Village of mums push to expand pregnancy support charity into regional areas

Today, Helen Parker is a successful CEO and a mother to two daughters.

But at one stage of her life, she was a pregnant and terrified 20-year-old.

"I was in university, I was studying architecture, in my third year, and had all these dreams and plans and a baby was not one of them," she told A Current Affair.

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"I wasn't sure how I was going to have a house for us."

Parker had no support but knew she wanted to be the best single mum she could be.

Her own crisis pregnancy was all the inspiration she needed to start The Babes Project.

It teaches new mums in crisis everything they need to know about giving birth, how to care for their baby and how to still keep a vision for their own lives. 

"We can't just listen to their stories of domestic violence and drug and alcohol use, and, you know, mental health challenges and just slap a quick band-aid on each of those, we have to look at the whole picture," Parker said.

Since 2009, the charity has put more than 1000 expectant mums through an 18-month free course.

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With clinics in Croydon in Melbourne's east and in Frankston, at any given time, 60 mums, aged between 13 and 45, are completing the program.

Tomorrow, The Babes Project is holding its Giving Day, hoping to raise more than $100,000 to keep the doors open and expand into regional areas.

Many of the mums who come to The Babes Project are struggling with drug or alcohol abuse, domestic violence, and mental health challenges, while others come from foster care or are refugees.

But all of them are in need of guidance. 

"We're so quick to jump on those women, but we're not quick enough to jump into supporting them when they're asking for help," Parker said.

For more information, head to The Babes Project website.