ZELMA - THE POSTNATAL PROJECT
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Tell us a little about you…
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My name is Zelma. I'm a social worker, founder of The Postnatal Project and mum to two beautiful girls. I am really passionate about working with families and mothers especially. I love writing, anything creative and pondering life.
Tell us a little about your family…
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I have a wonderful husband to be (we get married November 2nd 2018) and we have two daughters - Cadence is 3 and Asher is 7 months old. We live by the sea. I am a stay at home/working mum. My children do not go to childcare and I work in the evenings from home. I never intended to start a business - The Postnatal Project started as a blog - but I have so much to offer and couldn't wait until the children went to school to share that.
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What are you and your child doing, when you feel most at ease with yourself and
connected to your child…
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Breastfeeding. It hasn't always been easy. I've worked for 3 years to get the hang of it! Nurturing my children in this way is something I do not take for granted because of what I've come through to get here and I believe it is the greatest gift that I can give to my children because of that.
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What is one parenting belief you held ‘pre babies’, that you now look back on and
chuckle about…
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I laughed reading this question because if I'm honest, every single one. There's the simple ones like - my child won't eat in their car seat and I'll never swear in front of them. To the more complex and ingrained beliefs that society does nothing to dissipate like - my child will sleep through the night by six months old and I'll have so much time on my hands that I wonder if I'll get bored.
I've written a whole book about how these preconceived ideas are not supportive of the parenting role. My book also talks about how we can step outside of our expectations to live a calmer and more positive lifestyle with our children.
Truly, nothing can prepare you for parenting and going with your gut is your greatest asset. Pre-held beliefs will not serve you and often unnecessarily leads to guilt and disappointment.
What message you would tell your pre parent self…
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Remove your expectations. Slow down. Rome wasn't built in a day. I go back to this for everything. When I'm late, when I having an off day, when I'm feeling anger, when I'm trying to multitask, when I'm feeling less than enough or when I am not present with my children.
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W: www.thepostnatalproject.com
E: hello@thepostnatalproject.com
