The Baynhams

The best part of being in Northampton was meeting up with old friends. When I was expecting Sian, our first baby, Byron and I attended a weekly evening parenting group in the local hospital. Being there as a couple we were more interested in soaking up information than making new friends. We felt very young. I was 24 and at least 10 years younger than most of the other women there. My midwife encouraged me to double up by attending her weekly morning class in the local Doctors surgery. Even though the info was the same she knew it was generally attended by women on their own who were more likely to want to make friends with each other.

And so I made some of the best friendships of my life with Cathy, Zoe and Theresa. We watched and compared notes as our babies reached their milestones . We went to baby swim lessons, mothers groups and spent numerous mornings at each others houses. We celebrated each new pregnancy within our group and put together goody bags as one of us neared a due date. We became each others first babysitters, we lent on each other as life dealt us blows we didn't see coming. We drank tea, we laughed, we talked about our fears, our hopes, our dreams. We let off steam and then slumped exhausted as hugs were offered and more tea was made. We learnt to be less than perfect around each other and shattered the myths of the mothers and babies we saw in our glossy baby magazines.

These girls helped me through the hardest days of motherhood, the loss of a pregnancy and the trepidation of a subsequent one. We saw each others worst and we brought out each others best. As this photo was taken the eight years since we last sat together melted away as though nothing had changed. I know no matter how long it is until we sit together again I will always love these girls.