Meeting Eugénie, founder of Bloom
This period was full of emotions, both good and bad. I was the first of my friends to be pregnant, and I felt a bit isolated at first. I researched a lot about pregnancy and very little about postpartum. I read many books on supporting pregnancy and childbirth.
Pregnancy was a time in my life when I could finally accept my body and give it all the freedom it needed. Accepting being a woman, carrying life. I was able to experience my pregnancy well, particularly thanks to meditation, and communicate with the baby growing inside me.
Meditation during pregnancy helped me calm my anxiety about motherhood and all the changes, to put things into perspective, and to approach this new adventure with softness and kindness towards myself. Every step of the pregnancy was interesting, with new sensations and emotions. Meditation allowed me to step back and give myself permission to just be me and not do everything perfectly.
In fact, childbirth was a beautiful experience, despite my epidural not working. I felt proud and courageous, and above all… the moment I met my daughter, the most beautiful memory of my life. I still feel moved by the long gaze between my husband and my daughter when he was able to hold her. I had never experienced anything so intense!
Then came postpartum. Which I found both easy and hard… We had just returned from London, and adjusting to Paris was difficult. We had lived for several years in Canada and England, and I found the support for pregnant women postpartum not up to my expectations compared to what I had experienced in London. I went through long moments of loneliness, and once again, meditation was there to support me through these painful times.
What ultimately allowed me to find a good family balance was surrounding myself with key people, accepting help, and fully living each moment of my life: finding a wonderful nanny who could take over after my maternity leave, someone I knew my children would be safe with, loved, fed, and supported. And every moment I spend with my children, I devote myself entirely to them. This way, I don’t feel guilty when I work, and I can fully dedicate myself to my business during the time I’ve set aside.
My new life as a mother, and the fact that adapting to it was simpler than I imagined, was thanks to this life balance and meditation, which helps me stay grounded and cultivate a form of kindness towards myself, which is absolutely necessary when you're a mom and nurturing your children with love. It’s important to learn to love yourself, to take time for yourself, and to put things into perspective.
When I think about it, pregnancy changed many things in my life. It became a springboard for my professional life: I was able to take the time during pregnancy to understand the purpose I wanted to give to my life and my work and what actions would follow. I wanted to do good for others by creating a better world for my daughters and future generations, developing what had helped me: meditation.
What I would like to say to future and new moms is to take care of yourselves because if you don’t, no one else will! As mothers, we tend to forget ourselves, and it’s important to take time for ourselves to best navigate all the phases of motherhood. Meditation is a wonderful tool for this. Bloom has created a digital program for moms, helping them take care of themselves, available on our new app, The Bloom Space :)
