Becoming A Mum, Motherhood: What a difference a year makes!

Whilst I am away in Sunny Florida, it is my pleasure to host a guest post by the lovely Laurena who is about to embark on starting her own business after having her first child.

Over to Laurena…..

I’m writing this blog post today reflecting on just how much becoming a mum has changed my life in the last 365 days! A year ago today I was smugly laying on my sofa celebrating my achievement of cycling the Ride London – Surrey 100 mile challenge with an oversized bar of chocolate and glass (actually-most likely a bottle) of Prosecco! I had the following couple of days booked off work with a spa session and massage awaiting me. I had at least three episodes of TOWIE recorded ready to catch up on and had stocked up my trashy magazine pile. On a typical weekend leading up to the cycle, I would enjoy a cheeky lie in, then take off for the day for a five or six hour training ride…’foot loose and fancy free.’ My husband would be busying himself either working or playing golf, and in the evening we would enjoy a few bottles of something chilled in the garden with a BBQ feast.

Little did I know as I posted a selfie on Facebook that day, shiny new medal on show, that my biggest achievement was actually my tiny baby bean tucked away in my tummy! I was six weeks pregnant! My husband and I shared our dream wedding in Mallorca just a few months prior and starting a family was on the cards, but I guess you’re never quite ready to believe what that little blue line means and how life instantly changes forever! No more endless hours on a bike and uninterrupted evenings.

As a workaholic event manager for the past ten years, I was oh so ignorant of what lay ahead. I would ask my colleagues and clients ‘How will I fill my time with a baby all day every day?’ How naïve. I’ve never been more aware of the million different expectations that are demanded of a 30 something ambitious, career focused woman with a new husband and new baby. But with only 24 hours in the day, how should I prioritise my time? Attending ‘stay and play’, ensuring all grandparents get equal weekly visiting rights, shaving my legs, styling my hair and battling to win back my pre-baby figure, arranging ‘Keeping in Touch’  days at work, negotiating diaries for friends’ birthday meals? It’s endless.

However, fifteen weeks in the saddle of my new role, I’m starting to work it out. I think I’m doing an ok job as mummy. I ask Leo from time to time and his gummy smile in response suggests I’m not in the firing line just yet. Grandparents are visiting regularly with a dual role-to help with cooking, cleaning or gardening which is a great help and allows me slivers of time to work on my new business venture. The husband and I have figured out when we can press the button from mum and dad mode to ‘us’ mode finding time to laugh together, have a cuddle and go out on the odd occasion just like we used to. And ‘me time’ is important. So I enjoy the odd spa day or meal with friends and am slowly building up that body confidence by killing myself each week at a fitness class. I haven’t yet cracked the regular leg shaving and styling my hair but that only happened on special occasions pre-baby anyway so hey ho! You can’t win them all.

A friend recently said ‘it’s so lovely to see you becoming a mum….after all, we have always just seen you as the party girl! I’m still working out if I’m proud or ashamed of that badge. But I guess it’s true either way. While childhood friends were settling down with long term beaus, entering in to the seemingly depressing world of joint bank accounts, mortgages and life insurance, I was the one who only visited for special occasions (usually hung-over or on a mission to get one). The rest of the time I was loving life as a carefree singleton based in London. Work was my key focus until the sun went down and then I’d sample the fun and frolics of the City.

Now the satisfaction of hitting an end of quarter target has been replaced by successfully sleeping a whole four hours in one stint, or catching an explosive nappy before it leaves it’s mark forever on Leo’s clothes (and mine)! I used to have sleepless nights leading up to an event or year-end…now I can expertly fall asleep whilst doing the dishes if it means catching an extra ten minute snooze.

We’ve somehow made it this far and my little sidekick (well, not so little at a stone in weight and having greedily grown three chins) makes me feel like the luckiest woman in the world. Cliché I know but oh so true. I’m smitten. From his balding football head to his chubby misshapen feet. I even love the stench of his wet nappies on a hot day!  And it’s my son (still feels surreal that I have a son) who has inspired me to follow a dream that I so bullishly shoved in a cupboard all these years. I’m starting my own events business and he’s my motivation to make it work. Now is the time to challenge myself more than ever before. New wife, new mum, and now new business owner. So many other mums out there are doing it- and doing it bloody well in fact so I’m inspired, focused, driven and….nervous! But generally thriving off the nervous bit as my ambition has shifted to being the best mum and business owner I can be. I’ve got an unknown, new future ahead with my little buddy in tow and that’s exciting.

Well that’s my heart laid bare for all to read. What a difference a year makes, and guess when I last rode my bike? Yep this day last year-but I’m sure I’ll be back in the saddle someday soon. And if I’m not, then -hey, ho! I’ve got a whole new favourite hobby to take up my time- being a mum. Were you taken aback by the changes motherhood brought you? I’d love to hear your experiences!

You can follow Laurena’s journey here: @BellacheBella1 & @mummy_and_leo