#MoreThanAMutha is all about celebrating the things that women are, as well as being amazing mothers. In a world where many women feel like they lose their identity when they become a mum, it is important to celebrate and shout that we might be mums, but we are not only that and we are still a force to be reckoned with.
What makes you more than a mother?
Are people surprised when they realise you are more than a mum? Does that bother you?
I’m fairly soft spoken and also quite petite so the misconceptions about what an engineer is, or looks like does cause people to be surprised when they find out what I do. It does bother me, and that’s the reason why I started Butterfly Books. To try and address unconscious bias issues about gender and what professions entail, and to help make these changes from an early age. We create children’s picture books and our current titles are My Mummy is an Engineer, My Mummy is a Plumber and My Mummy is a Scientist. We are currently working on our next title, My Mummy is a Farmer, which will be out this Summer.
What challenges do you face when you’re juggling motherhood and being more than a mum?
How long did it take you to remember you were more than a mother after you had your child(ren)?
I’d say it took around 7 months after my daughter was born. When I had stopped breastfeeding. It was the first time I was able to go out by myself without rushing back to feed her or worried about leaky boobs or pumping. My favourite hobby is dancing so I went to a dance class. Just going back and doing something that I love reminded me of ME. It kind of cleared my mind and gave me the opportunity to reflect on my new life and think about
my new goals. Whilst on maternity leave from my professional engineering role, I have still been running the business and working on our next book, so this has also helped me too.
Who, or what, helps you to make time for yourself? What do you do to escape the stresses of motherhood?
What advice would you offer a mum who might not be feeling like they are more than someones mum right now?
Any advice for someone who is going through the same things as you are right now in their quest to be #MoreThanAMutha?
Who would you like to see featured next in the #MoreThanAMutha series?
“For me, being a mother made me a better professional, because coming home every night
to my girls reminded me what I was working for. And being a professional made me a better
mother, because by pursuing my dreams, I was modeling for my girls how to pursue their
dreams.”
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Are you #MoreThanAMutha? Get in touch to share your story.