Mumfessions: Pregnancy & Motherhood

Becoming a mum is no easy feat.

From the moment you begin thinking about getting pregnant, your world changes. Your lifestyle, mindset and body all adjust in anticipation of your little arrival in the short space of just a few months.

At Mum & You, the majority of us are mums and we often open up and have these conversations in the office. We find it cathartic to share with each other what has been driving us up the wall as well as sharing the little moments of joy we have with our children. It's comforting to know that you are not alone on your down days (or weeks, months and years for that matter!) and it helps to hear and share stories of not only our joys, but our trials too - we're real mums after all.

Being a mum during the COVID-19 lockdowns has also had a huge impact on our experiences with motherhood. Earlier on in the year, we shared real stories written by real mums for International Women's Day to celebrate the highs and lows of motherhood during the COVID-19 pandemic. Becoming a new mum is testing at the best of times, but throw in a worldwide pandemic and all of a sudden you face challenges you never even fathomed! However, we all came out of the other end (albeit, a little fragile) to share our stories.

With this in mind, we wanted to extend this conversation to our social media following to hear what confessions our Mum & You community had to share. We reached out through our Instagram stories, and had an overwhelming amount of responses from mums who wanted to talk about their experience of motherhood in a safe, non-judgemental space. Your responses were raw, genuine and heartfelt, and we feel privileged that you chose to share them with us.

So, what did we find out?

• Our Instagram polls showed that 66% of mums find the toddler years the toughest
• 64% of mums suffered from morning sickness
• 66% of mums said that their expectations of pregnancy and motherhood were not accurate
• 88% of participating mums said they found motherhood tough sometimes.

What are your mum confessions?

• "I worry my son is not attached to me. Maybe I was too distracted when he was a baby."
• "Pregnancy after loss is hard, then you regret not enjoying it more and worrying less."
• "I hide in the loo for peace."
• "Breastfeeding anxiety that my baby isn't getting enough - is this normal?"
• "Some days bedtime cannot come soon enough... and then I miss her."
• "I feel guilty if I sit down to rest... like because other half is at work, I shouldn't stop all day."
• "After two losses - I would study the loo roll after I wiped for the tiniest bit of blood every time."
• "I hated the new-born stage."
• " None of my children sleep well. They're just missing the gene and it's almost broken me."
• "Today I wasn't watching for a millisecond, and my daughter fell off the couch."

In encouraging these conversations, we wanted to reinforce the notion that each individual's journey with motherhood is as unique and special as they are. It is not a "one size fits all" experience.

And whilst we accept that there are aspects of motherhood that we find tough, we also revel in the aspects that bring us joy.

When we asked our Mum & You community about their favourite things about being a mum, we received such heart-warming responses. One mum responded saying "Everything. Even the hard bits. I remind myself just how blessed I am to have 2 babies."

What's your favourite thing about being a mum?

• "Knowing that I am this little boys whole world. His number one. He reminds me I am important."
• "When they achieve something and they're so proud of themselves!"
• "Watching in wonderment as they grow and develop into their own little selves."
• "To know that my child one day will be able to pursue her own happiness."
• The first smile after weeks of hard work and getting nothing back is magic!"
• "My kid being my best friend."

We love the smiles, the giggles and the wiggly dancing. We love when our babies fall asleep in our arms whilst we cherish every breath. We love their hand-made cards and pasta necklaces. We love the sloppy kisses and the squeezy cuddles and we really couldn't imagine life without them.

We know we can't be there to lend a helping hand with nappy changing or sleepless nights, but we are dedicated to creating gentle products that we want for our own children, to make mums lives that little bit easier. It's really what we're all about .

We're sending huge e-hugs to all those who shared their responses with us and we loved having this conversation with you. We are so proud of you, mama! And if you missed our Mumfession series, head over to our Instagram (@mumandyou) and click on the "Mumfessions" highlight.

And remember: motherhood is tough, but so are you.

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