This week Vogue Australia posted an interview with supermodel and founder of Kora Organics, Miranda Kerr, discussing what she packs into her hospital bag.
If you didn’t see it, I’ll set the scene.
Third trimester. Immaculate make-up and lighting. Miranda donned a black Bumpsuit, a company owned by another Aussie model - Nicole Trunfio. Seated behind a giant yellow travel all Louis Vuitton bag with an estimated value of AUD$6,300. I already knew this wasn’t going to be your ‘average hospital bag checklist’.
Miranda discussed how this was her fourth baby and so as a seasoned mama, she had pulled together her go-to items that create the most positive birthing environment for her.
A salt lamp, essential oils and aromatherapy diffuser were on the top of her list. White pyjamas and a white robe rounded out the list on the 90 second Reel.
Now, I’m going to set some guidelines on this. I am absolutely in no way going to mama-shame Miranda on her choices. In her world, a hospital bag costing the same as some mama’s cars is perfectly normal. She is in a different economical bracket to 99.9% of the world. In her world these are the tools that she has evidently tried and tested, and have worked to provide hugely positive experiences for her and her family. Hats off to her.
But.
I suspect you know what happened next .
The comments section was inundated with comments like, ‘Where are the big knickers, maternity pads, breast pads, baby clothes and snacks?’ ‘Sure this has to be satire’ and ‘Possibly the most irritating clip for mothers to be to watch’
It’s that age-old thing with celebrities, right. They have huge platforms to influence the public. Set the tone for some individuals to aspire to and ‘want what she’s got’.
And this is my biggest bugbear. The true realities of birth and motherhood often go unspoken.
A lot of first time mothers look to social media for information and guidance, coming up short with content like that above. I was definitely one of them. I found very unrealistic expectations about what my pregnancy and birth were supposed to look like. I purchased compression tights, which I thought I had to live in in order to bounce back, P.S. they were hell to get on and even worse to take off in a hurry when I needed to go to the loo.
I thought I needed all the latest gadgets and apps to make sure my baby had the best start in life. I was so hyper-focused on the birth that I had no thought about what happened after it and how I would cope. Needless to say, it didn’t end well.
It’s content like this which has spurred me to create a village like, Fill Your Cup, a place for families to be nurtured and educated on all things pregnancy, birth and postpartum. To have professionally trained and experienced doulas in your home sharing evidenced-based information to help support a smooth transition into parenthood.
And soon, we will be taking it one step further. We will be introducing an expert village of professionals for families to access and learn from. We have an amazing group specialising in birth education, feeding, sleep, pelvic floor, mental health, birth debriefing and nutrition. It is a stellar line up and I am so excited to share this with you very soon. Keep your eyes peeled for the HUGE announcement!
Until then, be sensible, don’t get caught up in the celebrity sell. The Google-Rabbit holes. And always fact check, because Tracey from Arizona on that parenting platform your 6 threads deep into may not have a bluddy clue what’s she’s talking about.
Big Love
Renee x
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