For the moms

The MOMS Club of Marlton, a chapter of the International MOMS Club, is where Kaitlyn Silberberg has met some of her best friends.

“I’ve built a really good support system for myself with other moms and helped other moms through the thick of postpartum and (everything) that goes with it,” Silberberg said.

Silberberg moved to New Jersey from Florida last July. At that time, she was pregnant and looking for anything that would put her in a room with other moms. She discovered MOMS Club of Marlton through social media, and after she had her baby, she started going on walks with fellow members. She currently serves as club secretary and thinks of the group as a blessing that she didn’t know she needed until she found it.

“Being newly postpartum…and not having a massive group of people around you, it allowed [me to] always have somebody to talk to; I always have somebody to lean on for support. It provided everything I needed and then some,” she said.

The club puts out a calendar each month on social media and through email and aims to do one event a week. Activities include going for walks, a book club, mom’s night out, fun with the kids and more. The club hits every day of the week for its events to accommodate every member’s schedule. Eligible members must reside in Marlton, Evesham Township, Medford or Mount Laurel, but if the club is the nearest chapter, residents of other towns are also welcome to join. There is a $30 annual dues fee. Those interested in learning more about how to join can visit the club’s Facebook or attend any of its events to meet other local moms.

“You can come as you are… You can come with your kid(s) or you can come if you just need a moment to yourself,” Silberberg said. “It’s a nice balance because you can go with or without and then if you’re without your kid(s), you can always help somebody else. That’s always a nice option to have.”

Chapters of the International MOMS Club plan a variety of activities for mothers and children that include playgroups, babysitting coops and holiday parties, as well as activities specifically geared for the moms like cooking, couponing, crafts, outings, books and exercise. For Silberberg, having conversations with other moms is always a nice way to get that adult one-on-one interaction while also having a group of people to help nurture her child.

“Going to get a cup of coffee and talk to people… It provided something that I didn’t know that I necessarily needed,” she said. “I didn’t feel pressured, but I felt like I was getting the support that I needed without having to ask for it. It’s the camaraderie of having everybody together and talking and being able to get advice about my baby… It gives that back-and-forth of, ‘Okay, the things that are happening to me or that have happened are happening to other people and I’m not really alone in that.’”