Mama Muse • Lina Li

我是一个有两个可爱的女儿的三十➕妈妈。现在她们一个一岁半，一个三岁半。开始可以慢慢一起玩了。我也轻松了很多。做为母亲是我最大的荣幸和事业。因为孩子对我来说是最重要的。珍贵如我的生命。

同时，我也是一个事业女性。我是法国童装品牌Bonpoint澳大利亚总代理。在Chadstone开了第一家旗舰店。管理生意的同时我也是一个业余博主。我喜欢分享我的穿衣风格和购物分享，还有我的生活，和一切有趣的事情。

如果不是做了妈妈，你不会知道自己有多强大。人生大概就是这样吧！每天埋伏着各种猝不及防的生活无常。每天孩子都在长大，他们带给我无数的小惊喜。无形中也给了我再苦再累也要勇往直前的勇气和决心。

给女儿生命只是一种偶然 她们不用感谢，我只希望她们能够慢慢明白，我才是要深深感谢她们的人.

谢谢她们带给了我另一种生活，对孩子我没有任何要求，如果孩子的盛开需要肥沃的土壤，

我情愿腐朽在她们的跟下。❤️

I am in my 30s and a mother to two lovely daughters. My youngest is one and a half, and the eldest is three and a half. As they are starting to play together and enjoy each other’s company, I am feeling much more relaxed and comfortable in my role as their mother. I think being a mother is the greatest honour and responsibility because children are the most important thing to me and are as precious as my life.

But motherhood is not my only role. I am also a business woman, working as a distributor of the French children's clothing brand Bonpoint in Australia with our first flagship store in Chadstone. And apart from managing my business, I am an amateur blogger and love sharing my fashion style, shopping hauls, snippets of everyday life and interesting finds.

I firmly believe that if it weren’t for becoming a mother, I wouldn't not have known my true innate strength. This is how life is! Every day reveals just how impermanent our lives are and as the children grow, they bring me countless little surprises. They also give me the courage and determination to march on, no matter how exhausted I am.

I regard giving life to my daughters as a form of good fortune, a gift for which they don't have to thank me for. I just hope that they can understand that I am the one who wants to profoundly thank them for giving me a new life. I have no expectations of my children, if children require fertile soil in order to bloom, I would willingly lay down and be that soil. ❤️

What was your favourite thing about the newborn phase?

在他们刚出生的时候，我最喜欢做的就是看着他们，抚摸他们的小手小脚，和他们聊天。告诉他们妈妈又多幸运可以拥有他们。谢谢他们来到我的身边。

When they were born, my favourite thing was looking at them, touching their little hands and feet, and chatting with them. I would tell them how lucky and grateful I am to have them in my life.

What did you find challenging about being a new mother?

对新手妈妈的挑战，更多的是心理的变化。俗话说：为母则刚。做为一个妈妈是非常艰巨和伟大的事业。如果你想成为医生可以去学医科，如果你想喜欢甜品，可以学糕点师。可是成为妈妈，没有任何学校可以教你如何成为好妈妈。你只能靠自己。

The challenge for new mothers is more about dealing with the psychological change. As the Chinese saying goes: “Being a mother makes you stronger than before”. Being a mom is challenging and requires great courage. If you want to become a doctor you can go to medical school, and if you to like desserts, you can learn to become a dessert chef. But there are no schools to teach you how to be a good mom. You can only rely on yourself and your intuition.

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

刚刚生完他们的时候我请了月嫂，之后又请了育儿嫂。看起来我是轻松很多。但是我也失去了很多和孩子相处的时间。如果可以回到过去，我希望我可以多花点时间陪伴孩子。因为他们长得实在太快了。每天都在长大每天都是新的一天，我想陪伴和见证他们的成长。

When I gave birth to the girls, I hired a confinement nanny, and then down the track had a nanny to care for the girls. From the outside, it may appear that I had it easy. But I feel like I also lost a lot of time with my kids. If I could go back in time, I would spend more time with them as they grow so quickly. Every day they are growing up, every day is a new day, and I want to be beside them as I witness their growth.

List your top 3 essentials for a new mother.

1. 要相信自己，接受自己。给自己独处的时光。
2. 要有足够的睡眠和营养。
3. 要老公和家人的陪伴，你不孤单。

1. Trust and accept yourself. Give yourself space.
2. Get enough sleep and eat nutritiously.
3. Have the support of your partner and family and remember that you are not alone.

Are there any rituals or practices during your 4th trimester you'd like to share?

在中国，坐月子是不可以洗头的。但是就是因为不洗头带着厚厚的毛线帽子坐月子让我的头很疼。最后变成了偏头疼。生老二的时候月嫂让我每天洗澡洗头，中药泡脚，以及艾灸。我的身体变得很轻，整个人很通畅。很舒服。月嫂治好了我的偏头痛。

In China, during the confinement period we are not allowed to wash our hair and are required to wear a thick wool hat during this period under the instruction of my confinement nanny. Unfortunately this caused me to have migraines during my first pregnancy. When I had my second child, my confinement nanny allowed me take baths and wash my hair every day whilst also soaking my feet with Chinese herbs. She also performed moxibustion treatments on me. My body became very light, restored, and comfortable, and the migraines were cured.

Editor's note: It is important to remember that even when observing confinement practices, to be mindful of one own's constitution and making rituals suitable to one's lifestyle and make up.

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