AandE

Hi, My wife and I are expecting our first child (due in September). We currently live in the eastern suburbs and would be interested to meet up with other Poms that have decided to raise a family over here. As much as we love being over here (we've been living in Sydney for a few years now), it's a bit overwhelming with all our family living back in England. Love to hear from other people regarding their experiences. Andy

Thank you for all the responses; we realise we're not the first to be in this situation, nor will we be the last. Skype has been a great help over the last few years. We haven't been homesick that often, mainly around Christmas, but it has helped us connect with our families and friends so that we can see that they are well (and vice versa). We're sure we'll be using the programme even more so when my lovely wife is expecting, just to keep everyone up to date and so the parents can feel part of what is going on. Andy

My wife and I are planning to start a family next year. We've been in Oz for four and a half years and as much as we love it here (no plans to move back - just bought a flat), in the back of our heads we are a little worried about starting a family as it's just us here; our families are all back in Blighty. I was just wondering how other people found raising a family here when the family support network was the other side of the world, how did you cope? We also feel a bit guilty that we're denying our parents the chance to be Grandparents (to a degree), has any one else felt this way? We'd love to hear your thoughts. Andy