“Where is my half an hour during the day?” 

Many mothers are familiar with this sentence since they often do not get around to deal with their mental and physical health because of a myriad of duties they have regarding their children, home and work. Although nearly every mother faces this issue, it is rarely discussed, and the mothers’ satisfaction and happiness are often taken for granted and placed well behind the needs of the child or other family members.

“Taking your daughter to folk dance practice and music school, your son to karate, and you have a little baby as well, my half an hour comes at 11PM, when it’s time for bed”, says Ana, a 35-year-old Subotica resident and mother of three, her youngest only six months old.

Even when her older children are at school or in other activities and Ana could spend her time with her newborn in a way that suits her, she is often faced with unfitting premises, such as cafes, where smoking is mostly allowed, just like other mothers do. So, she mostly stays within her own four walls, because she adapts to what suits the baby most.

This way of life often contributes to the emergence of some faithful companions to childbirth: back pain, headaches and, rather frequently, psychological issues as well - like postpartum depression, and even clinical depression in some cases. 

That is why Ana was thrilled to be given the opportunity to exercise once a week, together with other moms and their babies, at a workout session jokingly referred to as ‘baby weights’, organised by the ‘Anahitas’ women and pregnant women care association. 

The initiative was launched on the basis of the association’s seven years’ experience, and it initially focused on pregnant women’s physical wellbeing. However, talking with the women, they realised that there was need for additional forms of support.

“Not all mothers experience the postpartum period in the same way. Everyone expects new mothers to be content, balanced, and to radiate happiness. However, it can happen that the initial days, weeks, or even months do not quite pass in utmost satisfaction. They didn’t exactly understand what it’s about, the problem’s been around for generations, and so they thought it was somehow normal. This situation actually has a name - whether it be ‘baby blues’ or postpartum depression - and we tried to include preventative work in our activities. We introduced workout sessions for new mothers and their babies, as well as consultations with psychologists, and a number of education sessions”, midwife and ‘Anahitas’ president Klaudija says.

“That’s why I love mommy-baby workouts so much, because then I have the time both for myself and my health, and my baby is happy, too”, Ana adds. “It being free is a major plus. We’d have to pay 3000-4000 Dinars a month for similar workouts, with it being a gamble - you pay for it without actually knowing you will get around to use the service. And it’s a wonderful feeling we can go somewhere with our kids. Many of us are on their own, there’s nobody who can watch our babies for us, and this way the babies tire themselves out, and then you get half an hour of peace and quiet on top of everything”, Ana says and concludes: “People say ‘a happy mom is a good mom’ and I truly agree.”

The workout is regularly attended by other moms, with a variety of backgrounds, interests and ages. They are, however, all joined in motherhood, and this is a place for making new friendships.