baby that refuses to nap.
Because motherhood is hard and beautiful and complicated, and we deserve to talk about it honestly.
This isn’t about having it all together—it’s about surviving the chaos with grace (or at least humour) and reminding ourselves that even without a village, we’re still enough.
So, welcome.
To the honest side of motherhood.
To The No-Village Mama.