Bump Buddies scheme for ‘at risk’ pregnant women

A befriending scheme to help ‘at risk’ pregnant women who need support is seeking new volunteers.

Bump Buddies – managed by Shoreditch Trust and funded through City and Hackney NHS – connects women with mums-to-be who need help through their pregnancy and to prepare them for the experience of parenting.

Through outreach work and a valuable one-to-one befriending scheme, volunteers help participants in the scheme to access services.

A Bump Buddies spokesperson said: “No case is the same. Pregnant women may be referred to Bump Buddies by public health midwives or social services because they’re young – teenagers – or they are on the cusp of homelessness or suffering from domestic abuse.

“Others may refer themselves because they have no family or social support and language barriers are preventing them from accessing the care they need.”

Muriel, 53, who joined Bump Buddies three years ago and has so far worked with three pregnant women, said: “It can be hard to get the women to be open.

“So the most enjoyable thing is seeing the women become closer to me and starting to trust me so that I can help.”

Muriel has two children of her own who are now 13 and nine.

She came to the UK from Jamaica 15 years ago and struggled when she had her first child as she had no family or friends nearby to help or support her.

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer is being advised to visit shoreditchtrust.org/bumpbuddies and click on the ‘Be a Bump Buddy’ link.