1st birthday and mummyversary

Guys, MY DAUGHTER IS ONE!!!!!!!!!🥺🥺🥺; Hope became a one year old last week, 6th October 2021 🎉🥳.

Everyone always asks where has the time gone and SERIOUSLY, I echo that, where has the time gone?

I remember when she was a newborn and I thought time was going really slow, especially as I gave birth during the lockdown. However, as soon as she turned 6 months in April, time suddenly went so Fast! (Can other parents relate?!) 😩😢 They do say enjoy the moment because they don’t stay tiny forever.

This post is to just to shout out my daughter because she has actually given me a deeper meaning of love. When you have a child growing inside you and then you see them grow to this point, you really deep how real and mighty God is. As a Christian, we believe that children are a blessing and a gift from the Lord (Psalm 127:3); and Hope is an epitome of this.

Honestly though, I am super Grateful to God for my first seed, my smiley baby, my ray of sunshine and my heartbeat 🌻☀️✨

My favourite things about Hope:

1. She is so calm

2. Her beautiful smile (she is nicknamed smiley baby)

3. Her laugh is infectious

4. She don’t like stress, leave her to watch Cocomelon, play with her teddy and other toys occasionally

5. She is the star of the family and wherever she goes, someone- even strangers, always have something positive to say about her

My 1 year mummyversary has by no means been easy. It’s been amazing, trying, testing and beautiful all at the same time; but I would not have it any other way! 🥺🥰

I have learnt so much about myself personally and as a mother. My hearts desire is that I grow to be a better person in all areas of my life, for the sake of myself and most especially my daughter 🙏🏾

I’ve been getting really nice comments recently about how I appear to enjoy motherhood. That is really nice to acknowledge about me because I love that despite the fact that I have my ‘struggle days,’ my love for being a mother really does shine through.

So thank you to all the parents who even read my blog because without Hope, there would be no Anj Talks blog 🤓

No one said being a parent, a mother, would be a walk in the park and I did not expect it to be. All I pray for, is that my journey just keeps getting better 🙏🏾

We celebrated Hope’s birthday by doing an lovely photo shoot with @totalceleb on Instagram, she had an amazing birthday with few friends and family at home (even had her 1st McDonalds Happy Meal 😃); and then we had an amazing Cocomelon themed birthday party! Glory be to God! 🎉🙏🏾

Hope on her 1st birthday enjoying her chips 🍟
Hope with mummy & daddy for her 1st birthday photoshoot with @totalceleb (Instagram) 💖
One of the pictures taken on a phone of us during Hope’s Cocomelon birthday party (she was more interested in her teddy 😂)

Till next time folksss…

With love,

ANJ TALKS ♡

Breastfeeding

Hey mumma’s,

I hope that you are doing well & if you are not, keep going!! 🤗

Black breastfeeding week was some weeks ago and seeing as I am a breastfeeding mum, I couldn’t pass the opportunity to do a blog post on the topic of breastfeeding! 🤱🏾

Breastfeeding, also referred to as nursing, involves feeding human breast milk to a child, via the breast or by expressing the milk from the breast and bottle-feeding it to the child. 👶🏾🍼

Here’s my experience which all came as a surprise:

1. The extra hard (engorged) breasts which are impossible to ignore (especially when asleep)

2. The throbbing feeling that you get when your breast milk begins to flow; which forces you to get baby to feed or rush to express!

3. The yellow ‘golden milk’ that you initially get

4. The leaking breasts and having to wear breast pads

5. The whole concept of expressing

6. The sensitive and sometimes lumpy (weird shaped) breasts

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new.

Rajneesh

I have been breastfeeding for just over 11 months now. My baby absolutely loves breast milk and loves to feed directly from my breast.

In all honestly, despite the above, which all came mainly at the start of my journey, I have not had any issues with breastfeeding. However, prior to this experience, I never knew that all this was involved in being committed to breastfeeding… 😮

*To educate,* Some common issues which other woman experience include: baby not latching, not having enough breast milk to feed the baby, breast milk ‘drying up’ early, sore or cracked nipples and blocked milk duct.

On the other hand, this blog post is not in any way created to make mothers feel less than or stigmatised. Following this, one of my fellow mumma’s was kind enough to share her experience with breastfeeding below:

“Prior to the arrival of my baby I was so sure I was going to breastfeed her. However, I just didn’t seem to produce enough milk to feed her when she came. Doctors advised that I gave her formula while I kept on trying.

I tried everything I knew as well as recommendations from fellow mummies and loved ones. I tried lactation treats, fenugreek, fennel seeds, pap, oatmeal with lots of water yet, there was no substantial increase. I got frustrated a couple of times as I felt I wasn’t giving my baby the best.

However, with time I realised that Fed is best. She was/is growing beautifully. Very healthy and happy which is the most important thing.”

Tolulope

In a nutshell, this blog post is to celebrate breastfeeding/ black breastfeeding mumma’s; as well as share common issues which everyone may not be aware of.

If you are on the breastfeeding journey or soon to embark on the journey, remember that Fed is best, as Tolulope has also said 😊. Be patient with yourself mumma, you are doing a great job!

With love,

ANJ TALKS ♡

The side of motherhood that people don’t talk about

Hey mumma’s,

Many motherhood and lifestyle bloggers, as well as influencers alike claim to portray the ‘realities of motherhood.’ I, for one, am guilty of this however, at times the pressure of social media and not wanting to be depicted as a ‘struggling mother’ or any other negative description, impacts the picture of what the reality really is😣.

I haven’t made a blog post since June and so, I wanted to share with you my reality.

Some people prefer YouTube, some like Instagram reels or Tik Tok. I like to write.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog post, it means a lot to me 🙏🏾.

Where do I start…

Well the months leading to the ease of lockdown were not the easiest for me. At first I was nervous about leaving the house and then, I started to feel ‘locked up’ and like I was actually being robbed of making memories with my daughter 💔. This feeling was further heightened by the fact that summer has Not been SUMMERY as such (I mean we have had like two heat waves and it’s basically been winter! 😕)

Many people say “oh they are small, they won’t remember anything,” blah blah blah. I know this of course but I had plans for my first child, all the things I dreamt of whilst carrying her; and the fact that I couldn’t do some of these things because life just isn’t the same anymore, was not a nice feeling for me, at all 🥺.

Secondly, Hope’s sleep has changed and my baby that woke up once in the night is suddenly hitting milestones which has led her to practice her moving and climbing skills at odd hours of the night, or just simply waking up to feed. I have been tired 🤦🏾‍♀️

Being an (exclusive) breastfeeding mum is another thing. I was told babies don’t need to eat at night from 6 months but mate, I have been doing this almost every night to make my baby girl go back to sleep!!

Mumma’s, It has Not been easy. I genuinely have questioned what I have done wrong? Comparison is a B***h! (Excuse my language). Who said all babies sleep through the night at a certain age and who said babies don’t need to feed if they are hungry at night? I mean who?!! 🤔

I feel like this topic is not spoken about enough. If you are a sleep training mum, fair play to you however, it is not just sleep training and that’s it! Permit me to say, I have the ‘perfect child,’ but she did not take well to sleep training. This did not go down well between me and my husband (who did not like the concept of sleep training btw 🙄). We didn’t agree and this was our first experience of bumping heads in parenthood. What a WOW 🤭🥲

On another note, working out has gone DOWNHILL. I hit my goal weight and was working out 5 days a week and feeling good. The problem with overdoing things sometimes is that it leads to burnout and I think coupled with everything that has happened, I’m just too tired and haven’t started back! 😱

The excess skin and the pressure that I have put on myself to snap back, haunts me as my Apple Watch is now Idle 😩

The point I am trying to make here, by sharing my reality in the last month, is that I LOVE MOTHERHOOD and the blessings that come with it. I love my baby. 

BUT these are the moments that I Do Not love 🤦🏾‍♀️. Guilt has killed me for the moments that I have cried, for the moments that I have snapped and for the moments that I have been angry.

However, today, I have decided that I need to let it ALL go.

I almost lost motivation to blog and just did not feel that it was giving the energy that I wanted it to give. That’s life for you, it really can be a domino effect and if you don’t take life by the wheel, it can feel like you are losing control 🚨.

Today, I am in Starbucks with my baby who is on my boob; and one hand on my phone. I’m staring at my motivation (Hope), who is my forever reminder to myself to Never Give Up and always have H O P E ✨

I am fully invested in being the best mother to Hope that I am accepting that motherhood isn’t going to be the easiest ride, it will never be a bed of roses, filled with every emotion. I will enjoy the good and in the ‘bad,’ I will remember that it won’t last.

Life got in the way but I’m back! So please bear with me 🥰

To any other parent out there who is experiencing a side of motherhood that’s not your favourite… you have a crying baby, your kids are annoying you on the holidays, your baby won’t sleep, your baby won’t eat, your baby won’t nap easily, your kids are driving you up the roof; WHATEVER…. This is a reminder to you that “You are more than enough and you are not alone.” 🤗

Let’s chat… Comment below how things have been for you? Xx

With love,

ANJ TALKS ♡

Is self-care and me-time possible as a mother?

Hey mumma’s!!

How are you doing? It’s so crazy how we had so much sun and now the weathers changed lol 🤨🥴🤯

Anyway, I do hope that you and your little one/s are well x

I’m currently writing this blog post on the C2C train (afrobeats in my EarPods); enroute to get my hair slayed by my very good friend @voawigs (Instagram) 💇🏾‍♀️. I won’t lie, as a mother, it feels so nice to get out for some fresh air Alone and do this!

This begs the question what is me-time to you? What does self-care look like for you?

There’s the traditional sleep, go out for fresh air etc; but I think this is whatever makes you feel good!

I know what your thinking…. “I never have enough time,” “I don’t have the support,” “my kids are stuck to me,” “there’s not enough hours in the day”

In all honesty, I think the same thing. I mean maternity is just flashing by. My days starts and ends in a second and I somehow never get through my to-do list. Sometimes I plan for some me-time and Hope is fighting her nap!! 😩. I plan to have a bubble bath every week and it never happens 😔 but…

Being INTENTIONAL. I use this word because this is so key when you are a mother. Being a mother has taught me the importance of planning (even if things don’t always go to plan!) but also being appreciative of even the 30 mins before bed that I get to have some me-time and focus on self-care.

What makes it time well spent? Below I’ve dropped some gems on the things I enjoy doing:

⁃ reading a book (I’ve been reading the same one all year but I won’t knock it!)

⁃ Working out (Chloe Ting, Grow with Jo and Walk at home on Youtube are my favourites 💪🏾)

⁃ Listening to a Christian podcasts whilst on a walk alone (Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer👍🏾)

⁃ Reading a Christian devotional on the Bible app

⁃ Watching Netflix and eating (when Hope’s in bed 😬)

⁃ Having a bubble bath (with candles obv 😀)

⁃ Having time to think and perspective take (I don’t feel I get to do this often with no distractions!; but it is so important 💎)

⁃ Planning whether this is in my personal life, career/ business

⁃ I feel good when I get my nails and feet done, eyebrows and hair 💅🏾

⁃ Go out with friends and family (let your hair down if you have the opportunity 😇)

⁃ Doing Nothing (when Hubby takes Hope and I can be on my own for ‘5mins’)

This is just what I like doing. I won’t pretend and say I get to do these things all the time; in fact, I often get upset that I don’t! 🤦🏾‍♀️

However, if I don’t prioritise my self-care no matter how busy I am, who will? It may not feel the same as how it did prior to me being a mother but we have to adjust and make it work 🤗- It IS possible!!!

So here it goes… Type in the comments what you do in your self-care and me-time! & I am challenging you all to at-least do 10mins of me-time a few days a week! If you already do this then good on you! Do 20 or 30mins😜🙂

The finished look 🥰 – this mumma felt good!! 😃

With love,

ANJ TALKS ♡

Tips for motherhood

Hey mumma’s,

How are you doing?! I hope that you are enjoying the sunshineee ☀️ 😃

I thought that I would give an update as baby girl just turned 8 months less than a week ago (time just flies 🥺)…

Now that I am at this stage of motherhood, I have learnt So So much. I feel so emotional thinking about my journey and how far that I have come. 🙏🏾

The time when I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it, the times when I have been so in awe and so in love with my child, the times that I am Exhausted and wonder when I will get my mojo back. There has been a lot of ‘times.’ 💭

I don’t think I really comprehended how much lockdown took away a chance to make memories with my daughter and although everyone is in the same boat, I feel guilty 🥺😩.

Now I am trying to make each day count!!! Hope went from 3 months to 6 months in a blink and now she’s 8 months; when just the other day I was doing her 6 months photoshoot.

My beautiful family. Hope @ 6 months 👑 ♥️

Anyway, as much as I hate to think about how much she is growing. I am grateful to God for how far she’s come and how far I have come as a mother. It is not to be taken for granted at all.

My top tips:

1. Trust your mummy instinct!!! No one knows your child better than you, even if you are a new mother.

2. Take each day as it comes. It is not easy and it is indeed a full time job but we will get there!

3. All babies/ children need is nurture. They don’t care about what materialistic things and other random things we think about.

4. You learn as you go. Try not to dwell on the bad and don’t forget the good.

5. Motherhood is a blessing. I have bonded with so many other mothers on this journey, which is Amazing.

I will be interested in hearing other mums tips, what have you learnt so far in your journey?! Please share ☺️ x

With love,

ANJ TALKS ♡

Maternal mental health

Hey mumma’s,

I hope that you are doing well!? And looking forward to May 17th when things ease a bit more 🙂

Mental Health Awareness Month 2021 is this month (May 2021). Please take your time to read this blog post as this is a very important subject.

I think that as mothers, it is important that we talk about mental health, which appears to be a taboo to speak about- especially when you are a mother. This is actually crazy considering 1 in 4 people suffer from a mental illness. 

Are you a mother who has dealt with mental health issues prior to or post becoming a mother? Are you a mother who has suffered from post-natal depression? How safe do you feel speaking about this?

Maternal mental health does exist and 1 in 10 women are said to develop mental illnesses during this time. As you can imagine, this does not have a positive impact on women and families. 

I did some research and women of colour are more vulnerable then their white counterparts. To clarify, all women of every race meet challenges in mental health however, during pregnancy and post, women of colour are said to be particularly vulnerable. Why is this?

One thing I’ve learnt about mental health is that we all have mental health but what we don’t want, is poor mental health. Our mental health is just as important as our physical health!!!

As mothers are we looking after our mental health? In fact, there is a stigma already around mental health generally but dads, how are you looking after your mental health? Being a man does not mean that you also do not suffer from mental health.

With over a year of uncertainty and being indoors with our lives changing; with new additions- please Do Not for any reason feel unjustified for how you feel. Your feelings are valid. 

Personally, on becoming a new mother I have had anxious moments- a very short episode of baby blues at the start, yes. I believe that this is normal and I will not be ashamed as being a parent is daunting. I sometimes feel guilty for having my ‘days’ as I want to be the best mother ever to my daughter; as she deserves the Very Best- but this pressure to be a great parent sometimes leaves me overthinking. Can you relate? What is your experience since being a new parent? 

There is light at the end of the tunnel…

Despite all this, I have listed some things below which could help:

  • The theme of this months mental health awareness month is NATURE. Getting out for fresh air has been a coping strategy for many with everything that’s been happening around the world. I recommend walks (I should walk more) on your own and with baby!
  • Working out. I currently love home workouts but gyms are also open so do what suits you best!
  • Self care: whatever this may be for you i.e. reading a book, a bubble bath (take a break from the news and anything too stressful!) etc
  • Speaking to someone you trust and who you will not feel judged by, about how you feel
  • Do not compare yourself to another mother or your child/ children to there’s! We all grow at our own pace
  • Practice gratitude, pray
  • I recognise that not everyone has the luxury of additional support so you could also seek help via hotlines, your health visitor and/ or GP
  • The maternal mental health alliance page (Google search) is also a good page to check out
Photo taken from @fightthroughmentalhealth on Instagram. A very informative page to visit.

Please remember that people who need help, often do not look like they do. You are not ridiculous for feeling how you do! Getting help is better than not getting help. Being a parent is not the easiest job. 

Please note that I am also available to speak to and I hope this blog post helps you. If you would like to speak to me, please contact me on: angelaa@anjtalks.com 

#journeytorecovery #maternalmhmatters #mentalhealthawarenessmonth

With love,

ANJ TALKS ♡

Hope x Pampers

If not pampers then whatttt??!! 🤔😂

Since giving birth to my daughter, Hope, she has always used Pampers nappies. It is somewhat of a tradition in my family where I have grown up seeing everyone around me using Pampers for their babies and through my experience, I now know why ☺️

Where others have had to try different nappies, I simply cannot relate! 🤷🏽‍♀️

Hope is 6 months, almost 7 months now (I know, time flies right?! 🥺); therefore, being part of the Pampers Active Fit Project was only right, as she is now at a stage where she is constantly wriggling her feet, trying to eat her toes!!!, pulling at her socks and becoming much more ACTIVE! 🥰

Mumma’s, Pampers Active Fit make sense!!! I played with Hope, she had tummy time and she played with her toes and all sorts. She did this freely and comfortably! Hope has lovely skin and wore the size 4 nappies; and there were no issues (this is important 💡).

One thing that I find massively helpful as a new mother is the Pampers wetness indicator. I mean, sometimes, you just can’t tell if your baby’s nappy is a little wet-especially when you are a new mum. These nappies having wetness indicators is a life saver and it makes motherhood EASIER! I totally recommend 👍🏾

Pampers Active Fit is also Pampers #1 for comfort, fit and dryness. Seriously.

The fact that the nappy in itself is stretchy but also grips well is handy for any leaks! Now that Hope is trying solids, this is essential for any explosions that may occur!! 😅

As a new mother to a baby who is growing and exploring, my daughters comfort is of top priority to me. She no longer wants to lay on her back all day, but is inquisitive to everything around her; and so, my final comment in this review is that these nappies do just that- make her comfortable.

In a nutshell, the purpose of my blog is bring you ladies in and let you know that these nappies are worth the coins Sis! 😉 If you don’t believe me, then try them on your little ones yourselves; and let me know in the comments what you think! Then thank me later 😃

I and Hope in all her beauty, during her 6 month photoshoot with @momentsby_mimi on Instagram😍; wearing the Pampers Active Fit nappies.

#PampersActiveFit #wriggleproof #PampersSquad #ad @pampersuk_ire

With love,

ANJ TALKS ♡

The easing of lockdown for a new mama

Hey mumma’s! How you doing?! I hope all is well ☺️

So lockdown has eased and I’ve been in two minds about it…

I personally feel that lockdown gave me a chance to bond a lot with my baby girl and have her all to myself 🥰😄

I am however, excited that I will finally be able to attend mother and baby classes, have mummy dates with my mates, take baby girl to places that she has never been before and do dates with daddy; etc.

On the other hand, I question how safe it is to take my daughter out amongst people and crowds. There is still some anxiety around the fact that Covid is still out there. How do you guys as mothers overcome such thoughts?!

As a mother who is still working on having the body that I want via home workouts, I want to be real here and say that I also think about how I look in my clothes compared to before; especially as I basically live in lounge wear/ pjs and legginsss!!!😍

Lockdown gave me the space to workout behind closed doors and even when I’ve not been happy about my progress, nobody was able to necessarily see! 😃

I started working out for these reasons:

⁃ To get rid of the mum body (how do you get rid of the excess skin by the way?! 🥴)

⁃ To improve my overall fitness and discipline

⁃ I enjoy seeing the changes although, why do they say breastfeeding helps you to loose weight?! I don’t think I can relate (an exclusive breastfeeding mumma) 🥲; apparently I would have been bigger if I was not 🤔

Update from my last blog on the mum body: I have actually lost some weight but there’s a constant battle between eating (which I love to do by the way) and thinking about how ‘snatched’ I could look with consistency! Lol. I also need to be more patient with the changes! 😩

I got an Apple Watch in February and it has changed my life! I love it and I would definitely recommend it! Visually seeing how many calories I’m burning is a real bonus.

Anyway, back to lockdown… For someone like me who spent majority of last year pregnant (in lockdown), then gave birth during lockdown and has been in lockdown since- the outside seems kinda scary 🤦🏾‍♀️.

So…. Just where do new mothers begin?! What have you guys got planned for your little ones? Especially if you live in London, can you recommend some places; and leave a comment please?! 👇🏾

Well. My thoughts aside. It is NOT going to stop me from ensuring my baby gets to see the outdoors!! Because it’s about baby girl, but mummy’s feelings are valid too right?

Let me know ladies… How are you feeling about the outdoors easing? What have you been doing during lockdown that you would like to maintain now that things are easing?! Do share ☺️

P.S. for those following on Instagram, my handle will be changing to @anjtalksx – please continue to support 🦋 (if your not following, then follow! 🥰)

With love,

ANJ TALKS ♡

Hello YOU! 🥰

This blog is to remind all mumma’s out there that we can be and DO ALL‼️

During this lockdown, it has really given me a different perspective in life. An opportunity to see life in a different lens.

I mean, sure having a baby during lockdown and when there’s a pandemic is Crazy! 🤯

Our babies do not get to see the world for how it really is (good and a bad thing I think) and it is quite isolating (I am so grateful for my support system). However, it has given me a chance to pause and reassess myself 🤔 .

Do you ever wonder WHO AM I? If you don’t, think… who are you?!

My answer is: NOT JUST A MUM.

I am:

ME (whatever that means 😀)

A…

Praying woman

Mother

Wife

Daughter

Career woman

Blogger

Friend and so much More.

I CAN BE ALL THESE HATS AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I AM.

When I was pregnant I wondered how I was going to cope with just being a mother? I felt that because I was going to be a mother, it meant that I would not be able to do anything else (literally). I am sure many of you possibly felt the same way. Well we all thought wrong! 👎🏾

Society and even many mothers, give the impression that you should fear being a mother; especially when you are young. People tend to talk about all that they cannot do and all the things that children stop you from doing.

Sure, things have changed. Freedom is somewhat ‘limited’ and having a child does make them the centre of attention; but it is NOT the end of the world.

My baby is 5 months tomorrow (tears of joy🥺, can I freeze time for a sec please?!) and although I have had an identity change, although I am busy, although I am dedicated to my role as a mother, I am more than JUST a mother.👸🏽

This is to let everyone who reads my blog know that you may be scared as I was, you may think how will you get through, but YOU WILL find your feet. You may question what life would mean but in fact, since I’ve become a mother, life means so much more to me 🤷🏽‍♀️.

You may have a routine or a to do list that does not go to plan as expected BUT that does not change anything. You can be and DO ALL. It will take time, it will take re-adjusting and it will take being INTENTIONAL; but mumma’s let’s grab life at its horns and GO FOR IT!!

I am far from perfect. I have my good and bad days. I have had days where I have wondered how I was going to get on but there was something I read in a devotional, in the first few months of my motherhood journey.

It highlighted to me the importance of taking God with me on the journey and when I think of how to be a perfect mother, I am to remember that it is because I am not perfect, that I have God 🤗.

Hats off to all mothers all around the world 🌍 🙌🏾. We are really trying our best! Kudos to all the mothers that have started new ventures, started studying again, planning career moves and so much more! 👏🏾 Go mumma, you got this. God got you 🙏🏾.

The reality of it is that it is not easy but please, let’s not stop praying, let’s not stop planning and let’s not stop working hard. Don’t stop being YOU (I am speaking to myself to! 🤝)

I will just leave this here…

It’s the glow for me. Me wearing all my invisible hats 👒 🙌🏾.

With love,

ANJ TALKS ♡

3 month review (the first trimester post-pregnancy)

Mind-blowing, selfless, amazing = MY FIRST 3 MONTHS AS A MOTHER‼️🤱🏾

My favourite people.

In all honestly, I absolutely love motherhood and cannot imagine being without my baby. Prior to being a mother, I knew that I wanted to be a mother one day but I never expected to feel the surge of love that I do since giving birth. I always felt that I wasn’t very maternal but Wow! Things have definitely changed…

MIND-BLOWING

I gave birth naturally to the love of my life. People used to always say to me that when you give birth, you forget the pain hence why people tend to want to have more kids. They were right. I haven’t forgotten the pain but I can’t explain it- I can’t fathom it. I just can’t! The fact that my baby was delivered the way that she was and then suddenly, she was in my arms; that my friends= MIND-BLOWING.

The first few days when I got home, I was overwhelmed to say the least. The rush of LOVE that filled me. I just couldn’t take it. The fact that the day before I was at home, just me and my Husband; and the next day (I went home the same day I gave birth), I was home with a newborn was just wow. I honestly couldn’t ‘deal.’ It was difficult to digest. All I knew was I loved my baby and I would guard her with my life- I knew that I loved her more than anything in this world.

Mothers, baby blues are real😳.

I experienced them a few days after giving birth- The fact that I was unable to pause to think as soon as my baby was home, my identity had changed and I had all these things to take in, was a lot. I just did not want to be a bad mum and I wanted to make sure that I was doing the right thing😢- can you relate?

A midwife came to my house the day after I came home and loaded me with information, my breast started hurting and leaking with milk, the pain from the stitches- I was just so glad to have my mum around. Without my Husband, my mum and all my family helping, it would not have been easy (all people talk about are the sleepless nights- no one talks about the other subs!).

Despite their help, the reality was, I am my baby’s mother; which meant I had a new responsibility and when it came to feeding, only I could breastfeed her of course.

“ENJOY THE MOMENT, ENJOY THE NOW”

My mum

It was at this point that I made up my mind that I was going to take each day as it comes. Those baby blues disappeared as quickly as they came AND I got on with it- Welcome to motherhood Anj! ♥️😬

SELFLESS

Do you know why I have described motherhood as SELFLESS?

Selfless because at the beginning of my motherhood journey, I quickly accepted that 1) I am a mother 2) I have a baby and 3) my life has changed. Period. Once you accept these three things- it does get easier. It’s all in the mind.

This is how I’ve been able to embrace each moment. The days where things have gone well and the days where I’m like this ‘🤯🥴.’ I accepted that maternity is not an opportunity for me to skive off work and have a lie in. It is for me to bond with my baby and that is what I have been doing.

When my baby wakes up to feed, there is no such thing as “2 secs baby girl, I just want to chill for a bit” lol- (especially as my baby is exclusively breastfed/ takes breast milk only). Either way, I would not change it for the world.

The occasions where I have had so little sleep especially in my baby’s first month of life… The days where ‘routine’ flew out the window… Yes, those times are real and made me realise that my baby was my priority.

Being a mother: I am no longer the centre of the universe.

I have relinquished this position to my baby.

⭐️ Disclaimer: please note that as mothers, just because we prioritise our babies does Not mean that our mind and self are also not important!

AMAZING

Seeing my baby reach milestones has been PERFECT. It sure does reduce me to tears each time though… 😫

The fact that she is growing right before my eyes is a Blessing that I do not take for granted at all. Day 0 I was ‘shaking’ but today although I am not a pro, I can say that I am enjoying motherhood overall. What a relief when you finally ‘get it!’

3 months+ in and my baby’s sleeping longer (the bit I was excited to get to lol!) it does exist 😁. People also call my baby the ‘smiley baby’ and that alone is BLISS😃. Having my own routine also really helps and I’m enjoying that I am growing with my baby. Seeing her bond with my Hubby is also great! 🙏🏾

In my first trimester I was able to:

⁃ Celebrate my baby’s first Christmas and New Year

A memory that I will never forget.

⁃ Do my makeup about 3 times (a big deal honestly! Lol)

⁃ Return to blogging

Andddd I actually took photos of my baby every single day in her first month of life because I just couldn’t deal🤭🥰. My photo album is on overload!!! 🤦🏾‍♀️

Soooo… To end my review I would like to say:

Sure, motherhood has been AMAZING but of course, I have my days where I want to sleep undisturbed, I have my days where I want to chill with my Husband like ‘old times’; and I even have days where I wonder why I didn’t do all the things that I miss doing, better before I gave birth lol.

Nevertheless, call me MUM.

MUMMY HOPE 😊

With love,

ANJ TALKS ♡