What Mamas Say About HRP Mamas

"I wanted to thank you for this incredible group you've put together - it was a lifesaver for me when I had my son three years ago - being able to research on the forums, get cheap used gear and feel a sense of community despite being in the midst of Covid for most of it."

"This group truly shaped my experience of becoming a mother in the most positive way. I've made connections I never would have otherwise (ESPECIALLY in a pandemic) and I'll be forever grateful. You all are invaluable."

"I'm sure you get messages like this all the time - but still, I just wanted to say THANK YOU for having the foresight, sensitivity, follow-thru, persistence, passion (and a thousand other things), to create this moms network and keep it going for these years. It has changed my life already and I met you/joined less than a week ago. I'm in a support group, meeting up with two moms today, and I think I've found a nanny share. I even felt up for reaching out to support a newer mom than me who is having some issues with her 4 week old that I dealt with, too - how nice to feel like I am also in a position to help :o) Just as suddenly and dramatically as motherhood spun me for a loop, this HRP Mamas has changed it for the better. Thank you again."

"Another Mama introduced me to HRP Mamas and it totally transformed my life and I can't imagine going through maternity leave or back to work without it. My closest friends now are those I met through the group and they've been pillars of support throughout the last 14 months. I wouldn't be the Mom I am today without them and I don't know how I would have got though the tough times or who would have celebrated the milestones with me as enthusiastically. My HRP Mamas are family and I just hope that every Mama can experience what I did. I'm so thankful for the group and for all you guys do to make it as amazing as it is. Thank you thank you thank you!!"

"I joined HRP mamas halfway through my first pregnancy and didn't know what to expect. To my pleasant surprise it not only helped me prepare mentally for motherhood it also put me in touch with a massive community of like-minded moms just a few minutes walk away -- many of whom have become my closest friends. I appreciated the classifieds board, where I could sift through the overwhelming number of items recommended to new moms to see the items that really mattered and get them second hand at a much reduced price. More importantly, I appreciated the opportunity to make friends with other pregnant moms-to-be who I exchange supportive text messages with at 3 a.m. now that our kids have arrived! Lastly I can't say enough for HRP mamas director Anna, who went out of her way to personally offer to walk me to a new moms meeting just to help me get out of the house if I was feeling isolated. The feeling of support and of being in touch with people who have been through this before and survived is invaluable."

"I truly believe that HRP Mamas saved my life in the early weeks of motherhood. My baby was born in the winter and having meetups to look forward to was literally the only thing that got me out of the house in those first few months. I made a small group of wonderful friends who began meeting every single day when the babies were 3 weeks old, rotating apartments and playrooms each day. We would even sometimes open a bottle of wine in the afternoon, chat and relax until the husbands came home... thinking back to those days makes me so happy because it was the only time I felt normal while navigating new motherhood, and I felt like I could be myself, nurse the baby, talk and ask questions unlike any other setting I could find. Once the weather got nicer we ventured out to parks, and sat for literally hours every day with our babies rolling around on blankets in the shade. Our kids are now more than 2 years old and to this day, my 3 best friends are all from HRP Mamas and the kids are best friends too! I will be forever grateful to this wonderful community for making my life what it is today."

"I am so grateful for the supportive community of friends and neighbors on HRP Mamas: other mothers who have responded to my middle-of-the-night panicked emails about nursing or a sick baby; mothers who have given advice and words of encouragement when I felt utterly alone; friendship and smiles when things felt grim and challenging at times. I have gotten leads for nannies, babysitters, pediatricians and other essential local resources. I have met other mothers and started regular playdates so I could get out of the house. When I started work again, I was given advice on the difficult transition. I do not have family nearby and HRP Mamas has meant the world to me. I don't know where I would be without this support system. When Hurricane Sandy left us without heat or hot water for a week, the moms in HRP Mamas opened their homes to my family so we could recharge our phones and take a hot shower and bathe our kids. When I was stuck in a hotel in another country and had trouble expressing breast milk with a pump, I got advice from other mothers so I didn't have to go find a doctor or lactation consultant in a strange city. When my second child was due on Christmas Day and I wasn't sure what to do with my older child in case I had to go to the hospital in the middle of the night, moms from HRP Mamas offered to be on standby and look after my child until my nanny arrived. I feel blessed to have this community of friends and neighbors. It really takes a village at times, and it's wonderful to have this village feeling in the big city! Thank you HRP mamas!"

"It is inconceivable what early motherhood would have been like for me without HRP Mamas. The birth of my child and moving to a new neighborhood presented many personal challenges. HRP Mamas gave me access to a group of interesting and intelligent people who shared knowledge without judgment and became my friends. Their pooled wisdom helped me through some difficult times and allowed me to participate in a community that seemed otherwise elusive to someone new to the neighborhood. Not only did I become a member of a supportive system, I found my beloved nanny in their classified section, joined a moms' fantasy football league and received phenomenal doctor and business recommendations. Heading into the toddler years, I continue to find HRP Mamas an indispensable resource that I would never want to be without."

"Despite millions of people in the city, living in NYC can be an isolating experience. Being a mom and living in the city even more so if you don't have a good support system! Initially, I wasn't sure what to expect from joining HRP Mamas. But I quickly saw the sense of community in the correspondences. I was so moved when one mom was posting her worry about her child being ill and not having access to an over the counter medication sold out at the pharmacy followed by a number of moms offering to drop off and share their own meds if necessary. This generosity is exhibited over and over again such as during Super Storm Sandy and families opening their doors to other families for a shower, a quick meal, or whatever else might be needed. Being a working mom makes it hard for me to join and meet a lot of other moms in the community during the week. Being a part of HRP Mamas helps me feel and stay connected to other moms that even if I have never met, still correspond with, sharing stories, getting advice on sleep and feed issues, feedback on the latest gadgets, and concerns we have for our children, our community, and family. Yes, you can go to online sites to get advice and hear stories. But none will feel as intimate as another NYC mom who lives in your neighborhood and who probably shares many of the same experiences as you! And last but not least is the fact that the founder of the site and its early participant are still members and continue to maintain a personal involvement, from providing advice, to always setting up relevant seminars and discussions for families to join."

"What I value most about HRP Mamas is how nurturing and supportive a community it is. As a first-time mom, I am so thankful for the advice I've received and moved by the caring and compassion shown to me by this wonderful community. It is a blessing to not feel alone and so amazing to experience such strength of community in Manhattan... I did not think it was possible before joining HRP Mamas! HRP Mamas enriches my daily life and I am so grateful."

"I use the word INVALUABLE rarely, but my HRP Mamas membership is exactly that. I joined as a scared first-time mom with limited support. I quickly learned that whatever issue I was facing, the list was a warm and welcoming community where I could get near instant wise, varied, and non-judgmental advice from my fellow mamas... and most importantly, feel that I was not alone in my struggles as a new parent. On the issues that were most trying for me, a mama always reached out to meet for coffee or chat on the phone, even without knowing me. And nothing has been better in pointing me in the right direction with respect to choosing classes, schools, products, and experiences for my daughter and even date nights for my husband and I. I am quite the fan and will be a member for a long time to come!"

"I joined HRP Mamas a little over five years ago when we moved to BPC when I was pregnant with my first daughter. Over the years, I have used the HRP Mamas message board as resource for anything from breast-feeding clinics to where to get CPR for infant training, to what double stroller to get which we needed as we prepared to welcome our second baby. I also hear news that I need to know on this board, have sold baby clothes and bought a full wardrobe for my daughter when she was 3! Basically, in a nutshell, it's a lifesaver, and I've loved being a part of this community. Thanks so much!"

"I have made incredible, life long friends through HRP Mamas and so have my children. No question is too big, too small, or too off topic for my HRP Mama network. Answers are always at my fingertips, as are unlimited hugs, smiles, and shared occasional tears. Thank you HRP Mamas!"

"Joining HRP Mamas has been an incredible, life changing experience. It has helped me meet other moms in the neighborhood, find out about all the children's resources in the area and really just get out of the apartment and put an end to the isolation that I found with being a stay at home mom. Before joining, I was working full-time and did not know a single mom in the area. I also never took my child to any classes and going to the park just depressed me because it seemed like there was a secret society of moms that I was not a part of. Now I've met so many moms and I have a real sense of belonging in the neighborhood. I know some of these women will be friends for life."

"Here is what HRP Mamas means to me: It means there are a lot of other mothers going through the exact same things I am and not ever feeling alone. It means a forum for open discussion on topics we would possibly be afraid or embarrassed to bring up otherwise, for fear that others may judge us or think we have somehow failed. This experience and group has truly helped me through this wonderful and sometimes exhausting journey and has made me realize this community is truly unique and welcoming of everyone, and makes me want to stay down here for as long as we can."

"HRP Mamas is an amazing network and resource to new mothers, but most importantly, it has given me a sense of community here in Lower Manhattan. Manhattan is so transient, that it is difficult to find friends and feel a sense community. I believe that HRP Mamas has changed that for mothers and families living Downtown."

"I'm a new mother and new to Downtown. HRP Mamas has given me comfort knowing there's a network of similarly situated people who can answer questions, give advice, share information about motherhood and about the neighborhood."

"It's wonderful not to feel alone in the neighborhood. For most of my maternity leave (when I hadn't heard of HRP Mamas), I felt incredibly lonely. It was winter, so there was no playground mingling, and I had no idea that anyone went to the Winter Garden with their babies. For the most part, I was muddling through on my own, and getting the occasional piece of advice long-distance from my closest friends with kids, almost none of whom live in the city. I would have liked nothing more, during that time, than a regular Monday/Friday session with other mothers. And though, when I did finally discover the group, I was back at work full-time, I felt a little shy to attend or to approach anyone, the online camaraderie was reassuring and heart-warming, and I suddenly, after months of cluelessness, felt I had a resource, people who knew about the area, who were a few months ahead of me with their babies and could look back and offer helpful advice, and whose children I began to see on every trip out of the house, at the Gee Whiz, at Washington Market, at Rockefeller Park, etc. Now I'm hugely grateful, too, for the classes you've organized, which my daughter loves, and for the occasional weekend group play session. I'm envious of the new mothers who discover the group before or right after their babies' births. They won't have to go through quite such a period of loneliness and uncertainty, they'll have a family already waiting to guide them."

"It is a WONDERFUL network that has enhanced my life in such rich and powerful ways. I found my nanny through a friend I met on HRP Mamas and for that alone, my life, my husband's life and my daughter's life are richer. I didn't know how I could face going back to work after I had my baby, and I had to go back, it wasn't a choice. Thank goodness for this community!!"

"It is so hard to summarize what HRP Mamas means to me. I guess, it means friendship. I have met so many amazing women who have become my friends and have provided playmates for my son. I feel like I have an amazing support network. HRP is people to bounce ideas off of; to seek advice from and to share stories with. HRP Mamas has made living in a City where you often feel alone, a real community. I can walk down the street and know many people who pass by."

"HRP Mamas has been extremely helpful in navigating the perils and unknowns that accompany first time motherhood. The instant sense of community and gracious virtual support from others who've been there, and are there, by offering sincere advice and telling their own heartbreaking stories made me feel less alone. The fact that it is geared to a specific neighborhood (being the downtown community) is fantastic. I was able to gain knowledge of happenings, best places for this and that, and share my thoughts on favorite businesses, services etc. It has made me aware of a completely different world in the area that I live that I'd have had no idea existed otherwise."

"HRP Mamas has been my lifeline. I moved to NYC 4 months ago with a four month old baby. For the first month I met no one, and was really struggling. Then I heard about HRP, and ever since attending my first event life has been very different. I now have something everyday and feel so much less isolated. It's a fantastic neighborhood resource in a big city!"

"There is only one word to describe what HRP Mamas means to me: RELIEF. Before I found out about HRP Mamas, I felt so alone not knowing any mom in my neighborhood. And even now after meeting some moms, HRP Mamas message board is invaluable help for me knowing a lot of mothers are going through the same thing, getting tips from other moms, and many many more. I feel so lucky I have found this group."

"I was quite apprehensive about our move to New York City and initially believed I would want to move to the suburbs as quickly as possible. Now, however, we are considering buying property in lower Manhattan and remaining here for the long term. The shift in our long range plans is due, in no small part, to the support and information provided by HRP Mamas and the friendships I have formed through the group."

"I have met so many moms, and all have been kind and wonderful. I read the posts everyday, and each day I learn something new from the posts, whether it be about strollers, feeding, tantrums or even spas. The group makes me feel like I am not alone. It is such a wonderful strong network. I feel like I have friends I can call to have lunch with, and I don't feel alone."