Why the Mush app for mums is helping women tackle loneliness and find their tribe

It began with two London mums and one rainy playground. Now, Mush is connecting thousands of mothers across the UK. Here’s why it matters, and how it might just save your sanity.

It was a grey, damp morning when two London mums struck up conversation between toddler tantrums and soggy rice cakes. Feeling lonely and disoriented on maternity leave, Sarah Hesz and Katie Massie-Taylor did what many of us dream of doing – they turned a low point into something hopeful.

The result is Mush, a free friendship app for mums. It connects local parents with others who have children the same age. 

“Those first months of motherhood can be isolating. Mush bridges the gap between exhaustion and connection.”

Why we need it

Motherhood can be brutally lonely, especially when you’re the oldest mum in the room. I was 40 when I had my son, Cyrus, and while my friends were booking driving tests for their teenagers, I was Googling “baby-led weaning.” My world shrank overnight, from office chatter to baby babble. Mush offers what so many of us crave in those foggy months: real, human connection.

Sarah and Katie discovered through their research that over half of mums struggle to make plans with children, 80% prefer to attend playgroups with a friend, and 50% go shopping just for adult interaction. I’ve done that too, lingering in the biscuit aisle just to have a chat with the cashier.

The name says it all

I love the name Mush. It’s simple, warm and perfectly apt. It reminds me of puréed sweet potato, my mushy sleep-deprived brain, and the nickname I give my son: “mush mush-am”, a little Geordie-Farsi hybrid that makes sense only in our house. Somehow, Mush feels like a word every mum understands, no translation needed.

“It’s like your first day at work again, only this time you’re wearing milk-stained leggings.”

Making the first move

I’ve been that awkward mum at the baby group, clutching a lukewarm coffee and hoping someone would make eye contact. When you’re new to parenting, even starting a conversation can feel monumental. Mush removes the awkwardness, it connects you with mums who actually want to talk, not just compare nap schedules or sleep regressions.

One mum, Jessica, 33, put it beautifully: “I didn’t know anyone in my area, and maternity leave was lonely. Mush helped me find people who understood what I was going through.”

Finding my tribe

When Cyrus was born, I went from working full-time to feeling utterly adrift. None of my friends had babies, and I quickly realised that motherhood can be the loneliest job in the world. Over time, I found my people through my local community centre in Great Park, Newcastle, and groups like KeepFitMammy. But it took courage. Apps like Mush make that first step a little less daunting.

I recently signed up myself and found 18 other mums nearby. Within minutes, I’d sent my first “hello.” It’s a small thing, but after years of working from home, chatting into the digital void, that felt like progress. Connection, after all, is the new currency of motherhood.

“Connection is the new currency of motherhood.”

Mush hits the Toon

The Mush team are now expanding across the North East with a meet-up planned at the Birth and Baby Family Centre in North Shields. Parenting specialist Janine Ruddin will attend, alongside Mush marketing mum Pip Milburn, who’s hosting an outdoor Slinga Fitness session with trainer Maddy, a pre- and post-natal fitness expert.

More than just an app

Mush is more than a download. Whether you’re in your twenties or forties, whether your baby’s first word was “mama” or “snack,” we all need a tribe. I’ve found mine, one chat at a time. Maybe it’s your turn now.