Now & Then
I began my parenting journey eleven years ago yesterday, at 6:28pm to be exact.
As I reflect, I have become increasingly aware of what is available now compared to back then.
Back in the Dark Ages of 2015 (lol), Instagram was just for following friends rather than influencers, celebrities and businesses. Attachment parenting wasn't a whole identity and the “fourth trimester” focus was more on the baby than the mother.
Podcasts weren't even much of a thing and oh how I wish I could have listened to Beyond the Bump or Eat, Sleep, Repeat. The concept of vulnerability as a mother wasn't much of a thing until Constance Hall's honest posts went viral.
We weren't spending big bucks on trendy Arti Poppe carriers or different flavour sachets of electrolyte drinks for breastfeeding mums. Our advice was from midwives, mothers groups, books and blog posts. They hadn't even invented those silicone bibs that have the food catcher at the bottom yet!
This is sounding like I was parenting back in the 1800s but I feel like there is a theme of consumerism that is marketed at motherhood... Is it to keep up with other mums on socials? Do we really need to consume all this “stuff”? I'm not a new mum anymore but is all this accessibility to information helpful or overwhelming? Are all the products that are presented to mums actually self-care/wellness/fashion or pushing them to consume more? Maybe it's just increased awareness to what new mums need physically or emotionally?
What do you wish you had then that is around now? I'm intrigued and would love your thoughts on all this!
Emma the Naturopath xx
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