CYBEX Hot Mom Walk Episode #12: Struggles New Moms Face with Alex Trimble and Chloe Alleyne

Join Chloe Alleyne (@thesweatmovement) and Alex Trimble (@alex_trimble) as they talk about the struggles new moms face and how to overcome them.

From relationships to mom shame and everything in between — our hosts are discussing real struggles to help new moms better prepare for their journey.

Show notes:
The CYBEX Mama Mentors Search - We are looking for aspiring mama leaders to grow CYBEX Hot Mom Walk. No previous experience required - just a passion to build mindfulness, companionship, and bring Canadian mamas closer. Up to $35,000 in prizes to be won! Join the movement. Enter the contest today! Hotmomwalk.ca

https://www.instagram.com/cybex_usa
https://www.instagram.com/thesweatmovement
www.instagram.com/alex_trimble

https://www.westcoastkids.ca/hot-mom-walk

Chapters

• 0:00 Postpartum Anxiety and Depression
• 9:01 Adjusting to Motherhood and the Identity Shift
• 14:17 Navigating Mom Shaming

Transcript

Welcome to season two of the Cybex Hot Mom Walk podcast, the Mama Mentor Search. 80 % of women at three months postpartum say they feel more alone than ever. We're on a mission to give moms a platform to share their experiences on motherhood in an effort to mitigate loneliness and build community. And that's why we're looking for our next Cybex Hot Mom Walk leader to build mindfulness, companionship, and bring Canadian mamas closer.

Our next leaders will achieve this by hosting our Cybex Hot Mom Walk podcast and leading their own in -person walks. Sound like you? There are up to $35 ,000 in prizes to be won. All you have to do is submit your video and contest entry form at hotmomwalk .ca. And don't forget, what you're going to want to do is share this with your network and get them voting. There's tons of time to apply. You have until May 3rd. So what are you waiting for? Check out the episode Show Notes to enter.

Hello mamas and welcome to episode three of the Cybex Hot Mom Walk podcast, the Mama Mentor Search. We didn't even practice that. One of the things that I love about this podcast is that we share openly, honestly. There's nothing that we hold back from, especially you, Alex. And I am sure that this episode will be no different. Yeah.

Because we're talking about the struggles that you face as a new mom and how you overcome them. So we're going to be talking about our own struggles and also the ones that we've heard from our followers in our community. So Alex, you kick us off. You are like, your superpower is vulnerability, and I love that. So what is one of the things that you struggled with the most? Well, doctor. Let's start with one. This feels so therapeutic. Like this is...

This podcast has been better than therapy for me. Like, let's keep it going. Well, my postpartum anxiety and depression was just like, out of control. Out of control. And I'm someone, what? Can I say something? You can. I don't think, and I love that you're choosing this to talk about first because I don't feel like it's talked about enough. And even in my circle of friends, I don't know anyone else that has like openly just been like,

postpartum depression, like that's what hit me. It's still kind of taboo in a way. Do you agree or no? It certainly is still a little bit taboo because I think, and I could be wrong, but I feel like a lot of moms feel like if they acknowledge that they have postpartum anxiety or depression that maybe they're somehow failing as a mom because there's so many facets to it. Like it's so multifaceted and the baby blues are so real.

and they come out of nowhere. And I understood it better with Luna, but like at 4 p .m. every day after she was born, I would just cry. And nothing was wrong. And I didn't, nothing, yeah, nothing awful happened. No, it was just, I would get the blues. But with Elias, it was honestly like, un -

bearable to the point where my therapist said to the father of my kids, like, you need to do the night shift because she is unwell. She is sleep deprived. She needs like two weeks straight of of 10 hour nights. And I felt like a new human after we did that. But yeah, it's oh, oh, it just kind of hits you over the head. And I remember in the first few weeks of Elias's life, I was on top of the world.

And everyone was saying to me, oh my gosh, like, you're making being a mom look so easy and like it comes so naturally. And I don't know, I think sometimes too, when you make comments like that to a new mom, that kind of becomes, like they kind of want to lean into that identity because so much is so unpredictable that you're like, oh, look at me, I'm rocking it. But I don't know, it hit me closer to like five or six weeks postpartum. And it was like,

I was immobilized. Even before the five or six week mark, you know, you mentioned, like, you remember me saying I was afraid to leave the house. I had these paralyzing, catastrophic visions all the time of being hit by a car, a car veering off the sideway and hitting the stroller. Like while you're walking with your baby. While I'm walking with him. We lived in an apartment at the time, a condo, and...

Even though our car was parked in the back of the parking lot where no one else needed to come, I would have these crazy visions of a car swerving around the corner and taking a photo. She felt like paranoid. Yeah, and so that went on for nine months. I was so, I couldn't even let him eat like a little cracker. I was afraid of him choking. And it was finally at nine months postpartum. A girlfriend of mine was like, I really think you need to explore medication. And I finally did it. And it was like,

Two weeks into being on medication, I sent her a voice memo. And I remember I started the voice memo with, hey, hey, hey. And then I just launched into whatever I wanted to talk to her about. And she sent me a voice memo back and she was like, oh my God, Al, Al, you're back. Like that was you. I heard you for the first time in such a long time. And I was like, oh, my medication. And it really changed the game for me. But it was really, really hard. And if I'm being perfectly honest, COVID layered on top of that. Yeah.

Unhelpful. And again, like my partner didn't understand it. It was just like, what's going on? Why are you being so irrational? Like, oh, I don't know. I did grow a human inside my tummy and now I'm afraid something terrible is going to happen to him. Yeah, it's hard. It was really hard. So I definitely overcame that with the help of, you know, talking to some friends who pointed me in the right direction and really encouraged me to explore medication.

Therapy and just time, I think. Did you experience that with Luna, your second child? No. It was great. So, I mean, don't get me wrong, like, I still have intrusive thoughts. I did, I did for a bit when I was nearing the end of my pregnancy with her. I remember I was cooking pasta in the kitchen and I remember, I remember thinking to myself, what if I'm cooking pasta with my new baby and I drop them in the pot of boiling water? Oh my gosh. And I know that sounds insane, but your brain is not thinking rationally.

And luckily, like that did, nothing crazy happened like that after she was born. And the first night I brought her home from the birth center, I actually fell asleep in the bed with her on my chest and slept for like five hours and woke up and was like, oh my gosh. I, like, I never did that with Elias. Like, I could not co -sleep with him. I was so nervous. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. It was not an option. And with Luna, I just remember that I woke up and I was like, whoa.

I am a different version of myself than I was the first time around. I'm so happy that you got to experience that with her. I know. Yeah. It was a... Because I'm sure that was tough. Oh, thank you. It was awful. And again, it's like the duality of like, this is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I am so in love and I am literally falling apart. It was crazy. Did you experience any of that? I didn't experience any of that. I think, so for me,

I wanted to go into my birth with Jasmine having a natural birth. I remember this. And I didn't listen in the classes, the birth classes when they talked about a C -section, because I was like, I'm not having a C -section. That won't happen to me. That won't happen to me. And I ended up having an emergency C -section, and I literally didn't know what that meant for my body, for recovery, all that stuff. So I think my...

Biggest challenge immediately after birth was coming to terms with how she came into the world and being okay with that. Obviously I was okay with it because she was here, that was most important. But the physical, just the way I felt physically, and the recovery process was so hard for me. I'm a personal trainer, I'm a pre and post -natal fitness specialist. Movement is what I do. And the fact that I couldn't move,

The way I wanted to was really, really, really challenging. But you know what the silver lining was? When I got cleared to like exercise, walking was what I was able to do. And - You may put one foot in front of the other. Yeah. And it sounds like it's not much, but like it changed my perception of physical activity. And it was humbling. And it's almost as though I needed that humbling. Interesting.

Because pre -kids, I was the girl at the gym for an hour and a half, you know, doing like the high intensity interval training stuff. And now, like that idea of me is so far gone right now. Like, let's just go for - Gosh, I'm a low impact girl all the way. Low impact, let's just go for a 10 minute walk. And the way I felt after just a walk was amazing. And then it was COVID and all you could do was walk, right? You could go to the gym. So it was like, you had to fall in love with walking.

Oh my gosh. But yeah, that was the biggest physical challenge, mentally just being okay with the fact that things didn't go as planned. And I think that's so important too, as a mom, to realize. And like, if you're listening to this and you're pregnant right now, you truly have no control of how your baby's gonna come into the world. And just be open to all of the possibilities. And if it happens the way you want, great. But if it doesn't, you didn't do anything wrong.

And that's what was in my head, like, what did I do? But I did the classes, but I worked out the whole time, I drank the tea, I ate healthy, how come I wasn't able to do it how I wanted to, right? So can I ask you a question? Because I've heard this from a lot of women who wanted to have a natural birth and then ended up having C -sections. Did you feel like your body betrayed you at all? Because I've heard that and I'm curious, because I don't think you and I have actually ever talked about that. Did I feel?

In a way. Like a resentment. Like, how could you let me down? In a way. In a way. Because I felt like I... You know me, I'm like dot your I's and cross your T's kind of girl. And I felt like I just did all the right things. So it was like, what happened? So like after she was here, I would just think back and like, was it that time that I, you know, did that or did I... I was just in my head. Oh my gosh, no! I know, and it's so silly. It's so, so, so silly. It's not silly though, because those irrational thoughts that we like...

That's as, if you want to call it silly, as silly as me imagining I'm going to drop my baby in a pot of boiling water. Like the thoughts that we have are just crazy. Yeah. And the last episode that we did, we talked about advice you wish mothers had given you or someone had given you before becoming a mom. And after that experience, my advice was always be open to how... Surrender, surrender, surrender. Yeah, completely surrender.

Because I know how it felt when it didn't happen the way I wanted to. And I can't tell you how many moms I know after I gave birth were planning on a natural birth and ended up with an emergency C -section and was like, I'm so happy that you told me to research C -sections because I knew what was happening to my body. Wow. Yeah. Wow. But we do have to touch on the fact that you had a V -back. I did have a V -back. Vaginal birth after C -section if you're not sure what that is. I did. I did. I did. And, you know, I...

Obviously went into it way more open. I was like, okay, this is what I would like to happen. If it doesn't, I've already had a C -section before. I heard the second time around, isn't that as bad? So I was completely open to it. But yeah, once again, I read all the books, listened to all the podcasts, did all the things. And I was like, please Lord, grant me this. And he did. And you know what? The recovery, for me, it was the fact that, as I said, my business is in movement.

I like to be able to move my body. Was the recovery faster? So much faster. I remember when I had my C -section with Jasmine, I was so envious of the moms that were walking up and down the aisle, like the hallways after birth, and I couldn't even feel my feet. Right. Couldn't feel anything. And like, I just remember that first walk to the bathroom, I was like, I felt like my insides were gonna fall out. Well, I'm sure you did. You just got open. They probably could have. They probably could have. Oh my God. Yeah.

But yeah, I think that was like one of the biggest struggles. I know I hear a lot about, and I kind of experienced this too, but just adjusting to not working and just being on maternity leave is a big struggle that I've seen other moms talk about. Yeah, it's a hard one. I had a friend who told me she really struggled with it because so much of her identity was like,

The corporate woman, and then she was suddenly home with a baby and she was like, whoa, this is not the life that I'm used to. And that can be hard too, because then you start to feel like, is there something wrong with me for like not just absolutely loving being home with my baby 24 seven. It's so interesting because I definitely, I craved going back, I mean, working for yourself, you make the calls. Yeah.

But in the moments where I had an opportunity to engage with work, while I was, quote unquote, on mat leave, I never took a mat leave really, but it really filled my cup in a certain way. And I was always grateful for the fact that I could dip in and out when I needed it. Because if you're working your job and you're on mat leave, like you're on mat leave. Yeah, it can be a really huge identity shift. It is a huge identity shift, I think. And I'm going to say something that might be a little controversial, but I feel like...

Our generation, millennials, we were like sold this lie in a way of the independent woman. We grew up in the era of Spice Girls, be independent, have your own money, all this stuff, right? And I feel like, I speak for myself, I've always been a go -getter, career, make my own money, all that stuff. And I didn't realize that when I had a child,

how much I would want to slow down and not work. I didn't see that. I didn't even think about it in that way. But the way society is now set up, it's like, you're living in Toronto, it's almost impossible to not have this dual income household. You're expected to work, but then I crave just being at home.

You love it. I love it. Could you be? Because it's not going to last. They're going to go to school soon. It's not going to last forever. But don't get me wrong. When I say that I love it, it doesn't mean like stay at home and no, not knocking any stay at home, full time stay at home moms. That is a very, very hard job if you're home all the time. But I see myself more in a part time role of, you know, training clients when my kids are.

or sleeping or what have you, like just a schedule that works for me on a part -time basis. But I didn't, I did not imagine wanting to take so many steps back. Yeah. When I, before I had kids. Oh, I never could have, I never would have seen that for myself. Yeah. I remember distinctly saying to, this is gonna make me sound so naive, to one of my parents' best friends being like, I'm not gonna be the mom who like the kid needs to be around all the time. Like if I have to let the baby cry, I'll let the baby cry. Like, L -O -S -

Yeah, right, she says, and then it exits the womb, and it's just like, you're crying, what's wrong? Like, you just, you change. We've talked about it so many times. You totally change. You change. You could never predict what, you know, what you're in for. In the best way. And it's so, it's, it's, we talked about in the last podcast, like this duality, but I think that's one of the dualities that I actually experience is wanting to build a name for myself in the fitness space. Yeah.

But also wanting to have most of my time with my kids, which is hard because I have a lot of goals and I've realized with having Caleb in these last couple of months, like I said, I'm like, I'm gonna launch my YouTube, I'm gonna launch my platform, I'm gonna do all these things, but I'm home and it's so hard to do both at the same time. So I've really, so this is one of the struggles that I faced, really decided, I'm like, you know what, I am in my motherhood era.

Right now, like full on, my baby's eight months. It's, my dreams and goals are always gonna be there. This kid's not gonna be a newborn or tiny baby forever. I know that I'm gonna get, I know that I'm going to get to the goals that I have and I'm gonna accomplish the things that I wanna do. But right now, I'm in momhood stage. And this is kind of where we differ because you kind of say you can have it all, but I don't believe you can have it all.

I don't believe you can have it all at the same time. I think you can have it all in different stages. I do agree with that. I do agree with that. It's interesting because I say, I believe you can have it all, and at times I question it. Where was it? The other day I just saw something where she's like, women can have it all is a lie because the world is not set up for women to have it all. I can't remember where I saw it. It would be really beneficial if I could remember. But...

You can have it all at different stages, absolutely. And I think where I say, I believe you can have it all is you can create a career that will still be there for you if you step aside, not in like a traditional role, like in my world, right? Or my career can exist alongside my kids and I can dip in and out when I see fit. You know, like I say things like,

I take work calls on Sunday nights so that I don't have to go to an office on Monday morning. That's just how it is. And yeah, sometimes it means like putting a cartoon on so that I can go do a 15 minute Instagram live or I can be on every Wednesday night with Arbonne, we have our team calls. I do those things. And if I have to distract the kids for half an hour while I do that, but so that in the morning I can be there with them and be home if they're sick.

There's that kind of flexibility. And on the other side of that, I also, it's so interesting because it's such a fine line. It's like, I want to be around my kids and I love them so much. And I really need the time to focus on me and the time to work. And so it's interesting because as much as I love all of that, I also felt a lot of relief when we decided to enroll Elias and Montessori.

And being a pandemic kid, I was like, you need some socialization. And so that was a decision that we made as a family. And when we enrolled him, after the first few days of really this new reality, I realized that when he came home, I was so much more present because I was able to do the things that I needed to do for myself when he was gone. And then I had my late afternoon, early evening with him.

And I found a really nice balance there. I think that comes down to like asking for help when you need it. Whether it's through, you know, putting your kid into Montessori or leaning on your family or your friends, like a village, having some time where you get to just breathe so that when they come back into your space, you're walking them with open arms because...

It is hard when they're around you 24 -7. You're only human. You are going to have those times where your fuse is shorter, you know, or you're just tired or you're spent or you're burnt out. Mom burnout is a real thing. So having an extension of help so that you can, you know, recharge yourself so that you can show up best for your kids, I think is huge. Yeah, absolutely. Because I know we can get things done when they're napping.

or when they've gone to bed, but they're so unpredictable. And it's just, it's the time to be able to focus on what you want and need to focus on, completely uninterrupted and also not distracted by the fact that they are just in the other room. You know, and I know that dads get burned out too, but I will maintain, it is different for the mom. Because they are literally an extension of you that no longer lives within you. And for me,

I even found I couldn't sleep in the same room as him because I was so on edge that every sound he made triggered me. And so if I needed to sleep through the night and his dad was going to do the night feed for me, I would have to sleep on the couch because I just couldn't function in his presence. Which again, as I'm saying this sounds so backwards, but I just... It was what it was at the time, right? It was what it was at the time, yeah.

What about mom shaming? I see a lot of that on, you know, that discussion on social media. What's your thoughts? Like, did you face any struggles with mom shaming? I mean, I was, I think if you're on social media in any capacity, you just have to accept that you're going to receive, you know, criticism. Unwelcome to criticism. Unsolicited advice. Yeah.

So when Elias did get sick in Maui, the ER doctor looked at me and said, you brought a six week old on an airplane. And I remember being so taken aback by that and just like, it's not your place. But I understand some people would be like, how could you do that? That's so crazy. I have been around so many people who have taken their kids.

traveling with them when they were like very young babies and I just, you know, made the decision to go for it. And in my particular instance, my son got sick. And so I definitely felt there was like some pretty big mom shaming there. I think if someone were to mom shame me now, someone did mom shame me just a couple of weeks ago on social media for putting Luna in daycare. They're like, how could you do this to her? It looks like she looks like she's in an orphanage. I thought you... That's what they said. They literally said, how could you do this to her? These places are like orphanages.

I thought you ran your own business so that you could be with your children. Shame on you. Wow. And honestly, I read the message and I laughed and I didn't even, it was like in the filtered messages and I was just like, I just don't, I'm sorry. Like I, it's years have passed since my first child. You grow a bit of a thicker skin. If that had happened to me four years ago, I think it might've crippled me. But I'm just like, okay. Like again, going back to something we talked about on one of the last podcasts is,

only you know what's best. And I can tell you for certain that right now, my children need a working mom to, you know, pay for Montessori, to pay the mortgage. Like, I'm doing it all on my own. So, sorry, friend. That's actually like a prime example of someone trying to shame you because they said, shame on you. Yes. That's hilarious. People sometimes, mom, shame you without intention.

Yeah, and I was going to say that because I was listening to Alex Clark's, she has a podcast and she brought in and I can't even remember her name right now, but she brought in this mom expert and she was talking about like the mom shaming culture and she said something that kind of resonated with me and I just thought maybe look at mom shaming in a different way. And she said like now in our culture, if someone gives you advice or critiques something, it's automatically.

they've imposed shame on you. But shame is an internalized emotion. So for you to feel shame about something, it's almost as though there is, something is clicking with your own convictions to make you feel that way. Of course. Right? So like this lady, truly trying to make you feel shame. But sometimes if you do actually feel shameful for a decision or something you've said,

It's because, you know, your own convictions are kind of coming into play. It's a little bit of a mirror, right? Like it's reflecting something that within you, it's triggered you in some way. Like, for example, if you're not breastfeeding and someone's breastfeeding in front of you and they're talking about, you know, oh, I love breastfeeding. Great example. And they haven't said anything to you about the fact that you're not breastfeeding, but...

their expression of joy and their ability to maybe bond with the baby in a way that you feel like you couldn't, it can come across as shame. But cannot be. No, no, I mean, like in the way that you're interpreting it and internalizing it. Totally, that's a great example. Unless that breastfeeding mother looks at you and is like, oh, you're not breastfeeding. Yes, shame on you. Shame on you. Right. Who says that these days? Like a 90 year old woman who's on Instagram?

Yeah, someone that's truly trying to mom shame you. Yeah, so it's interesting though, it is really, especially in today's society where we're like, especially in today's society. No, for real though. Where we're literally, we have like a front row access to everyone's lives. And so it's so easy to compare. But I think it is really important what you just said, that you kind of have to balance, like, was that person trying to upset me? Yeah. Or am I feeling conviction for something that's not sitting right with me? And do I need to figure that out? Yeah.

instead of blaming that person for pointing a finger when they didn't. When they didn't. And at the end of the day, your decision to do what you need to do for you and your baby and your family is your decision. And I think something I've really had to work on is really owning my decisions. Like, this is who I am. I'm an open book, for example. Does it make some people uncomfortable? Absolutely. But it's who I am.

So I'm just, I gotta keep doing it instead of going, did I upset that person? Did I make someone feel uncomfortable? Just owning your decisions, like owning it all. Because once you've decided to own it and accept it, you're kind of untouchable. I'm not there yet, but I'm working on it. No, I know what you mean though. You know? Yeah. Alex, tell me about your bonding experience with your baby.

I was really worried about not feeling connected to my second baby. Let's talk about it. Okay. I was so obsessed with Elias, I couldn't imagine a life... I didn't know that my heart could love that way. And then I was like, whoa, I feel these things I've never felt before after I had my first. And then when I got pregnant with Luna, and we didn't know it was gonna be Luna, I didn't...

You didn't know what you're having for both kids, right? For both kids. I love that. I did that for the first, but the second one I was like, tell me now. I need to know. I wanted the surprise. I just, I don't know. It's fun. It's a fun surprise. It's so fun. But I literally couldn't imagine having more space like that. Like the shock that I felt when...

I looked at Elias for the first time and my heart, I was like the Grinch, like my heart grew three sizes that day or whatever. You were opposite of the Grinch. I was like, I already, yeah, I know, I already had a big heart and then my heart just grew even bigger. But I was like, there's just no way. Like, what if I don't connect? What if, and I started to really mourn the loss of it just being us. Like him and I just had such a little thing. I couldn't imagine there being.

another little person involved that I could love so much. And then she came and she was perfect and amazing in every way. And it was so interesting, but it was just different. It was a different experience. Your heart just grows. Yeah. I know what you mean. I don't think I thought, like, oh, am I going to be able to give the same love? I don't think that kind of crossed my mind. I think it was more like divide the attention is what I was concerned about. But like,

No, the way your heart just grows and grows and like, it's, I can't even explain it. Yeah, and it's so weird because I look now and I'm like, I don't remember a time before her. Like, photographs without her in them seem incomplete. That's so funny that you say that, because just the other day I was looking at him and I'm like, you've only been here for eight months, but I feel like I've had you my whole life. Yeah, well, your life did start the day you had him. Yeah. That's what they say.

It started again. It started again. Yeah, it's crazy. But you do hear, and I have had friends who, you know, they have a baby and they're just like, that connection's not instantly there. And again, it's one of those things where you completely change. Yeah. Like you, you are reborn and suddenly this, this offshoot of you is taking so much of your attention and it can feel really confusing. The emotions can...

can be so confusing, whether or not you are so obsessed with them that you can't stand the thought of not being with them, or you're looking at this person going, I'm supposed to be so obsessed with you and I'm not feeling that yet, is there something wrong with me? Like, no, you have a lot going on with your body. Your hormones are all over the place. Yeah, I know that neither one of us have really experienced that personally, but it's so common. Yeah, and there's...

Again, there's nothing wrong with your journey. No. Yeah. Yeah. So we've talked about the struggles that new moms face, and we know that isolation is one of them. And that's why I absolutely just love the Cybex Hot Mom Walk in partnership with West Coast Kids and how it helps with this isolation and brings together community of moms and adds in movement. And I just strongly encourage.

any moms that are listening, that if you can partake in any of these walks, whether it's in Toronto or Richmond Hill or Burlington, come on out and join us. All you gotta do is show up. All you have to do is show up. Yeah. And you get a chance to potentially win a Cybex stroller. A very, very nice stroller. It's your favorite stroller, right? My favorite. Favorite stroller. Oh, wow, Alex, we talked about so many struggles that we've faced.

We've heard other moms face as a new mom. And what I just absolutely love and what I know for sure, my little Oprah, what I know for sure is that we've overcome them. And it just shows how resilient and strong we are as moms. And I'm so proud of us and like those that are listening to, if you are going through any of these struggles that we've talked about,

You know the anxiety the isolation, you know, the mom shaming bonding with your baby, you know adjusting to not working whatever it may be just know that you are not alone and that you're doing an absolutely amazing job as a mom and We love you. Yeah, and thank you so much for for being here with us on this this episode And we can't wait to see you next week. And of course, we would love to keep in touch with you on social media

You can find me at Alex underscore Trimble where I share, I don't know, all things about being a mom, travel, entrepreneurship. All the things. All the things. I'm well -rounded on there. And I'm at The Sweat Movement where I share workout, wellness, motivation, tips, all the sweaty stuff. It's true. You always laugh how sweaty I get. I know. I do. I do. And before we go, I have...

I have to remind you of the Mama Mentor Search Contest that is happening right now. We are trying to find our next Cybex Hot Mom Walk leader, podcast host, and guys, there's prizes of up to $35 ,000 that can be won. The contest is still open. There's tons of time to apply. You have until May 3rd, so don't forget to share and vote for your favourites at hotmomwalk .ca.

Okay, so let's take a quick second to check out some of the amazing submissions that we've gotten this week for the Cybex Mama Mentor Search. Hi, I'm Janelle and I'm a mom of two from the Hamilton area. I have two daughters. One is four and the other one is two years old. So one of the things that I wish someone told me first when I became a mom is that some babies might sleep right away, some might not. I mean, I learned that from my two daughters. They are...

completely different when it came to it and you just got to learn and do what feels best for you. One of the biggest challenges I found when becoming a mom was especially when I had my second daughter and it was just a feeling of being so overwhelmed because I had another daughter at home with me. It was mom guilt sinking in that I don't have time with her and we all know mom guilt is real. It comes in, it sneaks in all the time but...

We need to take time for ourselves. We need to recharge. It's as simple as doing a workout downstairs and they're running and jumping all over me, but it makes me feel better as a mom. Hi, my name is Grisela Mecanónigo. I'm not a first time mom, however, it is my first time giving birth as a single mom. This one has been very, very stressful. However, it's also been peaceful postpartum so far. The struggle that I really had to face when

I became a mom was caring for myself. I wasn't able to help myself physically, mentally, emotionally, because my priority was always my child. I always needed to make sure that she was okay, that my kids are okay. However, I forgot that I needed help as well. My name is Jenna and I am a new mom to an almost one year old, which is absolutely crazy. What I really needed to hear from someone before I became a mom was that,

you're going to be great. The truth is you were made to be that baby's mama. You will figure everything out and you will absolutely be great. The biggest struggle for me was one that I just underestimated and it was breastfeeding. Breastfeeding did not come naturally to me. She was born with a tongue tie. I did not know what that was. I have brain odes and I did not know that could also impact my breastfeeding. I was always like one of those fetus best moms and I would never judge another mom.

for feeding their babies formula, but yet here I was so quickly to judge myself. I had to realize like, I want her to know the best version of me. And I realized when I was breastfeeding that I wasn't the best version of myself. And that's when, you know, I switched her. And since that very day, we have just thrived as a mama and daughter duo. What's the number one thing that makes you feel your best as a mom? And I feel this one is kind of twofold because, you know, there's things that make me feel good when I'm in like mom mode, like.

when I'm pushing her on the swing or when I go get her in the morning and she's like popping out and smiling. But I think being able to step back and find the things and achieve goals is really what makes me feel my best as a mom because I know I'm stepping up for her. So right now I'm currently training for a Ironman 5150 half marathon. I'm a business owner. You're constantly putting this other heartbeat as a priority before your own, but I think it's so important to remember that you do matter, are important, and you deserve to have passions and have goals.

Thank you for listening to season two of the Cybex Hot Mom Walk podcast, the Mama Mentor Search. Join us for more episodes where we give moms a platform to share their experiences on motherhood with the broader mama community.