Since becoming a mother, Juliette Perkins has learned a lot about herself. She’s experienced many changes in the past year, recently moving to Calgary, Canada, with her partner and newborn daughter.
We catch up with Juliette to find out more about her pregnancy and the challenges she faced, as well as her advice for other mothers during a time of significant emotional and physical adjustment.
Congratulations on the arrival of Mickey-Lou! What was your pregnancy like, and how are you adjusting to life in Canada now?
Thank you! Looking back on it, pregnancy was amazing, but in the moment, I thought it was one of the hardest things I’ve been through, from sickness to changes in my emotions. Now I’m like yeah, I grew a whole human in 9 months — that’s awesome.
Canada is great. I’m starting to work again, so I’m trying to balance travel, a baby, and a partner who also travels a lot for work.
The ‘fourth trimester’ or postpartum is not widely spoken about. Can you tell us a bit about your experience – were you prepared, and how did you cope with the ups and downs?
Oh wow, the fourth trimester. No one really prepared me. I heard things here and there, but you never know what it’s truly like until you go through it, and it’s different for everyone. For me, I thought that everyone hated me by the third day. The only thing that helped was asking for help. My partner and his mum and uncle helped me a lot. I cried for about five days straight about breastfeeding. I found it so hard. I would make sure every two hours I had a break from Mickey-Lou for at least 30 minutes if I could, and when she slept, I slept.
Have you been able to take some time for yourself postpartum? What has helped you during postpartum & pregnancy, and what do you recommend?
After-birth care is different for everyone. Mainly, my boobs were sore, so I used the Pure Mama belly oil to massage them in a hot shower for twenty minutes some days. I used the Pure Mama nipple butter to help soothe my nipples. I also wore pads soaked in aloe vera and witch hazel and cooled in the freezer. They were such a relief!
What’s the best advice you’ve received from others about motherhood?
To be patient. Babies force you to slow down. Be patient and calm with them, even when you haven’t slept or eaten and you’ve been breastfeeding for hours. If you’re stressed, your baby will notice that and become upset as well. If I was getting too upset, I would get my partner to take her for a bit, even just 30 minutes.
Do you have any advice for new or expectant mothers?
Not to have any concrete plans about how it will go. I realised, especially for those first few weeks, even months, that things may not go how they are meant to. Keeping an open mind and trusting in the process will keep your mind at ease.
What was it like moving countries with a newborn?
Honesty, Mickey-Lou is a dream baby. She sleeps 11-12 hours a night, so she was out for the whole flight. That wasn’t the part I was worried about the most. It was the time difference. Mickey-Lou was going to bed at 1-2am the first week but has settled now.
What was the most unexpected thing about having a baby?
How hard breastfeeding was. I felt helpless, and I never knew how much milk Mickey-Lou was getting. She would feed for 2 hours and still cry afterwards. I just felt like I wasn’t doing anything right. I stopped after eight weeks for the miracle formula bottle — Mickey-Lou slept 11 hours the first night that happened, and she’s been like that ever since.
Tell us what you’re up to in Canada, your favourite place to visit, and where we’ll see you next.
Calgary is awesome. We are living downtown, so in the middle of the city. There is a beautiful street called 17th Avenue, and it has shops, restaurants and so many lights, and of course, the snow makes everything ten times prettier. I’m travelling back and forth to the United States this next couple of weeks for work, so things are getting busy pretty quickly, which I love.
You’ve mentioned your love for the Pure Mama belly oil and nipple butter. Will you continue to use them far beyond postpartum?
All the Pure Mama products have helped me so much. I have a ritual every morning and every night to take at least 10 minutes to massage the belly oil into my skin, and I still use the nipple butter- even on Mickey-Lou since it’s minus 20 degrees here, and she gets dry skin. It’s all safe and natural ingredients for me and Mickey-Lou, which I love. It smells divine, and my partner loves the scent too.
Discover the Pure Mama belly oil and why find out why it’s considered liquid gold here.
