Håfa Adåi, welcome to MotherhoodGU.

This has been a sitting project for quite sometime and I’m glad it is finally live. When I became a parent in 2016 with my daughter, I didn’t realize just how much I needed support outside of family and close friends. As I stumbled across motherhood communities on social, I appreciated the unbiased advice and encouragement of complete strangers I had met. They were kind, insightful, humorous, and most of all, relatable.

Not to say I was without this support. I already had the most loving support from my family, close friends, employer and coworkers. Everyone who was already part of my life in someway showed the excitement they had for me expecting my first child. They really made me feel beautiful and encouraged the strength within to know that I could handle anything that came my way as I entered the journey called “Motherhood.”

“It takes a village to raise a child.”

-Unknown

Yet, with all these blessings, prayers and love, relating and connecting with other women and families going through an actual pregnancy, gave me so much more confidence in my new path of life. I’ll even stretch it to say that sharing our stories gave me the validation I needed; that whatever I was feeling or thinking about during my experience, was completely normal–because we were all going through a physically and emotionally similar journey of bearing and raising a child.

After my daughter was born, these same online groups became the hub for me to learn about the latest products, best of the best, must haves for moms–everything that a first time parent needed. I can attest that the groups my “seasoned” mom friends had added me to on Facebook (or the DMs on Instagram that I had received from other moms) were truly the reason why I survived my first year as a mother. These spaces were the mental and emotional environments that I needed, but couldn’t physically create in my world of balancing working, freelancing and raising a newborn.

These spaces were the mental and emotional environments that I needed, but couldn’t physically create in my world…

Conversations lacked one topic

But I was missing one very important aspect in all the discussions I took part in: I was missing CULTURE. I was missing the influence of Pacific Islander women of today. My mother, Ninas and the elders in my family gave the best advice about pregnancy, breastfeeding, “mother-ing” in general; but there was a disconnect between their experiences as mothers living on Guam in the 80’s and 90’s, and my experience of being a mother in the US with today’s 21st century resources (and scientific studies)–especially since we had moved from Guam and are now living in Seattle, Washington.

But I was missing a very important aspect in all the discussions I took part in: I was missing CULTURE.

I wanted to connect with mothers who had similar cultural references for what I was feeling, what I was craving and what I could use (or do as a new mother) that was familiar to me having been born and raised on an island. Something as simple as saying, “I’m craving pickled payaya,” and having a response, “So, am I!”, without having to explain what pickled papaya was in the first place. I did have these discussions with friends and cousins who were also months along in their pregnancy, but I wanted to have these discussions available online, where time zones or timing didn’t matter. A place where I didn’t have to coordinate a schedule with someone just to have relative information for what I wanted to discuss.

I wanted a digital place to connect–a forum or article already sharing these sentiments and available for me to read and comment while I was quitely waiting for my prenatal appointment (or during my silent 2:30 AM newborn feedings post pregnancy). I wanted modern day Chamorro/Pacific Islander advice. Modern day Guam-related product recommendations. Modern day cultural conversations at the tip of my fingers. I wanted a culturally aware community that was similar to the already established US based motherhood communities I was introduced to.

A digital platform for families with ties to Guam

And this is how MotherhoodGU came to be. In these few years of parenting, I learned that it wasn’t just modern day Chamorro advice I was seeking. It was the advice and stories from the cultures that make up the island of Guam and surrounding Micronesian islands that I sought. It was the connection, practices and traditions of those who live in the Northern Mariana Islands, in Palau, Kosrae, Yap, Chuuk, Phonphei–the cultures that make in Micronesia that include Japanese, Korean, Filipino and American influences–connecting with families who called the pacific islands their native home. I wanted a digital community for our native community–and one that focused on parenting and sharing our culture with the children wherever we were raising them in this world.

“MotherhoodGU is the place for families with Micronesian ties to connect, share encouragement, support, resources and news as we raise our children in a world where culture matters in every discussion.”

I welcome you to a platform for Micronesians and other pacific islanders to share their story. Here, readers will see contribution from community members who want to give their cultural perspectives as parents, advocates, community leaders and small (and large) business owners. We’ll read stories of the good local islanders are doing at home in the islands and around world; stories not traditionally shared publicly, to bring awareness to issues that need discussion; and stories that impact the way each of our cultures are shared and passed down from one generation to the next.

I hope MotherhoodGU becomes the place for families with Micronesian ties to connect, share their advice and their stories on how they embrace culture during modern times. The goal is to bring support, encouragement, news and resources to our people, so that we can raise our children in a world where culture matters in every discussion–so that our people can have a voice and platform to share with the world. I hope you enjoy the content and stories we have in store for you. And I hope that as our stories are shared, more people will know how to say, “Håfa Adåi!”

To learn more about the word “Håfa Adåi”, read this story.

If you’d like to contribute a story or share the good of others, we welcome emails at HåfaAdåi [@] motherhoodgu.com.