1. How did you break the news for both of your pregnancies to your family and friends?
For my family we chose to tell them when everyone was present e.g. family dinners. They were obviously ecstatic. With friends, I sent them the positive pregnancy test picture (cliché, everyone does it!) and they already started naming the baby.
The second time round, it was really fast (Daniel wasn’t even 1 yet!) so they were more shocked about how fast I’m working on the family expansion.
Now, they keep sending me family planning articles. Haha.
2. Did you have any unusual cravings when you were pregnant?
For both, I was craving cold drinks. During my first one pregnancy, I wanted Chatime every single day in my third trimester. It was crazy!
When I was pregnant with Mariam, I was chomping on ice cubes everyday.
Now, I can’t even have such cold drinks without hurting my teeth. So lesson of the day; don’t give in to your cravings!
3. Describe what your maternity style was like.
Leggings, tank top, cardigan! I lived in that during my first pregnancy.
For my second pregnancy, I had already started donning the hijab so I opted for elastic palazzo pants and loose swing tops. My second pregnancy, I was smaller, so I could fit normal clothes till the end.
For both pregnancies, I had a protruding belly button which was so annoying because it stuck out rudely like a third nipple. I even tried taping it down but it didn’t work, so I ended up walking around with my hand covering my belly button. Thank God it went back in after I delivered.
4. How do you stay in shape? Did you follow any workout routines during and post-pregnancy?
I went back into shape very fast after giving birth to Daniel. Tummy went back flat; I made sure I wore the corset and observed confinement strictly.
For the second time round, I still wore the corset but I found it so hard to get the tummy back to pre-pregnancy times. I still have a pooch until now after 3 months post-delivery. It’s quite different this time round and I find that I have to work a bit to get into shape. I currently have a personal trainer and I try to train 2-3 times a week to get toned up again so I hope that works.
People say it gets harder to whip up into shape for consecutive pregnancies, so the more babies you have and the older you get, it won’t be as easy to get back into shape I guess.
5. Did you have a specific beauty regime while pregnant?
I was sweating buckets the whole time, there was nothing beautiful there! Haha.
One thing though, I kept active and I never got lazy with dressing up and wearing makeup, as I’m forced to since I meet people on a daily basis with my job in the fashion industry. If it were up to me, I’d be in pyjamas all day…
One regime I never forget to do is to rub oil on my tummy, butt and thighs so that I wouldn’t get stretchmarks. I still got them though, so what a waste of time.
6. What was your favourite way to treat yourself while pregnant?
Massages. I had them every other day. My back and butt really hurt during both pregnancies because I’m really petite and maybe the weight really took a toll on me. So the massages were temporary reliefs to make it less painful.
7. What is your favourite moment and experience of motherhood so far and what has it taught you?
I was never a maternal person, I never really liked playing with children, so I had no idea how to be a mom.
But once they came into this world, everything changed and life is never about you anymore. The love came naturally and when they look into your eyes and smile at you, ahhhhh, your heart just melts. There is no favourite moment, everything is amazing; when they laugh, when they hold your hand, when they kiss you in the morning. Before they become impossible-to-handle teenagers, I’m going to enjoy every bit of this.
Motherhood has taught me to be less selfish. I’m always on the go and I am so used to living life how I want it to be, so having them has taught me to slow down and enjoy family time as a stress-reliever. Now my whole life revolves around them, and I had to make some sacrifices e.g. I’ve stopped traveling because I don’t want to leave them at night, less time socialising etc. But honestly, I really don’t mind!
8. Who do you think will take over FashionValet in the future? Your son or daughter?
Both! Daniel is really cheeky and loved by all, so he’s going to be handling PR and marketing. Mariam is a bit more feisty and determined, so she’s going to be the iron lady handling the operations. I’ve got it all figured out, guys. My poor babies.
9. You’re a very busy mum. How do you manage to juggle time between FashionValet and family?
Honestly, I have no idea. Fashion e-commerce is really fast-paced and I have no break because things change and evolve all the time. I need to be on top of things all the time.
I work all day, and coming home, I’ll have to give attention to my kids who really don’t understand if you’re tired or not. If your baby cries, you can’t just go “Hold on, I’m tired.” Then when they sleep, my husband and I will continue our work or I will spend time blogging in the middle of the night. Then we go to sleep for a few hours before Daniel or Mariam decide to wake up for a feed in the middle of the night. When some people tell me they’re so tired etc etc, I’m like “Hello, at least you can go home and sleep throughout the night so stop complaining!”
I think it’s all about making do with whatever you can and using time to the fullest. When you’re at work, focus on that so you can finish it all quickly. I don’t believe in bringing my children to work because then I can’t give 100% to my team. I make it up to Daniel and Mariam by dedicating weekends solely for them. I also make sure they are the ones I spend time with first thing in the morning and last ones at night before I sleep.
10. Do you have any words of wisdom or tips for expectant mums out there?
Don’t be lazy. I was working till the very last day of pregnancy. Pregnancy is not an excuse to slow down (unless your doctor is advising you to); in fact, I find it quite good to keep active and not feel sluggish. Walk a lot, laugh a lot, and just enjoy every moment of it. (And get your husbands to massage you often, this is your only time to ask whatever you want from them!!)
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Image Credit: Vivy Yusof.
