Mama Muse • Charlie Kuan

Full time Mama to 2 boys, Parker 3 and Xander 1.5 and part time engineer working as a consultant. My days are currently filled with trying to keep up with the kids, parks, playdates.

Growing up, I was always surrounded by younger cousins and so I was always the person that was ‘good with kids’, but I also never really saw myself as a mother myself until I had my own children. 

I’m going to say something quite contentious here, but I actually didn’t really love the newborn phase. I settled into motherhood a little later maybe around the 6/7 month mark.

What did you find challenging about being a new mother?

The constant self doubt was quite challenging to navigate. I almost always felt that what I was doing was either not right, or not enough.

How were you supported during your postpartum period, and what would you change if you could go back in time?

For both my kids,  my post partum period was supported by a close family friend who cooked all of my post partum meals, who paid a lot of attention to what I needed to heal my body as well as my mum, who helped me with all the other things so I could rest a little more. My first was born during COVID lockdowns and we generally couldn’t see anyone, whilst my second was born post COVID, so if I would change anything I would say that I would keep my post partum as quiet as possible. I found the business didn’t suit me the second time around, and could have used with a bit of time to just settle in with the new baby as well as have the time to help my first born adjust with the new dynamic.

Top 3 essentials would be:

1. Friends that you can call to ask any question you like. I found this invaluable. Nothing was too much 😊
2. If you are a breastfeeding mama, nipple cream it’s a must!
3. Support with meals. This took away a lot of physical and mental load, which allowed me to focus more on healing and adjusting to a life with a newborn.