Another Mama began in 2020, when like many people, I felt like the pandemic had turned my world upside down. I was pregnant with my second child in the height of lockdown, birthing him in my car on the way to hospital with the help of my husband. For so long afterwards, we then didn’t see family or friends, nesting as a new family of four, riding the emotional waves of having a newborn and a toddler during a global pandemic.
The past year has been awful, wonderful, challenging and inspiring all at once. Amongst raising two young boys, sleepless nights, never-ending requests for snacks and mounds of washing, I decided to begin documenting the madness of parenting. Another Mama was then born out of a desire to be honest, to offload and to unite other mamas out there.
In a year of so much change, I then added to this further and made the decision whilst on maternity leave to not return to my job as a primary school teacher. It was time for something different – something which meant I could be around for our two boys more as they grew up. And above all, I wanted to write.
Along with my Another Mama blog, I have written for NCT, Solent Mind and The Early Years Alliance. As a freelance writer, I am passionate about sharing the honesty and rawness of life, the importance of mental well-being, the highs and the lows.
And as well as blogging and working as a freelance writer, I have become an author too. Throughout my ten years as a primary school teacher, my passion truly lay in inspiring children to read and write – I remember always telling my classes that it was my dream to write books one day. And now I am. After a little idea sparked at the beginning of the first lockdown, my first children’s book then became a reality. I still can’t quite believe that I am now a published author.
Being a full-time mum whilst trying to kick start a new career isn’t easy and it’s most certainly a juggling act like no other. But I’m getting there. Motherhood is definitely the most rewarding and toughest job in the world. For me, being a mum is a role like no other; it’s all-consuming, magical and impossible all at once. Some days I feel like the luckiest person in the world, but others I can’t wait for the day to be over. I’ve felt emotions that I didn’t know were even possible and I’ve learned so much about myself since becoming a mum.
I have two wonderful boys, Theo and Wilf. They are my absolute world and I feel so lucky to have them. But of course, it’s not all rosy. And that’s why I first decided to blog – to write about the ups and downs of being a mum, the things I’ve learned and am learning. My Instagram is a far cry from filtered pictures, cute matching outfits and pale linens. Nothing is staged, nothing is perfect. Just like parenting.
I held back from doing this for a while though, much like having the courage to write my first book. Firstly, I didn’t know if I wanted to put my life out there for others to know about so much. Also, I’ve thought that people might not be interested. But writing is a wonderful escape for me. I find it therapeutic to vent and reflect, even rant sometimes, and I’m sure I will enjoy looking back on these moments in years to come – be that to laugh or cry.
another mama 