Build Your Village

The guide I made to set up my support before my baby arrived — and how to actually let it in.

Everyone says "it takes a village". Nobody tells you the village doesn't just show up — you have to build it, often from scratch, sometimes far from family. This free workbook is everything I used to build mine before my due date, with prompts, scripts and checklists you can actually fill in.

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Hi, I'm Georgie. I became a first-time mum at 40, without my own parents around, preparing for a daughter with albinism and flagged as higher-risk for postpartum depression. So I didn't wait until I was struggling to ask for help — I built my support network on purpose, months ahead.

This guide hands you everything I wish someone had handed me at the start. Take what's useful, leave the rest.

WHY BUILD YOUR VILLAGE BEFORE BIRTH

Because the newborn haze is the worst time to start.
Trying to find a psychologist, a lactation consultant or a mothers' group at 2am on three hours' sleep is nobody's idea of a plan. Set it up now, while you have the headspace.

Because asking is a skill — and skills take practice.
Most of us are brilliant at giving help and hopeless at receiving it. Building your village early gives you time to get comfortable saying "yes, actually, that would be amazing."

Because the quiet weeks catch everyone off guard.
Around week six, the meal train slows and everyone assumes you've "settled in" — often right as the exhaustion peaks. A village you've set up in advance is still there when you need it most.

SEE HOW IT HELPS

This isn't a passive PDF you skim once and forget. It's a workbook you work through. By the end, you'll have:

Your village mapped out, name by name, across four support "rings"
The right people matched to the right jobs (so you don't ask your feelings-friend to run a meal roster)
Word-for-word scripts for asking — and accepting — help without the guilt
Your professional team and crisis numbers written down before you need them
A ready-to-share help roster you can hand straight to your most organised friend

WHAT'S INSIDE

Hi, I'm Georgie — the story behind the guide, and why I built my village early
Why the village matters — what happened to the village, and how to rebuild it
Know your risk factors — a gentle check-in, with space to note what applies to you
Map your village — the four-ring exercise to see who you've got and where the gaps are
Your professional village — psychologists, nurses, lactation consultants and more (with an Australia-specific how-to)
Peer support programs — the free, trained-volunteer support most mums have never heard of
Who to ask for what — matching your people to their superpowers
Scripts for asking (and accepting) help — copy them word for word
Educate your tribe — how to tell your people about a diagnosis before, not after
Starting from scratch — for anyone far from family or new to their city
The help roster — hand this page to your most organised friend
Warning signs to watch for — for you and your village, plus crisis resources
Before you go — a note on receiving help (read this one twice)