Laura Jackson explains why she lost confidence going from one child to two.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_class=”credit-name” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Black Han Sans|||on|||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ header_4_font=”|||on|||||” header_4_text_align=”center” text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]
Words by Laura Jackson<\/strong><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/04\/Coat-X-Laura-Jackson_Laura-at-Home-3-PRESS-scaled-1.avif” alt=”Laura Jackson” title_text=”Coat-X-Laura-Jackson_Laura-at-Home-3-PRESS-scaled” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″] As a mother of three children under the age of five, and the owner of a business, life is enjoyable, but of course, it\u2019s chaotic. It\u2019s been that way for a long time, and I\u2019ve learned to make peace with how it is and embrace it.\u00a0 I\u2019m working on compartmentalising things: when I\u2019m with the children at the weekend, I\u2019m not on my emails. In the week, I\u2019m working on building a business. I try and navigate my way through, but I\u2019m still figuring things out. I don\u2019t have the answers yet, and I don\u2019t know if anyone does or ever will.<\/p>\n Recently, life has been full of transitions. I\u2019m\u00a0one year postpartum\u00a0and I think my body is still regulating itself.\u00a0As women, I think we\u2019re more equipped to lean into life\u2019s transitions, whether it\u2019s related to friendships, work, or relationships, because we have a natural cycle. After I gave birth, I thought: \u2018oh my god, women are amazing.\u2019 That goes for women who aren\u2019t mothers too. Generally, all women are incredible and when they come together, they can do powerful things. We need to support each other and\u00a0help\u00a0each other out – it\u2019s so important.<\/p>\n In terms of matrescence, the transition to becoming a mother, it\u2019s so important to remember that everyone\u2019s journeys are different. What works for one person might not work for the other. I could have a twin sister, we could be pregnant at the same time, and we could have completely different experiences of pregnancy.<\/p>\n For example, I noticed a shift going from one child to two. One felt quite straightforward but having two children close together felt like more of a logistical challenge. There are some things that I can keep from the first and second-time round, like my Tommee Tippee Natural Start Bottles. I just know that staples like that will always come in handy, and I’ve definitely found products and tricks that work that I’ll always stick with. However, I found myself thinking: how do I dress two people? I think I lost some confidence in understanding how someone does these things. Being a mother of three has been amazing, although I wouldn\u2019t even say it\u2019s a juggle having three children and a business \u2013 I\u2019d say it\u2019s\u00a0just really full on.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_class=”custom-quote” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_2_font=”Libre Bodoni|||on|||||” header_2_text_align=”center” header_2_text_color=”#333333″ header_2_font_size=”40px” header_2_line_height=”1.2em” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″] Everybody has different challenges in their life, whether it\u2019s related to motherhood or not. I had antenatal depression while I was pregnant with my third child. When you\u2019ve got children and you don\u2019t feel great, you\u2019re not sure what it is \u2013 whether it\u2019s being pregnant, feeling a bit depressed or the fact that there\u2019s lots to do. It\u2019s quite hard to separate out those feelings, but I did feel really down in those days. It\u2019s a transition I\u2019m still going through, and every day is different.<\/p>\n I found that time was the best healer \u2013 that and speaking to people around me. As someone who is chatty and outgoing, there are points when it does feel lonely.\u00a0Antenatal depression is a solitary experience because you\u2019re the one carrying the baby. It\u2019s what\u2019s so lovely about the mother and baby bond, but it can also be isolating. Whether it\u2019s reaching out to people in your NCT group or finding people in your local area on the Peanut app, speaking to people who have gone through similar things is really helpful.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why it\u2019s so important for me to be as authentic as possible on Instagram. I love Instagram as tool for business and growing communities, but you don\u2019t always get the full picture. I posted about my experiences with matrescence and antenatal depression on Instagram and received hundreds of messages of support from other women going through similar things. But I wasn\u2019t surprised at the number of messages I received.\u00a0The transition into motherhood doesn’t really get much airtime. It’s just back to work\u00a0we go.<\/p>\n If I had more hours in the day, I\u2019d love to campaign for how we can modernise the school syllabus around women and pregnancy. I had no idea my periods would be ten times worse after having a baby. I had no idea I\u2019d feel so hormonal and burst out crying at the most ridiculous thing. I had no idea that it takes two years postpartum to get your body back. When I was at school, I thought menopause was something that happens\u00a0to women\u00a0much later in life, however we can go though menopause much earlier that I was ever taught at school.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″] Men should be taught about the gender pay gap.\u00a0Men\u00a0will still\u00a0(and I am not sure if that will ever change)\u00a0get further ahead in their careers and have a different clock to a woman\u00a0(biologically and just genral house in the day), because women pick up the slack mentally and physically. My husband is absolutely amazing,\u00a0he is awlays there for me and the kids – he does so much for us all, but I still feel like I carry round the mental load and worrying about the kids 24\/7.<\/p>\n Someone once said to me that if you look out to the sea and it was continually flat all the time, then it wouldn\u2019t be very interesting. You need\u00a0the waves, and you need the stillness. I think it\u2019s the same with life. Motherhood is great – it’s taught me so many lessons on love and life, but it’s not always easy. My aim with my children is that when they grow up, Jon and are are people they actively want to hang out with, spent time chatting too, and we are all close confidants in life.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider color=”#111111″ divider_position=”center” divider_weight=”2px” module_class=”custom-divider” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text module_class=”credit-texts” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|||on|||||” text_orientation=”center” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]‘When you’ve got children and you don’t feel great, you’re not sure what it is.’<\/h2>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]