MNHQ here: Pregnant with your first baby? Due spring 2017? Planning to go back to work after maternity leave? Here's a proposition for you... (free!)

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello ladies of the pregnant variety

As you may know, Mumsnet HQ likes to celebrate the benefits of family-friendly working, and advocate for ways to make it easier for mothers (and fathers who take extended leave) to continue to progress in their careers after having their babies.

We've been doing a bit of work with the maternity coaching business Womba, which specialises in supporting parents (usually but not always mothers) in their transition out of and back into the workplace. (Here are some links about maternity coaching and the benefits it could provide.)

Womba has come up with a new maternity coaching development programme for soon-to-be mothers, bringing women from different organisations together into a cohort, and providing a range of development workshops that start when they're between 5 and 7 months pregnant, continue during maternity leave, and are provided again when the women return to work.

The very first cohort will be getting underway in late November (provisionally the 22 and 23 November), and will include women employed by some very big UK businesses - and Womba have kindly offered a free place to one Mumsnetter.

You'd need to be:

a pregnant lady
expecting your first baby
due in February or March 2017
currently employed, eligible for and planning to take maternity leave
intending to go back to work after maternity leave
able to commit to six half days in total: two prior to maternity leave, two during, and two after
willing to provide (honest!) feedback and possibly feature in Womba's coverage of the event in the press - so you'd need to be happy being photographed and filmed
able to travel to the workshops in London (we know, WE KNOW! But this is the very first run of this particular programme - if it's successful Womba hope to roll it out in locations across the UK). Travel expenses will not be covered.


Womba has lots of experience in talking to employers about the benefits of these programmes, and participants are often able to get their employers to sign off the time as training and keeping-in-touch days - so if you'd like help making those arguments to your employer, Womba are happy to advise.

So, if this sounds like something you'd be interested in, please stick your name on the thread and we'll take it from there. Any questions about the course do please ping them up as well and we'll try to get answers for you.

Thanks
MNHQ

[Grumpelstiltskin]

Sorry Rowan been on hols! Will reply now.

[DanGodsall]

Hi everyone who's contributed to the thread. Mumsnet have pulled names from a hat and we are in contact with the individuals who've been picked.

In response to Henrythegreenengine, yes our programmes are designed for adoptive parents too.

Academic nerd - we'd love to hear about your PhD. If you can contact me on [email protected] I'd love to arrange a conversation with you.

Thank you everyone for your interest. If there's anything we can do to support anyone, feel free to email me too.

And warmest wishes to all of you for the next stage of your lives. I hope everything goes wonderfully for you all.

Dan, WOMBA