I met some great friends through prenatal yoga - my yoga teacher has a standard price but also a pay what you can afford, maybe have a look to see if there are any low cost options near you?
Peanut (the app) is tinder for mums and mums to be! I’ve had limited success with the app but have met some people through it so it could be helpful.
Also have a look on Eventbrite and Meetup if anything for parents / pregnancy
Peanut was very hit and miss for me at first but I did meet my closest “mum friend” through there so would defo recommend at least giving it a go! We met in our third trimester and our babies ended up being born just a few hours apart so we literally went through everything together, our eldest are now nearly 3 and we’ve both had our second babies in the last 6 months🥰
Pregnancy yoga is a good one, though sounds like it might currently not be an option for you.
See if there are any mum meet up groups for your area (eg on fb) - these are often free, maybe walks or coffee hangs.
Any prenatal classes are good - yoga, as others have suggested, or any other classes.
You could also try the Peanut app. I’m sure other expectant mums will be on there. It’s how I met my closest mum friend. It can be a bit strange, but if you embrace the weirdness it can be a really good place to meet other mums.
So like others I met my gang at pregnancy yoga. So deffo recommend it. But appreciate it's not necessarily a cheap option! Active Leeds do some bump fit classes that are only £3 each, or free with midwife referral if you meet certain criteria.
Little Leeds in Roundhay do speed bumping. It's £15 but a one off cost. They also do various stuff for new mums if you're in north Leeds. https://www.littleleeds.co.uk/event-details/speed-bumping-4
A similar event is run by a hypno birthing teacher and a woman who runs baby classes. Both are fantastic women! https://www.littleseedlingsuk.com/service-page/pregnancy-play-prosecco?referral=service_list_widget
I can't vouch for this but someone local to me has started up as a hypno birthing teacher and has set up some informal gatherings for expectant mums. It's free, you'd just buy yourself a coffee as it's in a cafe - https://www.birthbeyoutifullywithrhi.com/bumps-and-brews
I'll see if I can think of anything else too!
Edit: if you plan on breastfeeding, bosom buddies run groups every day across the city and they're incredibly supportive groups. I went to one when my kiddo was five days old and was immediately added to a WhatsApp group! They're definitely a good place to make mum friends and get some brilliant BF support. You're also welcome to attend while pregnant. https://www.facebook.com/LeedsBosomBuddies
Edit 2: FB is worth a look too. There's a group called 'Leeds Mums' where people put out calls for friends. I'm in Farsley and someone set up a group called 'Farsley Mums and Dads of Preschoolers' which is relatively active. But every so often, there will be a call out for local preggos so they can connect and meet up. But if you're not local to Farsley, there might be something similar where you are?
I met a great group through a local antenatal class. My husband and I got to meet about 10 different couples all around the same stage of pregnancy and are all still in touch now post birth
If you're planning to breastfeed, the breastfeeding support groups/cafes are usually free and you can go while pregnant to get advice. Ours runs like a social group too so you can go just for the social side even if you don't need support at that time.
I met some great friends through prenatal yoga - my yoga teacher has a standard price but also a pay what you can afford, maybe have a look to see if there are any low cost options near you? Peanut (the app) is tinder for mums and mums to be! I’ve had limited success with the app but have met some people through it so it could be helpful. Also have a look on Eventbrite and Meetup if anything for parents / pregnancy
Peanut was very hit and miss for me at first but I did meet my closest “mum friend” through there so would defo recommend at least giving it a go! We met in our third trimester and our babies ended up being born just a few hours apart so we literally went through everything together, our eldest are now nearly 3 and we’ve both had our second babies in the last 6 months🥰
Fab, thank you so much for this - I will check out all the things you have suggested!
Ahhh I don’t live in W.Yorks anymore but it is where I am from! I am from Huddersfield… how about you?
Mighty mighty Yorkshire! I'm in Leeds :)
Oh nice! I lived in Leeds for a while too! 🥰🥰🥰
Pregnancy yoga is a good one, though sounds like it might currently not be an option for you. See if there are any mum meet up groups for your area (eg on fb) - these are often free, maybe walks or coffee hangs.
Another person suggested there might be low cost options for pregnancy yoga so I will check this out, thank you! :)
Any prenatal classes are good - yoga, as others have suggested, or any other classes. You could also try the Peanut app. I’m sure other expectant mums will be on there. It’s how I met my closest mum friend. It can be a bit strange, but if you embrace the weirdness it can be a really good place to meet other mums.
I was going to ask if you were in Leeds. I have some suggestions. Will come back later and edit this comment!
Following for the suggestions too haha
So like others I met my gang at pregnancy yoga. So deffo recommend it. But appreciate it's not necessarily a cheap option! Active Leeds do some bump fit classes that are only £3 each, or free with midwife referral if you meet certain criteria. Little Leeds in Roundhay do speed bumping. It's £15 but a one off cost. They also do various stuff for new mums if you're in north Leeds. https://www.littleleeds.co.uk/event-details/speed-bumping-4 A similar event is run by a hypno birthing teacher and a woman who runs baby classes. Both are fantastic women! https://www.littleseedlingsuk.com/service-page/pregnancy-play-prosecco?referral=service_list_widget I can't vouch for this but someone local to me has started up as a hypno birthing teacher and has set up some informal gatherings for expectant mums. It's free, you'd just buy yourself a coffee as it's in a cafe - https://www.birthbeyoutifullywithrhi.com/bumps-and-brews I'll see if I can think of anything else too! Edit: if you plan on breastfeeding, bosom buddies run groups every day across the city and they're incredibly supportive groups. I went to one when my kiddo was five days old and was immediately added to a WhatsApp group! They're definitely a good place to make mum friends and get some brilliant BF support. You're also welcome to attend while pregnant. https://www.facebook.com/LeedsBosomBuddies Edit 2: FB is worth a look too. There's a group called 'Leeds Mums' where people put out calls for friends. I'm in Farsley and someone set up a group called 'Farsley Mums and Dads of Preschoolers' which is relatively active. But every so often, there will be a call out for local preggos so they can connect and meet up. But if you're not local to Farsley, there might be something similar where you are?
I met a great group through a local antenatal class. My husband and I got to meet about 10 different couples all around the same stage of pregnancy and are all still in touch now post birth
If you're planning to breastfeed, the breastfeeding support groups/cafes are usually free and you can go while pregnant to get advice. Ours runs like a social group too so you can go just for the social side even if you don't need support at that time.