Here’s To The Midnight Mums

Celebrating those special moments that fill your cup.

Whether it’s 10 minutes of mindfulness, starting the day with a latte or squeezing in an episode whenever you can, these me-time moments as a mum deserve to be celebrated. Ahead, we quiz the stars of our Mother’s Day campaign on everything from self-care to post-baby identity shifts and every motherhood moment in between.

How did your identity change when you became a mother?
Peta Strachan: I’m really lucky, I’ve been able to do what I love my whole life which is such a blessing. I just kept dancing in between having my children. Obviously it makes it harder when you’re more tired.

Helena Vestergaard: My identity and my priorities definitely shifted from being a carefree youngster to now a more wholesome picture, but I think I'm still me, just a more matured, family-oriented version.

Phoebe Ghorayeb

Phoebe Ghorayeb: I really don’t know if it did. I’m very lucky in that I still feel very much like me, only now I have two (soon to be three) kids in tow. I still enjoy the same things (albeit I spend a lot less time doing them) and I still get to work as a model which is a job I’ve had and loved since I was a teen. My children have given me an incredible sense of purpose so along with wife, daughter, friend, model, writer, blogger, mum is now the newest (and greatest) title I get to wear.

Peta Strachan

How do you create time for yourself?
Peta: I had a fair bit of support around me, which really helped in allowing me to get a bit of time.

Helena: By getting help when I can. I think it can be hard for mums to ask for help but it’s really important to break that barrier, let go of the ‘mothering ego’ because you can't pour from an empty cup.

Phoebe: Daycare! Both Valentina and Siddy go twice a week on the same day and I have aptly named these my ‘get-s**t-done’ days. Also, after we’ve put them to bed. Sadly though I’m that self sabotaging mum who stays up far too late having ‘me’ time and then suffers for it severely the next day. The next night rolls around and I never seem to learn.

What are your little acts of self-care/routines that help fill your cup/keep you centred?
Peta: Definitely massages. Being a dancer, going into the studio and having a creative outlet is also really satisfying to me – it helps me feel healthy, mentally and spiritually.

Helena: I like to do my yoga, my pilates, surf with my partner and try to get as much sleep as possible haha.

Phoebe: To be honest I’m not very good at self-care. I always have grand plans of exercising in my living room every morning, slapping on a face mask at night or treating myself to a solo coffee date but surprisingly (or perhaps not) they never seem to eventuate. Self-care for me goes about as far as binge watching a Netflix series at night whilst nibbling on chocolate or a tub of ice cream.

What are you looking forward to getting back to once your kids have grown a little older?
Emma Balfour: Sleeping *laughs*. I think that I literally hadn’t caught up on sleep until about a year ago. I’m still really looking forward to not having to plan dinner [for a family of four]. I’m looking forward to making dinner for ME now.

What’s on your Mother’s Day Wishlist?
Peta: A trip to the day spa, or something hand-painted [from Dubs] – she’s very crafty. You always appreciate hand-made stuff.

Helena: I don't really have a wishlist, maybe just that my kids eat three decent meals and get through the day with little to no toddler tantrums!

Phoebe: A handmade card from my two little ones with a Picasso-esque, stick figure family resembling us and a few scribbles on the inside interpreted as ‘I Love You’.

What does your ideal Mother’s Day look like?
Peta: Definitely going somewhere beautiful and special with all the kids for a nice lunch, or even a nice picnic by the water.

Helena: (the above) plus a yummy breakfast, big coffee, and if the weather’s okay spend most of the day at the beach.

Phoebe: So I’ll be about 6 weeks off giving birth by the time Mother’s Day rolls around which means a day spent predominantly with my feet up I would imagine (which is no bad thing). However, if I’m feeling particularly energetic then the day would go something like this: morning snuggles in bed followed by a pancake breakfast, then a stroll down to the Sunday markets for my favourite roti, an afternoon spent snuggled up watching movies, finished off with dinner cooked by my talented hubby and some sofa snuggles sans children ;-)

Helena Vestergaard

What have you learned about yourself through motherhood?
Helena: I've learned that I am much more capable than I used to give myself credit for. I've learned that I can love something so much it physically hurts. I've learned that nothing feels more fulfilling than being a mother.

Phoebe: That I am perhaps not as selfless as I hoped or thought I was. Motherhood teaches us lots of wonderful things about ourselves that we weren’t aware of but it also opens our eyes to aspects of ourselves that we are maybe not so proud of. Growing up as an only child, not having to think about anyone other than myself has meant that dropping everything to tend to my children is something that didn’t necessarily come naturally to me. I’ve had to learn to be much more flexible, much more relaxed and let’s just say a lot less Virgo when it comes to getting through my list of things to do in a day, IYKYK.

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