After her third child was born, Ariel Bryant was struggling. Originally from New York, she had spent much of her pregnancy at home during one of Melbourne’s long Covid lockdowns. Even as restrictions lifted, she was still far from family and feeling the pressure of looking after young children without a solid community.
When her doctor diagnosed her with postpartum anxiety she began researching what social support she could access. As she already had kids she wasn’t able to join a local council parent group. So instead she started going on long regular walks with a new friend, Keshia Hutchens, who had also had a third child and was facing similar obstacles.
