Hawke’s Bay mum Gemma Douglas is releasing her first book, which is about raising children and titled Standing on the Edge of Motherhood.
Hawke’s Bay mum Gemma Douglas is releasing her first book, which is about raising children and titled Standing on the Edge of Motherhood.
Community comes in many forms.
Hawke’s Bay mum Gemma Douglas knows parenting can be a challenge. While raising her three babies, she created an online community that now speaks to 177,000 followers on Facebook and 56,000 followers on Instagram, real mothers who have found support in each other.
Gemma has gathered some of her thoughts and advice into a book, Standing on the Edge of Motherhood, due for release this month. Louise Ward caught up with her to find out more about the Motherhood Project and her new book.
What is The Motherhood Project?
At its heart, it’s a community. A place for mothers’ hearts and minds to find comfort, solace and understanding that we are not alone on this journey no matter how hard it feels some days, Gemma explained.
“It’s a place to find support when raising and caring for our little people feels challenging; it helps you find more joy and calm through like-minded community and honest stories from behind the scenes of motherhood - the ups, the downs, the laughter and the tears.”
After sharing her child-raising ups and downs with thousands of followers on social media, Hawke’s Bay mum Gemma Douglas is now releasing a book about how she does it.
How do your social media platforms work for you and how do you keep up with that many followers?
“The Motherhood Project online has become a very special and safe place for mums to come and share stories. I am its founder but the community has grown beyond this - it is all mothers, a beautiful supportive community who just get it!
“What makes it such a special place is that it has grown beyond just me keeping up with and responding to comments; there is a huge amount of interaction and support from others who are following along too.”
You’ll see others rallying to support those who are struggling, you’ll see followers celebrating the joy of someone they don’t even know because they know the same joy, Gemma said.
Tell us about the book.
“Standing on the Edge of Motherhood is a collection of my most popular poems, stories and thought streams from the past five years of The Motherhood Project in a tangible form. It includes some new pieces I’ve never shared before too.
“While social media has been pivotal to building the community I’ve also longed for a place to share the real, raw, unfiltered journey of motherhood beyond the squares and algorithms.
“Once the idea of the book was set into motion it tumbled very quickly into creation, thanks to the publisher, Wildling Books. It was almost as if it wanted to create itself. I am so excited for its release and to see what ripples it creates.”
Standing on the Edge of Motherhood will be in stores in mid-July and will be launched at Wardini Books in Havelock North at 6pm on Wednesday, July 26. All welcome.
