Stepfamilies make up around 11% of UK families with dependent children. They're one of the fastest growing family types in the UK with 1 in 10 famillies being blended or having a step-parent involved. And I'm one of these step-parents. As a stepmum myself, I was thrust into this completely new dynamic, almost overnight with no manual, no guidance and not a lot of places to go for advice or support. And although we're slowing moving into a society where step-parents and blended families are becoming more accepted and understood, many stepmums still encounter a lot of stigma, expectations and judgement. It can feel quite isolating.

Thankfully there are stepmums out there who are educating and empowering other stepmums who find themselves navigating this new family dynamic. And two such ladies are Billie Barnes and Jordan Smith, founders of The Stepmum Collective. The Stepmum Collective is an Instagram community aimed at championing the positives of being a stepmum, featuring real stepmums' stories, sharing their stories and providing a safe space of no judgement when things get tough. Billie and Jordan have experienced their fair share of stigma and negativity around the stepmum experience as well as not feeling like they had anyone to speak to or anyone who could relate to what they were going through, which is why they wanted to make sure The Stepmum Collective is a solutions-focused platform.

Billie, Jordan and I got together (virtually) to share our stepmum stories and quickly learned that even though our stories had different details, the stepmum experience is often a shared experience. We chatted about the early days of accelerated dating someone with a child, how to set boundaries, reaching key milestones such as when we each actually felt like a "proper parent" and important advice we'd give our younger selves.

We also spoke about an important petition that The Stepmum Collective recently started with another UK-based stepmum - raising awareness and demanding change to stepmums' access to fertility treatment on the NHS. In the UK, women are being denied fertility treatment such as IVF on the NHS (National Health Service) simply because their partner has a child from a previous relationship. An issue that is close to their hearts, we talk about why this petition is important and can have far-reaching effects, not only for bonus parents but for all women.

The aim is to reach 100,000 signatures, you can read more, sign, share and support the petition here.

You can find out more about Billie, Jordan and The Stepmum Collective on Instagram, @thestepmumcolletive.

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