If you've been in the newborn bubble, you know all too well the days blend into nights and before you know it, three months have passed.
If you haven't, imagine an endless stream of feeding, settling and if you're lucky, sleeping (but only for short amounts of time). It's a major win if you get to eat or have a shower some days, let alone leave the house.
The monotony is real, and so is the isolation.
It's why parents of young kids need an outlet, an opportunity to socialise and connect with others going through the same thing.
Parents groups are great for that (if you get a crew you click with), but there's another spot mums and dads are going to connect – it's parkrun.
'It saved my mental health'
Madi Mercieca has been going to parkrun for about five years — her local is Penrith Lakes in Greater Western Sydney. She's got three young children – a 5-year-old son and 18-month-old twins.
She experienced bad anxiety when she was pregnant with her first child, which continued after his birth.
Then the endless competition that comes with being a new mum (like the not-so-innocent question "is your child sleeping through the night?") found its way into her life, along with a few too many negative conversations in new parent circles.
But it all turned around when her son was six weeks old and Madi went to parkrun for the first time since giving birth. She says the support and positivity was "mind-blowing".
"It saved my mental health," Madi said.
"I soon realised going to parkrun was a [great] way of getting my endorphins up, running, and just being with positive people.
So how does exercise help new parents?
After multiple middle-of-the-night wakeups and then fielding requests all day long, it can be a chore to get out of the house.
But according to associate professor Megan Teychenne from the Institute of Physical Activity and Nutrition at Deakin University, exercise is so important for new parents.
"Physical activity, we know from research, is important for both the prevention and treatment of mental illness, whether that be depression or anxiety, but also the promotion of mental health — so just feeling happier within ourselves," Dr Teychenne said.
With so many women in Australia (one in seven according to the Black Dog Institute) experiencing post-natal depression, Dr Teychenne says mothers are an important population group to target.
The mental health benefits of exercise count when you do it alone or in a group setting — but it could pay off to throw a chat in there too.
When you add fresh air to those two things, parkrun is really a triple whammy.
"You've got the element of exercise in there, but you've also got the element of being outside in nature, and research has shown that can have mental-health-enhancing effects. Then you've got social interaction as well," Dr Teychenne said.
"So each of those elements really complements each other for improving mental health for mums and people in general."
Madi, who is also part of Running Mums Australia, can relate.
'It's reassuring to know you're not doing it on your own'
Brittany Klee goes to parkrun with her two children Abigail, 2, and Violet, 10 months, and her husband, Chris. They're often part of a larger group involving extended family and friends.
"There's probably about 20-30 of us there if we all go on a Saturday," Brittany said.
Brittany does the Wynnum track in Brisbane and often hangs back and walks with two other mums.
"Quite often we will walk and talk and find out who's had a rough week and who hasn't," Brittany said.
Sometimes, Brittany doesn't even do the full 5 kilometres, but she finds just getting out of the house and into the fresh air therapeutic.
"Being out in the sun and going for a walk really relaxes me," Brittany said.
Along with that, parkrun is a time when she's not thinking about the chaos of life with young kids.
'The more mums that know about this, the better'
Madi loves the camaraderie of parkrun, where she's formed connections with multiple generations and genders.
"It's good because there are dads there as well, it's more of an equal environment," Madi said.
"And there's grandparents too, so you can get advice from older generations and your own generation."
A group that gives her so much support.
"Even though you really wanted to do a sub-30 parkrun, but your baby cracked it and you ended up doing a 1-hour parkrun, they're just so happy for you that you finished anyway."
And that silent knowing that other parents have when a child is cracking it, means a lot.
"One of my kids was having a tantrum and [another mum, Courtney] gave me one of her son's dinosaurs to keep him quiet in the pram.
"She got it, she understood that I wanted to run and he was losing his marbles."
Madi reckons there's literally nothing else on the planet (she can think of) that's as inclusive as parkrun.
"All ages, all stages, all colours, all sizes, and no-one ever judges. The person that runs at 19 minutes does not judge the person that walks it at an hour and 10," Madi said.
ABC Sport is partnering with parkrun to promote the benefits of physical activity and community participation.
