Welcome to Mama&More
A newsletter about my experience of being a first time mum and more...
Happy New Year! Welcome to Mama&More a fortnightly newsletter where I will be sharing my journey as a first time mum. This newsletter is an honest reflection on my experience of motherhood as well as a space for creative expression, subjects I’m curious about and things I think are beautiful or interesting, because I’m a mama, but I’m also much more.
I haven’t felt the urge to write again until now. From the moment I became pregnant it was as if that part of my brain shut down and all my energy was being directed to making life and then keeping that tiny life alive. It is only recently that I have been lying awake at night again thinking about the things I’d like to say and how - this is when my creative ideas feel the most vivid. Now that my son is 6 months old, we know each other better, he is more settled existing outside of me and I am more confident in meeting his needs. It is still challenging of course but I can feel myself slowly emerging from that newborn bubble and needing to remember myself.
I am nearly halfway through my maternity leave and despite sometimes feeling like I should be spending every future minute soaking up my beautiful baby, I will be making the effort to carve out small pockets of time to think and write and share. There is a wiser part of me that knows, the more I meet my needs the more present I can be with my son and others. I can already feel myself getting lighter as I type these words, so I am going to push through the guilt and uncertainty and just show up.
What you can expect:
My thoughts on motherhood in real time including insights from professionals where possible.
Areas of birth and beyond that I feel need more interrogation.
Experiences with and without my son, including local travel and further afield.
Creativity through the lens of being a mum and in general.
Artistic things I feel called to share e.g. poems, letters, photos.
Interviews and insights about motherhood/parenting from people who can provide a different perspective than mine.
Subjects outside of motherhood that I am curious about.
Disclaimer: This newsletter isn’t about me saying, ‘this is how you do it’. Parenting is far too personal for that. I will simply be asking questions and discovering things for myself in the hope that you can find something of value from being on this journey with me.
If you are receiving this first email when I am publishing it then you already know me. You will also know that I don’t have Facebook or Instagram or any other social media platform where I can share this new creative venture en masse. I will be building the mailing list for this newsletter from scratch. That being said you might not be interested in what I am going to be writing about and if this is the case please don’t feel pressured to subscribe, but if you know of someone who my writing might resonate with, I would be so grateful if you could share it with them. I’d really like to reach those who this newsletter is meant for - whoever that might be. My next post will be landing with anyone who is subscribed on January 15th. Thank you in advance for any energy or support you give to me and my writing, even if that is just reading this post. Wishing you a 2024 that feels how you’d like it to.