Its that time again, Mama Monday... Mama in the Spotlight and our first beautiful Mama for this year is the incredible Amy! Amy is a first time mum, having waited over seven years to become a Mama. It has been a hard journey to motherhood, but her long awaited arrival Mia has captured everyone's hearts. I will never forget the overwhelming joy, love & tears I experienced the day Amy told me she was pregnant. I'm so incredibly grateful to feature her and her journey and look forward to sharing it with you. Amy's story is a reminder to everyone out there who may be experiencing difficulties falling pregnant, to never give up, to never lose faith, miracles do happen. *What do you love about being a mum? How rewarding it is caring and loving a little human. It’s amazing to see Mia do new things each day. *What is the hardest thing about being a mum? Early on, trying to understand what Mia wants and second guessing myself about if I am ‘doing this right’ as well as dealing with how overwhelmingly tired I was. Now at almost 4 months into this adventure I’m using my gut instincts better and am a lot more patient but still learning to deal with little sleep! It’s amazing that even though my little one sleeps through my body still wakes up and I have the instinct to check on her! *How was your birth experience? Would you have changed anything looking back now? My birth experience has changed me! I didn’t realise how much strength I actually had until I endured a long labour which didn’t progress. I’m still blown away at how the human body works and how natural and calming labour can actually be. Even though I ended up with an emergency c section, if I could change anything it would be to really think about what kind of care I would want after birth. I would want to make sure my husband was able to stay with me longer than what he did which was 10 mins after arriving out of theatre. I would be considering going private purely to ensure I wasn’t alone, on pain medication and unable to get up and tend to my baby myself. The moment my husband had to leave - that fear I felt will never leave me. *What do you remember about those first newborn moments, days and weeks? Being incredibly overwhelmed by how tired I was and having a realising moment where I would look at her and think ‘wow, I created her!!’ I still have those moments where I am still in disbelief that she’s mine! *What challenges have you faced being a mum? My biggest challenge so far has been breast feeding. Mia wouldn’t latch and prefers the bottle so I was pumping my milk for the first 7 weeks, 5-6 times a day which was exhausting! We have since moved to formula as my supply could not be sustained due to exclusively pumping. Now getting her to move to full feeds from cluster feeding has been difficult. Other than that finding your rhythm and adapting to new routine would have to be the biggest challenge and just as you get used to it, a growth spurt happens and everything changes again. I have realised I need to be resilient and more relaxed in order to feel confident being a Mum. *What advice would you give to your pregnant self? Do not buy too many clothes! They grow so fast and Sleep as much as you can! You will never sleep the same again!! * What fills your time besides motherhood? Work, Study, Volunteering etc. Right now it’s been full time mummy duties adjusting over the past 3 months but whilst pumping I have been checking in on work, keeping up to date so I can make an easier transition back to being a full time sales manager when I return in July. * What is your passion/ Fills up your cup/ Makes you feel whole? The answer to this question has certainly changed since becoming a mummy! After waiting 7 years to be able to have this experience, through numerous IVF cycles and pressure on my marriage, 3 step kids, my baby girl has been the blessing that has absolutely made me feel completely whole! *Anything else you would like to share?
For those who are struggling to fall pregnant like I have, my advice after what I have been through would be to keep trying and never ever give up! My journey to motherhood has been way harder emotionally than the 30 hour labour, recovery from c-section and exhaustion that I have experienced. It is so worth it!!!!
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