'The change isn't talked about' - the walking group helping mums

A mum who set up a walking group after experiencing postpartum depression said she never wanted others to feel how she felt.

Rachel Fearnley, 34, struggled with her mental health for three years following the birth of her daughter in 2023.

After experiencing a miscarriage before falling pregnant with her daughter, Rachel, from Aspull, said she wanted nothing more than to have a baby.

But she said she felt guilty for not feeling an instant connection after giving birth.

"The change isn't talked about," she said.

"You see other mums smashing it, but actually behind closed doors they might not be."

Rachel was inspired to set up Baby Barbells, a pre and postnatal fitness class for women in Wigan, which expanded into a weekly walking group at Haigh Hall.

Since starting the walks in October with two other mums, Rachel said the group had grown to about 45 women joining weekly.

"I didn't have a village," she said.

"I knew I wanted a community and I wanted to set up a safe space for mummies.

"We can talk to the mummies about worries and stresses.

"I never wanted anyone to feel how I felt."

Maddie Squire, 36, from Wigan, has been attending the group for five weeks with her first born.

"They say nothing can prepare you for [motherhood]," she said.

"I've got friends without kids and they're empathetic, but they'll never quite understand what you're going through in the trenches, compared to someone who's also got a 10-month-old."

Mum-of-two Catherine Riley, 34, from Standish, began attending the class with her second child after asking other mums for help with the postpartum period on Facebook.

"It's such a lonely period," she said.

"Your husband gets it to a certain degree, but they don't get all the hormonal changes or your body changes or the fact that you don't recognise yourself.

"It was a vulnerable post."

Sarah Hickman, 30, from Wigan, said she joined the group as she was not confident in going out.

"Meeting new people have pushed me out me comfort zone," she said.

"It's good for my mental health....and to have people who have kids the same age as you as well."

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