Muse Mama | Stephanie Taylor – Pea in a Pod Maternity

Meet Stephanie, our absolutely gorgeous PIAP mama muse.
About to pop with her second bambino, Steph is a proud mum of 18-month year-old Alfie Jack
and also works full time as PR superstar.
We sat down and discussed all things pregnancy, working mama and style.

What’s your best advice for new mums?

Expect the unexpected! While we can plan and plan and plan for parenthood, our little bubbas will surprise us every step of the way. From having a strict birthing plan to a strict feeding and sleeping plan, we have to be prepared for the fact that things won’t always go our way.

Go with the flow, stay malleable and try to be relaxed - with a little bit of luck, our babies will follow suit!

We are so lucky to be able to be mums in the first place! Even in the hard times, try to be grateful and count your lucky stars.

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What will you do differently the second time around?

Not much actually! I hope to have a really similar experience this time as I did with my first bub, Alfie! We were really lucky and he slept well, fed well and is generally a bit of a chiller - so hopefully Alfie’s sister gives us the same grace!

If there’s one thing I’ll try to do differently, it would be not to worry so much. I was a little bit nervous about caring for such a small, precious and vulnerable mini human, so it led to a lot of worry as to if my partner Chris and I were doing things correctly (there are so many dos and don’ts...!). This time around, I will try to trust my mother’s instinct more naturally and go with the flow a little more.

What’s your tip for balancing work / family life?

This is a tough one for me and one I struggle with everyday.

I went back to full time work “quite quickly” after my first bub Alfie was born (5 months or less even) and I found that juggle a huge challenge, particularly as I was still very frequently breastfeeding.

I read this incredible quote that resounded with me so greatly around the societal expectation on women both in the workplace and at home. It’s along the lines of: “mothers in the workplace are expected to perform as though they do not have children, and when at home, are expected to perform as mother, as though they to not have a job outside of the household.” (I wish I could find the actual quote - it’s much more eloquent!!)

My number one tip, would be to ignore what is “apparently normal” or what is “expected” of new mums.

Who set the standard template that every mum should take one year off after their baby is born, before even considering a return to work? For many families, it is just not feasible.

For mothers who return to work earlier than one year, they may feel judged as it’s not our social norm. On the other hand, for mothers who stay on at home looking after their bub after a year, they can feel judged also, because women these days “should” be working and contributing to society and not “just” being stay at home mums....

....so stay at home, but just not for too long!?! You’re damned either way...

My advice? Ignore the comments and the expectations and just do your thing.

Do what you can to provide for your babies in the best possible way you now how - whether that’s home care for your kids or returning to work for your kids. We’re all just doing our best.

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Who is your style icon?

I am recently stalking Andy Singer @andycsinger on Instagram, she’s a fashion blogger, her style is super classic and chic.

I’m lucky enough to work in the PR, lifestyle and fashion industries so I’m constantly surrounded by incredibly stylish women. I get a lot of inspo from the gorgeous girls I work with at AMPR (PR agency) and from industry folks.

For preggo inspo I follow a few accounts that give me some good inspiration such as @thebumpedit and few local Aussie mum bloggers. I like to follow whoever is keeping it real - mums with real bodies, posts, experiences and advice. No sponsored advice please!

What’s your “must-have” piece of maternity clothing?

A good, comfy, but cool pair of maternity jeans! Bring ON that stretchy waist band.

The Pea in the Pod jeans are incredibly comfy and fit really well right up until the very end of your pregnancy when nothing else seems to fit! Some styles with a lower waist band only last comfortably until early 30 weeks(ish) so the higher the waist band, the better!

Plus - a good bra: wireless and breastfeeding for functionality. It’s hard to find cute ones though...