I am a banker by trade, and a content creator on the side to fulfil the creative need in my life. I’m also a mother of two rambunctious one-year-old who have completed our lives!
Pre-covid and pre-kids, I was an avid traveler but of course, our lives have all changed now. These days I find joy intrinsically and domestically—in spending time with my little family, and also in making meals for them. I’m an avid cook and love discovering and sharing new recipes on my food account @gthatsdelicious.
What was your favourite thing about the newborn phase?
I loved nursing them. There was an inimitable, incomparable sense of intimacy, love and trust that was so magical. This intoxicating co-dependency compels you to overcome the physical pain and challenges of breastfeeding. I also love the way they smelt—powdery, freshly baked little things—the scent is so addictive!
What did you find challenging about being a new mother?
Which part of it wasn’t challenging?! You can read about motherhood as much as you like, mentally prep yourself as much as you want but once the babies arrive, everything goes out the window.
Adjusting to a new sense of self was the biggest challenge for me. I found it hard to reconcile my new identity with the fact that my freedom and lifestyle were things of the past and I now have a lifelong responsibility to two little boys. Having twins presented a compounded effect of course, and I believe this is a common struggle a lot of new mums go through. But I promise once you have adjusted, it is the most rewarding journey ever!
How were you supported during your postpartum period and what would you change if you could go back in time?
Not gonna lie—living in Singapore, we are extremely lucky to have my parents, a nanny and a domestic helper around to help manage the kids and the house. This gave me the luxury of time and freedom for self-care, which is so critical in the first few months. The nanny made nutritious postpartum meals daily, and I think that really contributed to a quicker recovery post my emergency c-section.
I believe it takes a village and when you feel supported, you’re less likely to get postpartum depression. So my biggest advice is to accept whatever help you can get! Even if, just a couple of hours to go out and get your hair done or to have a coffee with a friend—it makes a world of difference to be outside for some fresh air!
List your top 3 essentials for a new mother.
- For Mama: Nipple cream for those painful early days of nursing,
- A belly wrap, so you don’t feel like a deflated plastic bag post delivery,
- The Elvie cordless pumps, so you don’t feel constantly chained to a corded pump. All three made a huge difference to my mental wellbeing.
Are there any rituals or practices during your 4th trimester you'd like to share?
In addition to what my doctor prescribed, I followed a TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) based approach in the fourth trimester as I believe in its holistic, restorative benefits. The Chinese believe that giving birth is one of the most physically dangerous things a woman can go through in life, and so there is a huge focus on the recovery to make sure mama is well-healed post delivery.
With regards to breastfeeding, I started pumping (in addition to latching) early on as that took the pressure off me to be physically there 24/7 and my husband could jump in to bottle-feed. This helped a lot, as it can feel mentally and physically overwhelming to be latched on every few hours at the start. Later on, whenever I felt like my milk supply was dipping, I turned to power pumping and that has helped me keep the level of supply until today—one year on.
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