3 days Ago By [email protected] (Amy Britton)
Emma Clarke runs the Cambridge franchise of the Mum Club alongside being a mother of two and a photographer (Image: Emma Clarke) Stay up to date with all the latest news, features and reviews of all things food, drink, and entertainment with our weekly What's On email More Newsletters Subscribe Please enter a valid email Something went wrong, please try again later. More Newsletters We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you.
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More info × Group 28 Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show Me No thanks, close See our Privacy Notice During pregnancy there seems to be a lot of support and regular appointments for mothers – but after giving birth, this support can 'disappear' with many mums feeling lonely. Emma Clarke runs the Cambridge franchise of the Mum Club to help get mums "out of the house and have a bit of time to be themselves". Mrs Clarke has two young daughters, four and six, to look after alongside her photography career.
She said being a mother is "a lot harder than she ever imagined it would be". She added: "I do think you get a lot of support when you're pregnant and then, everything's about what you should do in pregnancy and then, it's all about the new-born and how to feed. Then the help just kind of drops off.
The support just kind of disappears. "I think what I find hard about being a mother, is just the juggle and it's not just the normal things like cooking and cleaning. It's things I would refer to as mum admin.
"The dentist appointments, the school emails. I'm constantly getting emails about Red Nose Day so the girls have to dress up in sequins and last week, it was World Book Day. All those things are great but it's another thing to remember.
It all kind of falls onto the main caregiver and it can be a lot on the mental load." The Cambridge Mum Club (Image: Emma Clarke) When asked what she finds most rewarding about being a mum, Mrs Clarke said: "Just being their person, they love me so much. I know it sounds ridiculous but just being someone's complete world is amazing.
I love watching their little personalities develop. I sometimes just sit back and watch them and think it's just a lovely place to be. "I lost my mum so I think there are a lot of things that I find difficult about being a mum without my mum and that's where my photography comes in.
My mum was really keen on taking photos and after she died, we found she had 165 photo albums of all different holidays. But that's definitely where I get the love of photography from and I think it's so important to capture these moments." Mrs Clarke also offers photography sessions for families to make sure mums are captured in photos with their children.
She added: "I think it's so important for mums to get in the photos because that doesn't happen often. A lot of mums' camera rolls are just full of pictures of their children and their husbands or partner. One of my key things is to get the mums in the photos.
"My mum wasn't in many photos so I try to get in as many photos with my girls as possible so they have them in the future. I want people to know it's not a self-indulgent thing to go and have a family photo shoot. It's a really important thing to do to make memories and have those memories for the people in the future.
" The Mum Club gets mums together to form a network (Image: Emma Clarke) Despite already being busy with her photography business, Mrs Clarke enjoys running the Cambridge Mum Club. She said working there has been an enjoyable experience thanks to the "supportive network" the club has fostered. The club, which was founded by Lauren Webber and Jessica Lawes in 2016, has 75 franchises across the UK and aims to offer mums the opportunity to have some time to do something for themselves.
She said: "It's a big support network, which is really nice. It's totally flexible. I can do the school run and host an event after and be back before I need to pick the kids up.
It's definitely more flexible than if I had stayed in teaching, which is what I'm trained in. "The Mum Club encourages you to have a photographer to take photos and capture the moments with the mums and their friendships. So it's an advantage that I am the photographer because I can do it at the same time as running and hosting.
It's definitely enjoyable and I really enjoy hosting. I love taking the photos. I feel like I am doing a job that I love.
" The Mum Club hosts different events (Image: Emma Clarke) The founders of the Mum Club found many of the baby groups they took part in were "baby focused" and decided to create a " safe and supportive space for mums" to have some time for themselves. The organisation hold events such as coffee and brunch clubs with popup shops by local businesses and speakers, Pilates classes, and walks to get mums talking to each other. Mrs Clarke said mums are 'appreciative' of the club.
She said: "I get messages afterwards saying, 'I was having a really hard morning. I wasn't going to come and then I decided to get out the house and I feel so much lighter.' "It gives mums a purpose to do something.
It's about having that space to make new friendships. There are two mums that met at the brunch club and now come to all of them together after forming a friendship." The next Mum Club event in Cambridge will be a walking club event held in partnership with Tommee Tippee where you will walk through Grantchester Meadows with a coffee and pastry from the Java Coffee Club.
You can find out more information about the event on the Mum Club website here . To get more breaking news and top stories delivered directly to your phone, join our new WhatsApp community. Click this link to receive your daily dose of CambridgeshireLive content.
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