139 TARRYN PRIEST – Helping Mums Rise

Helping Mums Rise

TARRYN PRIEST IS ON A MISSION TO SUPPORT AND EMPOWER WOMEN ON THEIR PARENTING JOURNEY

WORDS BY LIA SPENCER

If motherhood was a sport, and we were the players, Tarryn Priest would be the person we all need in our corner.

The coach, the cheerleader, the superfan. Tarryn helps create the game plan, will pick you up when you fall and gives you the encouragement you need when you’re feeling defeated. She is the ultimate wing-woman. Tarryn, the owner of MumRise, offers a range of pregnancy, birth, and post-natal support services to parents all over Gippsland and surrounds. Providing education, a doula service, sleep and settling advice and more, Tarryn said there was a crucial need for parent support- especially during the pandemic. Restrictions and lockdowns have caused many important services like pre-natal classes, maternal health care home visits and mother’s groups to be cancelled or postponed. Even having a muchneeded conversation with friends and family over a cuppa is off the cards. As a mother to four young kids- Islah, Eddie, Billy, and Paddy- Tarryn knows all too well the challenges and triumphs that come along with raising kids and the importance of having a good support system.

Tarryn confessed that she was maternal even at a young age. As a child, she would gravitate towards babies, curious about their nature and wanting to care for them. Even in high school she longed to be a mum. Now married to her high school sweetheart, he reminds her how at 17, she asked him how long they had to wait until they could have kids. The couple had their first child Isla when Tarryn was 22. Her son Eddie followed not long after. But it was the birth of her third son Billy that brought Tarryn to her knees.

First, she suffered a traumatic birth, then she had a long and relentless challenge of monotonous sleepless nights. Tarryn was physically and emotionally drained and made the courageous move to get professional help and support.

Tarryn was referred to the Raphael Centre in Berwick and started seeing a psychologist. She also took Billy to a sleep-school where she received important advice to help establish a proper routine. Getting that lifechanging help ultimately led Tarryn down her own career path.

After having her fourth son Paddy, Tarryn decided she wanted to help other women who were struggling in their own pregnancy or motherhood journey. Thus, MumRise was born. Initially known as Room to Sprout, the business underwent a recent name change to better reflect Tarryn’s wide range of services and business goal, which is to guide and support mums and their families throughout their challenges, celebrate their wins and empower those to thrive.

“I want to remind each and every woman just how phenomenal they are,” she said. “It takes a village to raise a child, but it takes a motherhood full of glorious women to raise a mother.”

Tarryn believes that knowledge is power, especially when it comes to labour and birth.

“The less prepared we are and the less knowledge we have, the higher the chance of negative outcomes for both mum and baby. There is so much fear surrounding birth these days that people draw their own conclusion of what their labour will be like before it happens,” she said. “We have lost the natural process of birth. There’s much more medical intervention happening now, which causes ripple effects for the entire process. I think that when we are better prepared and we have the tools to advocate for ourselves within our labour and birth, then it’s going to lead to better outcomes for everyone.”

Tarryn said over the years, we have also lost ‘the village’ it takes to raise a child. That is where her doula service comes into effect.

“I was very lucky to have a supportive partner and my mum and sisters to help out. I relied on them a lot and I don’t think I could have done it without them, but a lot of people don’t have that support,” Tarryn said. “We are missing the village that we used to have. Back in the day, many years ago, we would all be raising each other’s children within the community.

Everyone would help one another. Even in some cultures now, mums have a Golden Month and don’t leave the home and people come and care for them. We are missing that here. It’s something that has just been forgotten about and we are expected to just take our babies home after we have them and know what the hell we are doing- and most of the time we don’t. Whilst we might even feel great and confident, there are times we really need the extra support. We forget we can ask for help, or we feel like we are failing if we ask for help.

“ In Australia, most people haven’t even heard of a doula. A doula is not a medical professional, but they do give guidance and support, either physically or mentally or both, to the birthing person. It can be from debriefing about the process of birth and motherhood, or they are there to make a pot of soup for you, do some general housekeeping or let you sleep while they take care of your baby.”

Furthermore, as a certified child and sleep infant consultant, Tarryn offers direction, advice, and encouragement to help parents work towards their sleep goals with their child. She said making sure a baby sleeps was vital to both the parent and the child, but urged parents to have realistic expectations.

“I work with individual families and help create a plan to cater to each of their own needs, wants and values. I don’t make the same routine for everyone, and we can’t expect every child to be the same. Supporting and educating families about healthy sleep habits and what we can expect at every age and stage is really important,” Tarryn said. “I also think it’s important for people to establish great sleeping behaviours not just for the parent’s benefit, but for the child’s as well. Children need good sleep habits for their development and mental wellbeing.”

Tarryn said “mum guilt” stops many from putting up with hand and asking for help.

“Sometimes we think we are failing if we ask for help,” she said. “But it’s so important we try to get rid of that perception. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves, but we need to be aware that nobody is perfect. We are all just trying to do the best we can with what we have.”

Tarryn Priest

More information visit mumrise.com.au or visit MumRise on Facebook.