I got dirty with three baby mummas: Dajana, Sarah, and Kate. Afterwards, we got to talking (and cuddling). I learnt what it means to be a baby mumma. And what nipple pads are. I’ll let them finish that sentence.
Me: “Your body is beautiful, then, now & always. What changes have you noticed since becoming a baby mumma?”
Dajana: “There are a lot more lumps and bumps than there used to be, but you just don’t seem to care as much when you’re a mumma. I also had an emergency cesarean, so I’ve got a pretty cool new scar.”
Sarah: “The main changes that I’ve noticed in my body is my skin is much drier because I don’t have time to dedicate to it. I used to be really good at looking after my hair and skin, and not so much anymore. Dry shampoo is my best friend.”
Kate: “My skin’s been really up and down, like I get a lot of breakouts across my forehead, and also my chest and my neck as well. And with your body, your tummy has gone from growing and stretching to now shrinking back down, but with that comes loose skin, which is interesting. It’s definitely something that’s on the forefront of my mind in terms of something that I’m not too secure about, but you’ve just got to be kind to yourself.”
Me: “Other than breakouts (and breakdowns), what surprised you the most?”
Sarah: “Probably didnt realise the amount of times I’d get weed on, by boys and girls.”
Kate: “The amount of changes. There’s all these physical changes but there’s the mental, emotional, hormonal, so that’s made quite an impact [laughs]. But it’s all worth it. That’s the other thing I didn’t expect; I thought I’d be so “man I’m so tired’ but you just do it, you get on with it, you do it for them and you love it.”
Me: “Back to coffee. Scrub, I mean. What do you think of my Baby Mumma Kit?”
Kate: “I absolutely love it. I actually used it throughout my pregnancy. I used it from about 17 weeks, when I started getting a bump. Then I was using it to prevent stretch marks and I guess just to make myself feel good. It helps you connect to the baby as well because they feel you rubbing your tummy. But I used it head to toe, it was my time. And now that postpartum is here and I do have that sagging skin I’ve been using it weekly.”
Sarah: “The Baby Mumma Kit gave me 5 minutes in the bath by myself. Which also included 20 minutes with the kids. It was fun. And messy. But it was also nice to smell that coconut and feel like I was on a bit of a tropical holiday, even though it was only 5 minutes.”
Me: “Advice for other baby mummas?”
Dajana: “Don’t place as much importance on the birth itself. It’s such a small small part of the journey of motherhood so don’t worry about it so much. After it happens you don’t care how it happened, you don’t care about your plan, you just care that you’ve got a healthy baby.”
Kate: “My advice for baby mummas and baby mummas-to-be would be rest when you can, be kind to yourself, don’t expect it to be easy because it’s not and that’s okay. Talk, cry, do everything you need to get by. And buy nipple pads, you will thank me later. Like I’m taking milk showers. And get the Baby Mumma Kit, give yourself some time, put yourself first sometimes, handball baby to hubby, your partner, your mum, your sister, your friend, get in the shower, get it nice and hot, have you time. And just scrub. Do the face mask. Do the hair mask. Do everything you can to make you feel good.”
Sarah: “For new mums, don’t listen to the advice that anybody gives you. The best judge of what you can do for your kids, is you. And that’s your gut feeling. Everything that you think is the right way to do it, is probably the right way to do it.”
Me: “Talk about frank advice, Sarah. Anything else to add?”
Sarah: “Just spend time with your kids. They drive me mad 90% of the time but even in that 90% of the time they’re the absolute light of my life. They do make you feel really amazing that I made them. You can’t beat spending time with your kids.”
So babe, to sum it up: be kind to yourself, buy nipple pads, and get dirty with my Baby Mumma Kit.
Three famous scrubs to hydrate skin, show love to stretch marks, and most importantly, give you some alone time. Even if it’s only 5 minutes.