Our Thoughts on Motherhood
In honor of Mother’s Day, we as a Golden Coil team wanted to share a bit about ourselves and our thoughts about motherhood. Each member of our team is fortunate to be a mother and we’re grateful for the ways we’ve grown from the experience. Chiming in on this group interview are our founders, Trisha and Michelle; our customer service representative, Brittainy; our social media specialist, Aly; and our blog manager, Emily.
1. How has motherhood changed you for the better?
Brittainy: Motherhood has inspired me to be the best possible version of myself. When I look at my little girl, I want to be everything and anything she needs. I want to be someone she is proud of. Now that I have her, my physical and mental health is more important to me than ever because I feel like I have a responsibility to her. I feel like she deserves to have the best mommy that I can be!
Emily: I feel like motherhood is teaching me a lot of about empathy. I’m definitely not perfect at being empathetic, but when you’re interacting with your kid that you love so much automatically, it’s easier to stop and think, “They must be acting this way because they’re sad or hurt or afraid. They need love from me, not harsh words.” I haven’t quite figured out how to apply that to grown-ups and strangers yet, but hopefully the seed has been planted by my baby.
2. Favorite kid-related gear you can’t live without?
Aly: My Ergo Baby, Solly Baby wraps when they were tiny! Stretchy swaddles, IKEA highchair (so affordable and durable), YouTube for white noise when they are babies for those sleepless nights (LOL!).
Emily: Does Frozen 2 count? (Haha!) We’ve loved our IKEA highchair and crib, Baby Jogger stroller, Solly Baby wrap and Ergo Baby carrier. And sleep sacks have been the best! We’ve used muslin for summer and a cozy quilted fleece for winter. Our current favorite books are Dragons Love Tacos and Extra Yarn!
3. What’s your best advice for working from home?
Trisha: Give yourself some uninterrupted time. I have been working from home for many years. When there wasn't a two-year-old running around, it was relatively easy to accomplish tasks and find the time to work on some personal projects. Now that I have a very adventurous kid who wants to color on every wall, it’s harder to find uninterrupted time to accomplish my needed tasks. The thing that is most helpful to me is to wake up an hour or two before my husband and kiddo wake up. I like to spend the first 30-45 min of that time stretching and meditating or listening to something enriching. Then I get up, write tasks in my planner, and prioritize what I need to do for the day. After that, I jump into my email and try to clear as much as possible. I work fast and furiously on my email and the tasks on my list, and then I have a hard stop when I hear my kiddo waking up! What I love about this is when my kid wakes up, I can spend focused time on him, and not worry about what may be lingering in my inbox. I give myself permission to play and be present with him all morning. Then I pick it back up again when it’s nap time!
Michelle: Do your best and don’t be too hard on yourself! Be willing to be flexible because you might set up some expectations and then things will happen throughout the day and you won’t be able to follow through. When you’re flexible, you can find time here and there to get things done if you’re juggling motherhood and work. Be flexible to respond to your kid’s cues and take time when you can to get the things done that you need to. Learn how to prioritize so you know which things are must-do and which things can wait until after bedtime.
4. What were you unprepared for that you wish someone had given you a heads up about?
Trisha: How to put a kid in a car seat! When we were trying to leave the hospital, we needed to buckle up our new baby and take him home safely. We had no idea how to tighten the straps to keep him safely in place. We ended up googling it in our hospital room, and watching a video about it.
Brittainy: My entire life I had expectations of being a mother. I was totally unprepared to see motherhood in any other way than my perfect scenario. After a miscarriage, I was told that my likelihood of having a successful pregnancy was 20%. I wish someone would have prepared me for all the different ways that motherhood can look. If your scenario looks different, your journey is not less than or wrong.
5. Favorite ways to journal or track milestones?
Michelle: I love using Promptly Journals! The different prompts are fun and make you think about topics you might not think to write about. I love that it takes the guesswork out of journaling. I’m also trying to be better at taking more photos and videos, especially taking longer videos to have more of an experience to remember instead of a tiny snippet.
Brittainy: When I found out that I was pregnant again, I started an Instagram account for my baby. This Instagram account is private with zero followers, but I started using it to journal my thoughts and experiences. Once my babe was born, I've kept up with it to document her journey as well! It was so much easier for me to keep my thoughts digital at the time (moving and morning sickness are hard to manage at the same time) so I kept track of my thoughts there. Once she is a year old, my plan is to use one of the many websites available to print off the story and put it in a book.
6. What’s one of your biggest hopes for your kiddo(s)?
Emily: I hope my baby girl feels like she can pursue any opportunity she’s interested in. I hope I can raise her to feel confident and equipped to discount any falsehoods that she’s somehow less than because she’s a girl. I hope I get to see her happy and fulfilled by what she learns, accomplishes, and experiences.
Aly: That they always remain true to themselves, and follow their hopes and dreams, regardless of any obstacles along the way. I want to instill in them that they can be and do hard things. Amazing things. Whatever their hearts desire.