New mothers Leah Davey and Kayla Matthews both gave birth to their children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Facing the difficulties of being a new parent is hard enough, but it is even harder during a pandemic when many community activities are cancelled, wrote Melissa Jacobs for Main Line Tonight.

“The pandemic made me feel so isolated,” said Davey, who gave birth to her firstborn in June 2020. “I was desperate to get out of the house with my daughter, but wanted to do that safely.”

Due to COVID, mommy-and-me activities were cancelled. Although Davey is a Berwyn native who graduated from Conestoga High School, after a decade away from the Main Line she felt detached from the local scene.

“I lived here my whole life but it’s changed so much since I graduated high school,” she said. “I wasn’t meeting other new moms.”

Davey decided to create a playgroup that met outdoors at a Media tot lot.

She announced the meet-up on Facebook, and Matthews spotted the post. This was during the summer of 2021, and Matthews and her husband moved to Media in April and had their first child in May.

“My core group of friends doesn’t have kids yet, so I was a little alone in what I was experiencing with my son,” said Matthews.

The pair hit it off immediately.

Both are special education teachers and wanted to provide enriching activities for their kids. “This region has so much to offer, but it’s often hard to find listings of kid-friendly things in one place,” Davey said.

To solve that problem, Davey went and remade an existing Instagram account of hers into Main Line Ma. She texted Matthews the idea and suggested the two collaborate.

“My husband said, ‘You love social media. You’d be great at it.’ And I thought that we could provide other moms the things that we wanted: activities, community, and support,” said Matthews.

The Main Line Ma account provides exactly that. Lists of events and interesting activities are posted regularly. The women collaborate on the content, researching each event carefully before posting about them.

Main Line Ma has become so successful that the pair are doing paid partnerships, giveaways, and various other collaborations with local businesses.

“We support them, they support us and it’s been a great way to connect with the community,” Davey said.

Read more about Main Line Ma at Main Line Tonight.

Editor’s Note: This MONTCO Today post was originally published Feb. 25, 2022; it has been updated for accuracy.

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Until the Montgomery County weather breaks, most kids’ activities are indoors; this video suggests some that parents may not have thought of.