5 Things I Want To Help My Audience With
Becoming a mom is a huge step in life that brings with it a lot of change. It’s already a lot to handle when you are in your home and passport country but even more so when you’ve moved to a different country. Add to this being in an intercultural relationship and you will find yourself on a journey you didn’t know how to prepare for.
From my first pregnancy to having my second baby I have learned so much – through the ‘research’ I did myself and especially by talking to other mommas and also a few dads. I’m especially grateful for the stories and tips shared with my directly which encourage me to now take the time to put my learnings down. Be it for my daughters one day if they were to have a family or anyone else who is a working momma in an intercultural family.
1. Encourage working mommas and mommas-to-be
There is a lot of negativity, fear making and pessimistic outlooks out there with regards to having children. From what pregnancy is like and how it changes your body, to how painful and horrible giving birth is and how difficult and draining raising kids can be.
I have had two enjoyable pregnancies and have been loving every day of motherhood. I am not here to say it is always easy and you will definitely sleep less. But I think the conversation should be a more positive and optimistic one that focuses on the joys, the new experiences, the learnings, etc. that we all get from being mommas.
I want mommas-to-be to know their strength for pregnancy and giving birth. I want mommas to to trust their own way – no matter what family, friends or the industry might say what products you need, what activities you should engage in with your toddler, etc.
2. Provide easy to follow guides and lists to make the working mom journey less stressful
If you are a working mom or mom-to-be chances are you are looking for and appreciate information that is well structured, broken down to the most important points and relevant. I will provide you with check lists, planners, etc. for the most relevant activities or items around pregnancy, preparing for birth and your new-born.
3. Recommend the really necessary baby/toddler products
During my pregnancy I already knew that I wanted to be a rather pragmatic mom. This was paired with a 44m2 sized flat in Tokyo for my husband, the baby and me as well as my full time work and recent promotion. Limited by space and time to spend on research for ‘baby stuff’, we really tried to focus on the absolutely necessary items for baby’s arrival.
The amount of items offered and being sold as necessary etc. can make it difficult to know what’s really needed. I will share the items that we had in place for our first-born and what we added to that for the second baby and as they grow older and develop.
4. Instill confidence in women and their career development while becoming moms
On the way to the parking lot after a company internal women’s networking event, my friend and I were discussing the matter of career advancement and starting a family. Was it better to have a child first and when it was older reach for that promotion to manager? Or the other way around? A colleague who had also been at the event and overheard our conversation pro-actively jumped in to offer her journey: “Or you do both at the same time. I was promoted to manager while pregnant.”
To this day I am so grateful for her adding this third option to our conversation. Why did we not think of it ourselves at the time? Her comment did not only encourage me to think ‘it’s possible’ with regards to promotions and motherhood but with everything regarding motherhood. It’s all about making it work.
5. Write a weekly blog post to help moms and moms-to-be on their journey
In January 2019 I was promoted to my first managerial position and in October 2019 I became a mom for the first time. Being marked by the pandemic and CoVid the first two years as both a mom and a manager brought a lot more experience with it than I could have ever imagined. In August 2021 I became a mom for a second time and as my journey continues I want to share my learnings and experiences. Hopefully, it can help other mommas on their journey and lead to wonderful exchanges about the craziness of life as a working momma.
Conclusion
The journey of motherhood comes with many questions and challenges. Being a working mom, being in an intercultural relationship and living away from your home country poses yet different challenges. With the right mindset, tools and support it doesn’t have to be overwhelming though. Let’s make this journey fun, fulfilling and successful.
