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Kara McAllan is 33 years old , married and she is a mother of 2 young children , living in Perth WA,
Australia. Kara is the founder of ‘Mingle Mumma’.
Here is the story Kara shares with Affluent Society:
My husband and I have been together for 13 years. I always knew I wanted kids even from a
young age, so when my husband and I decided to let nature take course in the hopes of
having a baby, was the most exciting and happiest time.
These feelings turned to uncertainty and sadness after 4 long years of not being able to
conceive shattered and strained my mental health.
Month after month hoping and praying, wondering what we are doing wrong.
After GP visits confirming we were both fit and healthy and not knowing why we weren’t
falling pregnant. We decided to get some expert medical help from an amazing gynecologist
who had come highly recommended, still clinging onto the hope we would be able to
conceive.
She had a suspicion I had a condition called Endometriosis. A condition that sheds lining
back into the body forming scar tissue and cysts. In order to be diagnosed I had to undergo
a laparoscopy. If they determined scar tissue and cysts were present, they would remove
them at the same time.
Upon waking from surgery I was informed I did in fact have it and it was aggressive. She
however believed that I would now have a good chance at falling pregnant.
Another 7 months went by following the procedure and I still had not fallen pregnant. Fearing
the endometriosis scar tissue had returned (as there is no cure) we returned to her and
decided even though it was a large expense we would try IVF.
Blood tracking was suggested and to our surprise I fell pregnant naturally after the 2 nd round
of bloods tracking.
I went on to have a healthy baby boy.
Fast forward and when he was 8 months old we had the absolute surprise of our lives to find
we were expecting again! This time a baby girl.
As time went on and the kids were growing my husband and I decided I would leave my “9-
5” job to stay home with the kids. This meant a few sacrifices however and resulted in us
moving house which was another 40 mins from family and friends. Thus, my support network
weakened.
I found myself getting into a dark place feeling very alone and reaching out for some local
online mum’s groups. It wasn’t long before I realized I wasn’t alone in searching for mumma
friends and therefore Mingle Mumma was born!
Creating a space for the mummas
Mingle Mumma is a place to help all mums at various stages of their motherhood; whether
they are about to become a mum, they are a first-time mum or a mum to multiple kids.
Each stage of motherhood poses its own challenges and worries.
There are a lot of mothers that for whatever reason haven’t been able to build a strong
support network. Not having those critical relationships and support can have damaging
effects on mental health leading to unhappiness and post-natal depression.
Kara’s advice to our readers
Our state of mind and mental health are critical to our overall well-being. Depression can
affect your physical health, relationships, your mind and in some cases take people’s lives.
Motherhood is hard, the vision for Mingle Mumma is to allow an easy way for mums to
connect with other mums to avoid feelings of helplessness, stress and to eradicate mothers going
down a dark path.
It is great for mums that may be introverts as well as it takes the pressure off having to
approach someone randomly at a park or playgroup trying to find a friend. About Human Stories:
All of us have a story to share. I've been exchanging stories with fellow readers and followers of Affluent Society in Australia. Some are joyful. Some are teary. Some provide perspectives. Several are downright heartbreaking. Others are simply inspiring.
Here is mine from Melbourne. https://www.affluent-society.com/post/human-stories-esther-kuan-melbourne-australia The Human Stories Series is a cumulation of stories shared with Affluent Society by its readers and followers from around the world.
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