Mumsnet Blogfest – More than just a networking event: a celebration of community and source of inspiration

Back when I was pregnant for the first time, as a headstrong 24 year old, I developed a pathological fear of advice. Despite never having done any of it before, I felt I, as mum, I knew best. And what I didn’t know, I was bloomin’ well going to find out by myself.

Me being me, I thought I’d found the perfect mix of baby wearing and Crying It Out, tiger mothering vs free range parenting, baby-led weaning and Annabel Karmel, Stay At Home vs going back to work, and of course the big one, breast vs bottle. But like everyone else, I was basically just bumbling through, finding out what worked for my baby at any given time, which, like most people, was fairly ad hoc and subject to constant change.

Still, however much I struggled, I didn’t want to feel like I was being told what to do. I became a zealot first in ignoring, then religiously following Gina Ford, taking my baby to everything, then eventually taking him to very little as it became more and more apparent that my own strong will was matched tooth and nail by my the ferocious will of my son’s own. It took a long time to admit defeat; to realise I wasn’t alone, and if I felt like I was fighting a battle, there were plenty of others who were waging the same war – on sleep, eating, potty training and whether or not to accelerate the many processes that my baby, would eventually get to on his own, in his own sweet time.

A couple of baby books and a steep learning curve later, I’m much more willing to listen, and one source of advice and support I inevitably find myself returning to is Mumsnet, which, back when I was a new mum, I scorned for being a bit, well, mumsy. I really got into Mumsnet when, after several years of working stuff out for myself, I started dishing out my own, unasked for advice on my blog – borne out of frustration, anxiety, and lessons learned the hard way, writing about my son, who was in the process of being diagnosed with Asperger’s, and how this process, and learning to accept and adapt to him had affected and inspired me.

I joined Mumsnet Bloggers Network in order to get more traction for my blogs (I was working in digital marketing at the time, and had learned a few buzzwords about viriality and reach), and I wasn’t disappointed. My blogs stats soared. I finally had a platform and as a mother, I finally felt I had a voice. But as well as finding the space to air my own experiences I also, by then, had learned to listen to others’.

From my initial welcome on the site to the first time I made the Front Page, I found a community of parents, and writers to boot, who introduced me to a whole new perspective on parenting and other topics too, from those who keep diaries, blog about particular issues, test out freebies for marketing execs, to those who campaign, or simply express the trials and tribulations of being a mum. It was fascinating, and soon, a sense of belonging to something bigger than myself developed as I found and followed fellow network bloggers on Twitter, and commented on, and chatted with other network users, finding a source of support and inspiration.

In time, my writing took on a life of its own as I became a Huff Post blogger, was featured in magazines and newspapers, and grew in confidence not just in my writing (I trained as a journo prior to becoming a parent) but in the sense that my ambitions, which had to an extent been curtailed by my parenting responsibilities, took on a renewed sense of purpose.

Last week I was invited to to Blogfest, Mumsnet Bloggers’ Network, taking place on Saturday 8 November at Kings Place near Kings Cross, and I jumped at the chance to meet this community in the flesh, as well as pick up some tips on monetising my site (something I’ve never managed to do save for the odd freebie, despite my time in digital marketing and blog stats that are approaching some 50,000 views.) I will also get a chance to meet a selected group of speakers including the fabulous Lynn Barber, Stylist columnist Lucy Mangan, colourful Kids Company founder Camila Batmanghelidjh, and comedian Lucy Porter as well as a host of bloggers I follow on the network, such as Alison Perry from Not Another Mummy Bloggerr and fellow special needs blogger Hayley Goleniowska from Downs Side Up. With a range of break out and panel sessions, masterclasses as well as the inspirationally-titled “Thinkbombs”, it promises to be a fabulous day, which, I’m hoping will motivate me to bigger and better things with my own blog, as well as finally acknowledging how useful and interesting it can be to learn about something from others who have been there and done it all before.