Covid 19 coronavirus: Website aims to keep women supported in lockdown

Mike Hosking talks to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern about Covid-19 and the lockdown restriction confusion.

An Auckland woman living alone in the lockdown is encouraging young mums to sign up to a website she's started so they could look out for each other.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern yesterday called on New Zealanders to check on new mums through the lockdown period.

New mums cannot have visitors, but friends and family are reminded to pay extra attention to them because they are an at-risk group with regards their mental health.

Ardern said she was worried about women who have just given birth during her Covid-19 update yesterday.

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Ankita Sharma, 28, who moved from India about 10 years ago, launched hireamum.co.nz as a service for young women who seek a mother figure and companion to help them through life's tough decisions and provide emotional support, mentoring and guidance.

Hire-a-mum website founder Ankita Sharma says women should stay connected during lockdown for the sake of their mental health. Photo / Supplied.

"It is a platform for women to young women to connect with mums and grandmothers so they can feel supported," Sharma said.

"But in this lockdown period, I think it is important for young mums and other women, like me, who are living in isolation to remain connected for the sake of our mental health."

Sharma came to New Zealand when she was just 18 and said there were many a times when she wished she had her mum - or at least a mother figure around - to help her with questions she had.

"From questions about groceries, cooking ideas to health issues, I was missing my mum dearly wish I had such a platform then to connect and ask questions," she said.

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"It is from my experience I can say a girl always needs her mum and if she is not physically present, she can reach out to our hired mums for emotional support and care."

It is free to join but mums offering the mentoring service can do them voluntarily or ask for a fee.

"Many women during the lockdown can feel isolated, mentally, emotionally and socially," Sharma said.

"It is especially important at this time to empowering these women so they can feel emotionally supported."

Ardern said on Sunday at her Covid-19 briefing: "There are people we should be particularly mindful of and new mums are among them."

Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said a "key focus" was "ensuring that people's mental wellbeing is looked after" through alert level 4.

"We want to make sure that everybody who needs support gets the support they need," he said.

Women who wish to connect with Sharma can do so via Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hireamumPvtLtd/ or via chat icon on the website.