When my oldest daughter was a year and a half, my husband and I moved away from the life we had built in a midwest town to a new city. Although I had my daughter and husband by my side, I was saddened to leave the town and people we had grown to love. We had spent years in our previous city cultivating friendships, and networks. The thought of starting over, without our support system, was daunting.

As a new stay-at-home mom in a brand new city, the days become incredibly isolating. I craved adult interaction and my old friendships. Resentment towards my husband was starting to drive a wedge between us, and slowly depression began to set in. I became desperate to crawl out from under the rock I was feeling and began doing everything I could think of to cultivate new friendships and embrace our new community.

Making genuine friends during this season of motherhood is not an easy feat. Looking back, this move was the hardest transition for our little family, but honestly one of the biggest blessings. We grew closer as a family, and the friendships we made in our new city filled voids that we would have never knew existed.

If you have found yourself in the same situation that I was in, or if you are a mother who feels alone in this particular season of life, I hope this list will help you surround yourself with women who will lift you up and encourage you to be the best version of you.

10 Ways to Make New Mom Friends:

1. Keep an eye out for neighbors with kids. I stalked our neighbor when we first moved-in after I noticed she had a little one around the same age as my daughter. I went to get my mail at the same time she did, and we are best friends three years later. I know becoming best friends with your neighbors doesn’t always pan out as it did for me, but I am so glad I didn’t let my nerves get in the way of reaching out when I needed it most.

2. Join a local moms group. A simple Facebook search can help you locate ones in your area. I joined a couple of different groups, but my personal favorite was Fit4Mom. It was a stroller workout class that met not too far from where we lived. I was able to meet women who were in the same season as me while taking time for myself.

3. Enroll your little one in a music class. We signed our girl up for Kindermusic and she loved it. The class gave her a chance to get creative and run around in a closed-door room, while I connected with other moms.

4. Go to story time at your public library. Story times are always full of other moms looking for the same connection as you. Our library tends to have some neat themed story times and events. Fingers-crossed yours does, too.

5. Join local Facebook groups. When I first moved to our new city, I joined one of the largest Facebook mom groups in our area and slowly began engaging with the other mothers. Some of these groups will even host local playdates. It is a great way to find your tribe and ladies you click with.

6. Join a gym with childcare. One of my favorite things to do when my little girl was younger was fitness classes. It gave me a self-care break, and she got interaction with other kids. Find other moms who love to workout and meet-ups are easy.

7. Attend open gyms at gymnastics studios. Most times you will find others moms just trying to keep their kids’ heads above the foam pits, but something is comforting about being in contained chaos with other mamas.

8. Volunteer at local charities. This is a great way to meet other women who are like-minded. Pick a charity that you feel passionate about, and it is a perfect recipe to cultivate a meaningful relationship.

9. Park hop. This suggestion makes me laugh. Seriously, my pre-kid bar-hopping self would eye-roll at the thought of park hopping. However, that is what we did. Every day, a different park. Sometimes more than one park a day. Children will play with most anyone who is similar in size with them, so it is an instant ice-breaker for making new mom friends.

10. Sign-Up for swim/dance/soccer Etc. I am not saying to sign up your kid for everything available. I am a big believer in giving them the freedom just to play. But, having a few organized activities gives you common ground with other mothers. Plus, there is something so entertaining about those sweet little kiddos trying to figure out which goal to kick a soccer ball into.

If you want more ways to meet new mom friends, I invite you to download our app, Mama. In the app, you will find a Mama Survival Toolkit with tools to connect with other moms just like you! Bonus...until you find your tribe, the app gives you the encouragement you need every day with a simple push notification. Remember mama, you are amazing, and you are not alone!

Jessica Pena is a midwest mama who enjoys dancing, designing, cooking, and running. She is a social media strategist when her kids are sleeping.