Mamaheart

This week’s Mamaheart is the beautiful Keri-Anne from Gingerlillytea

What does motherhood mean to you?
I cannot even put into words how much i completely love being a mother. Seeing my two daughters grow everyday is the biggest achievement i think i could ever do. I love them more than anything and my whole life now is dedicated to helping these two little people grow into happy and confident young women.

How has motherhood changed you?
I am completely more patient for sure! It is also growing my own confidence as i have to be sure of what i am doing and why i am doing it. I have also started to appreciate the smallest of things around me. When you have two girls and you go for walks, it’s hard not to be completely entranced by that one little purple flower or that tiny duckling that the girls would spend an hour cooing over.

What is the hardest part of being a mama?
The guilt. The guilt for that one time you slightly raise your voice out of frustration because they won’t stop arguing and the guilt for anytime you take any time out for yourself and leave them with someone else. My husband and i rarely have date nights. Maybe once every 6 months or so. It is something we want to do more often and i need to work on my guilty feelings of leaving them. I also find that i get myself flustered when we are out and the girls are playing up. I hate the thought of people judging me or my children because i am young and they are having a tantrum. I worry far too much about what people think.

What is the biggest joy that your children have given you?
I think the biggest joy is how much they both love nature and how they are both free spirits. On the school run, Elle will just tell me all about pollination or how tadpoles turn into frogs or name 20 different types of trees. I love the people they are becoming. Mia wants to be just like her sister and will mimic everything she does. They have such a deep love for each other. When Mia wakes in the night, it’s her sister who she calls for.

What one piece of advice would you give a first time mama?
Always always trust your instincts. Mia suffers from a condition that means she cannot regulate her body temperature. We only found out in the summer and last winter, she was waking many times a night. I was getting, on average, two hours sleep a night. She just screamed all night and we had no idea why. I sensed something wasn’t right. I had everyone around me telling me to let her cry it out and not let her come into our bed. Even my heath visitor told me to let her cry as she will eventually realise that no one will come and she will sleep through. I let her cry it out one night and she screamed and screamed for hours and when i went into her, she had been sick all over herself. I vowed to never do it again! We then got her diagnosis and we realised that she was crying because she was freezing cold and needed us to help her warm herself up. I am so happy and glad that i didn’t listen to people and i bought her into our bed when she cried and, without knowing, i was comforting her and keeping her warm. You know your child better than anyone else. Stick to your guns and trust yourself.

Keri-Anne blogs at GingerlillyTea and sells her beautiful photography in her Etsy Shop