ZELMA - THE POSTNATAL PROJECT
Tell us a little about you…
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…
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.
What are you and your child doing, when you feel most at ease with yourself and
connected to your child…
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.
What is one parenting belief you held ‘pre babies’, that you now look back on and
chuckle about…
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…
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.
W: www.thepostnatalproject.com
E: hello@thepostnatalproject.com
