It’s no secret that navigating motherhood is an uphill task. However, it is hard to truly comprehend what “motherhood” means until one becomes a mother.

It has been four months since I gave birth to a baby girl. During this period, I went through some of the hardest, but happiest moments of my life.

Truthfully, four months is just enough time to dip my toes into the world of parenting and I know that I still have a long way to go. 

However, it has given me enough time to realise these five things I never understood until I became a mum.

1. How much my mum has sacrificed for me

Pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and taking care of a newborn are intensely new experiences crammed within a short period of 12 months.

Each phase comes with its own set of challenges that books and antenatal classes cannot fully prepare you for. 

During pregnancy, I was nauseous, had backaches and constantly worried about my baby as I experienced complications. 

Childbirth can only be summarised in two words: arduous and painful. 

Finally, the postpartum period was the toughest as me and hubby navigated through sleepless nights, figured out how to care for a newborn and I learned how to breastfeed.

We did not manage to hire a confinement nanny, so we were pretty clueless and I found myself thinking of my mum whenever things got a little crazy. 

Thankfully my mum was around to give me advice. 

This journey has also made me realise just how much my mum has gone through for me. 

2. How much you can love another human being

I have always wanted to be a mother, but nothing prepared me for what I felt when I held my baby in my arms for the first time.

As a first time mum, it was hard for me to really imagine that there was a tiny human growing inside me. 

When I finally held her, everything suddenly felt real. I was holding the baby I had always prayed for and dreamed of.

As the days went by, I soaked in all her little squeaks and yawns, and my heart swelled with more and more love each time.

It is amazing how much I can love another human being – one that is equal parts me and equal parts my husband.

3. How important it is to give a new mum time to recover before visiting 

I knew I would need time to recover after childbirth, but I was not prepared for the level of discomfort I felt. 

I was sleep-deprived, in pain (my whole body ached from childbirth and I had an episiotomy) and completely mind boggled by motherhood, so all I wanted to do was lay in bed with my baby. 

However, I had a baby to take care of and bottles, clothes and breast pumps to wash. 

On top of all of that, the thought of meeting people made me feel overwhelmed.

My experience has made me realise how important it is to give mums some time to recover before visiting.  

4. Why my parents constantly worry about me

I was never a worrier, until I became a mum. 

Call me paranoid, but if my baby slept a little too soundly, I would get really close to her face to check if she was still breathing. Creepy, I know.

Me and my husband would also constantly worry about anything that did not seem ‘normal’, from baby acne to heat rash and even the colour of our baby’s poop.

Google soon became my best friend and I was constantly on my phone looking for answers.

I used to wonder why my parents always worried about me. 

Mum and dad, I get it now.

5. How social media’s portrayal of motherhood isn’t always accurate

After I popped, I constantly saw Instagram mum-fluencers sharing their flawless postpartum beach-ready bodies weeks after giving birth. 

At first, it made me question why my body did not immediately ‘bounce back’. 

I was soon reminded that often, these photos and videos have been filtered and edited, or angled to look a certain way.

For all new mothers out there: it is important to remember that recovery takes time.

In reality, most of us will still be dealing with loose skin and stretch marks, and that’s okay.

Motherhood isn’t always a bed of roses, and everyone’s journey will be different, so always remember not to compare yourself to others.

De-stress with OSIM uLove 3

Navigating motherhood can be stressful both physically and emotionally. Constantly rocking and carrying a 7kg human for hours everyday takes a toll on my back and shoulders. 

Coupled with the lack of sleep and endless to-do lists, things can feel overwhelming at times.

 As a result, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve asked my husband to give me a massage. 

To give his hands a break this Mother’s Day, OSIM has kindly lent me their latest massage chair: the uLove 3.

After trying the chair out for a few weeks, it is safe to say that I will no longer be requiring my husband’s services.

My favourite part about this massage chair is how it is able to measure my body tension score through AI-Powered Technology.

Simply place your palms on the OSIM uLove 3 biosensors and it will use the latest electrocardiogram technology (ECG) to measure your body tension score.

The OSIM uLove 3 will then customise the required massage program for me based on my stress levels, and let me tell you – it is always on point.

I no longer have to tell my husband to massage ‘that spot’ on my back or shoulder because the massage chair just knows and targets all the right places.

Each massage is also accompanied by music that is suited to your current state of mind, making the experience even more relaxing.

Each time I felt stressed or tense, I would retreat into the loving arms of the OSIM uLove3 and it would massage all the tension away. 

At the end of each session, my body felt like it had been hugged by fluffy clouds and my muscles felt loose and relaxed.

But don’t just take my word for it.

The technology in this massage chair is incredible and actually allows you to put a number to your stress levels. 

This helped me to be more aware of and manage my stress levels promptly as I can observe my body tension score, heart rate and respiratory rate over time using the OSIM Well-Being App.

After consistently enjoying the therapeutic effects of the massage chair, I noticed a lower overall body tension score. 

Left: Before, Right: After.

This function helped me to become more aware of how my feelings of stress or anxiety affected my heart rate and respiratory rate.

More importantly, the massage chair’s programs offered me a solution and enabled me to relax, unwind, and manage my stress better.

Makes the whole family happy

This Mother’s Day, I’m thankful that I will be enjoying the magic touch of the OSIM uLove 3.

Did I mention that this magic massage chair also emits heat and warms my achy neck and back? 

With 3D surround sound speakers on either side of your head, I can also watch a show while having a relaxing massage. 

Perhaps the best part is that both my mum and husband love to make use of the massage chair since there is a suitable program for the whole family. 

Using the app, users can access a variety of massage programs for different lifestyles and targeted body relief.

My mum loves to make use of the senior program which is gentle and is said to act as a form of passive exercise to improve blood circulation. 

This way, she is easily able to get some form of passive ‘exercise’ from the comfort of the OSIM uLove 3.

Dear OSIM, please let me keep this massage chair. Thanks. 

You can now experience OSIM uLove 3’s magic here.

Top photo via Siti Hawa

This sponsored article in collaboration with OSIM made the writer become even more addicted to massages.