1) Tell us a bit about yourself :)
So I'm Gwenaelle, and I will be 24 years old in septembre.
I am a stay-at-home Mum and I would like to become a nanny in the future.
I became a mum for the first time 3 days before my 21st birthday. My most beautiful birthday present. ♥️Eliott will be 3 years old in september. It's thanks to him that I discovered baby-wearing, breastfeeding, mothering and everything about motherhood. I became a single mother when he was only a few months old. It wasn't always very easy. But I met my partner, and it's as though he has always been there. He has been a big support for me, for us.
In January we welcomed our little surprise, Capucine, and she's just turned 4 months old. And I keep learning more and more thanks to her. 🥰
We are therefore a very loving stepfamily.
2) Tell us in one line how motherhood has been for you up until now ?
Motherhood for me is, unpredictable 🤪🥰
3) What's the thing you have found hardest being a Mum ?
From my two experiences, I can clearly state that no two babies are the same. And without hesitation, what I found most difficult was the lack of sleep. A baby who wakes up at 3 am, who no longer wants to sleep, and the next day you have to manage a 2 year old who is currently in the assertion phase, with your lack of sleep, and patience. This is the hardest part of it for me. Good sleep makes the following day easier, and enables us to control our emotions better.
Equally I would also also say that it's so difficult when you can not calm your baby. The evening , their pain of any kind ...... when a baby is inconsolable, it is deeply difficult.
4) Has baby-wearing helped you in your role as a Mum ?
Yes! Baby-wearing saved my days and my nights. The first few months of Capucine's life were not easy, but it now seems to be calming down, but without babywearing, I think my mental health would have suffered.
And everything is so much more convenient and pratical ! 🥰
5) What's your educational philosophy with your children ?
Do your best. And above all, give all your love. ♥️
6) Can you describe your relationship to clothes before being pregnant, during pregnancy and after childbirth ?
Before I got pregnant with Eliott, I loved shopping! I liked having new clothes, I took great care of myself. Then I got pregnant, and with a growing belly, not necessarily the means to completely buy a whole new wardrobe of clothes that I'd only use for a few months. So I did what I could.
Now that I'm a mum ? Well everything is for the kids
I forget myself. I know it, but I can't help it. I always put my children before myself.
7) Did you breastfed or bottle-fed your children?
Yes ! I have been breastfeeding for almost 3 years now. My two children are co-breastfed.
Breastfeeding is not easy , it is the most natural thing, but it is not easy, and you need to be well informed and advised.
There's nothing in particular that I would have liked to have known, I was relatively well informed before the birth of my oldest son.
And the advice I can give a mother-to-be: trust yourself, trust your baby, and if something feels wrong, ask for help! ♥ ️
8) Your first memory of baby-wearing ?
Eliott was one week old. It was far from perfect, but it was so lovely. Having his little body against mine. It was marvellous. And since then, it's been daily. 3 years that I have been baby-wearing now. 🥰
9) What is your favourite type of baby-carrier ?
For a very small baby, the sling or the scarf.
When they get bigger and stronger, the pre-formed baby-carriers are very practical !
10) According to you , what are the three most important things a Mum should pack in her hospital bag ?
Snacks, a nightlight, and a baby-carrier scarf of course !
11) "Without baby-wearing I would not have been able to...
.... go to the Mont St Michel with my 1 and a half year old baby.
With all those stairs and a pram, it would not have been easy !
12) Your favourite time travelling with your children ? Tips for parents who want to travel 'easily' with their children ?
Up until now I have not travelled much with my children. Last summer we went to Brittany with Eliott.
This summer we're going to Spain, by plane, we're very excited !
Tips: Baby-carriers. They don't take up much space and we can go everywhere with them !
13) Do you have a SnuGgle blanket ?
Unfortunately no, but I think that next winter, I'll enjoy buying a SnuGgle blanket, without hesitation ! It's a marvellous concept !
14) Tips for parents who want to start babywearing ?
Research, and don't hesitate to have a lesson with a babywearing consultant. ♥️
15) What would you have liked to have known before becoming a Mum for the first time ?
That one day my son would come back in from the garden with black flithy socks full of soil ?
No joking aside, nothing. I love learning and discovering with them. I am doing my best, even when it's not always easy, I love them with all my heart and that's what counts isn't it?
16) "Being a Mum in my opinion, that means...
... loving. Loving each day a little bit more. Heartache the minute one of my children isn't with me. Never giving up. Always being close to them, in every moment of their life. Not reproducing the same schema I grew up in. Protecting them from everything. ♥️
Thank you very much Gwenaelle for sharing your Motherhood experience ! Don't hesitate to follow her on her instagram account : @mama_ternante !