Hi I’m Lucy (@ukmum_in_newzealand)! Here’s a little bit about me…
I am a Mum of three children. Aged eleven, five and three. Along with my Husband, we emigrated from Cheshire to New Zealand in April 2021. I am a registered nurse with experience as a student midwife and I have created a new business called What Life’s Like with a Baby (@whatlifeslikewithababy) to help first-time Mums prepare for Motherhood and postpartum.
I really feel that there is a gap in care when it comes to having a baby. We have so much interest and information on pregnancy and birth that when you get home with your baby and the bubble bursts, you can feel left alone and trying to figure it out yourself (that’s what happened to me anyway). The main purpose of my course is to prepare women before this happens so they can learn everything they need to know about postpartum whilst they are still pregnant and avoid the feeling of being thrown in at the deep end! Could this lead to a reduction in postpartum anxiety and depression? Who knows, but I would love to be able to help some women start their new chapter with confidence!
Here is my sales page which gives you some more information.
HOW DID BECOMING A MUM CHANGE YOU AS A PERSON?
When I had my first born I was 26 years old. I thought I was ready to have a baby after going through a fertility struggle for almost 2 years but when it actually happened I felt like I was pushed into “real adulthood” and the responsibility of it all hit me.
I was at university at the time studying Midwifery so I assumed I knew it all. I was so prepared for the pregnancy and the birth that I completely neglected to think about being an actual parent! So overall, becoming a Mum really woke me up and made me realise how many hours there are in a day and it completely took me into a new phase of my life where I became more responsible, more confident and it gave me a shift in my mind of how to make the most out of my days, it really did change my life.
DO YOU THINK WE CAN DO MORE IN OUR SOCIETY TO HELP WOMEN SUFFERING AFTER CHILDBIRTH?
Oh yes 100%, I feel like there is so much emphasis on pregnancy and birth that, postpartum and Motherhood gets missed and in reality this is the part you really need help with. In the past we all lived in smaller communities with larger families and so the support was there to help out and also to pass down knowledge and experience. Nowadays, the majority live in wider communities with smaller families so Mum’s miss out on invaluable teachings. Another side to this is social media, more raw Motherhood needs to be shown and not the “Instagram” version. The picture perfect families can add extra pressure on new Mums.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR NEW MOTHERS, NOW YOU KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW?
My advice to new Mothers is to look after yourself. Burn out is real! Your children will become your number one priority but you need to remember that if you want to give your children the best then you need to be able to show up as your best too! Take time out for yourself each day to recentre yourself, even if it is 5 minutes, make sure you are present in your mind. This is something that I never did and it has really taken a toll on me. It has taken me 10 years to learn that I am not just a Mum and that I need to look after myself just as much as I look after my children. Since I have been doing this, all our lives have changed for the better.
For the Mum to be, my advice would be to be prepared on what to expect for Motherhood and postpartum. As a nurse and a Mum of 3 I really believe that if more women can be prepared for Motherhood we can start to reduce the numbers of postpartum overwhelm and anxiety. This is why I have developed the ‘What Life’s Like with a Baby’ online course. It is a self paced course teaching first time Mums everything they need to know about themselves and their babies in the first 3 months. It has been created to deliver the textbook facts alongside the reality truths!
WHATS BEEN YOUR PROUDEST MOMENT AS A MUM?
As a Mum of three that’s a hard one to answer as they all make me proud each day. In order to be fair, I will say that my proudest moment is when I see my children playing together and looking after one another. Seeing the look of love on their faces towards their siblings is one of the best feelings in the world, especially when the majority of the time they are fighting!
WHAT PRODUCT COULD YOU NOT LIVE WITHOUT?
Without stating the obvious with products like dummies, baby wipes etc I would have to say I loved the Sleepyhead of Sweden.
I didn’t have this with my first born, she had a Moses basket but the other two did and it made such a difference. I used the sleepyhead (approved for safe sleeping) inside a Chicco next to me crib and it was a lot easier for access in the middle of the night compared to a Moses basket and I also used to bring the Sleepyhead downstairs to use on the sofa for day naps in the early months. I could even pick them up on it to move them without waking them up, which as we know is a big deal! I feel that the Sleepyhead offers them comfort and protection outside of the womb instead of being placed in a cold open space.
DEFINE MOTHERHOOD IN YOUR OWN WORDS?
Motherhood is a rollercoaster. A rollercoaster of love, happiness, overwhelm, laughter, tears, joy and stress!
