Motivational speaker Turia Pitt has always been very honest about her day-to-day struggles, and that hasn’t changed now that she’s a mother.
But she draws the line at strangers telling her how to raise a baby, particularly when there is already so much judgement around parenthood.
The 30-year-old author and her fiancé Michael Hoskin welcomed their baby son Hakavai in December last year.
Turia Pitt attended the Business Chicks Women In Conversation event at Parramatta Westfield
And it’s no surprise the couple have been bombarded with solicited and some definitely unsolicited parenting advice.
‘Everyone around you seems to know what’s best for your baby,’ she said at the Women In Conversation event at Westfield Parramatta.
‘Being a mum is amazing, but definitely challenging at times. I’ve got a whole new respect for parents everywhere. It’s hard.’
‘Having said that, you do get very rewarding moments all throughout the day. Making Hakavai laugh for a few seconds makes me feel awesome for the rest of the day. So relentless, but rewarding.
‘Everyone around you seems to know what’s best for your baby,’ she said at the Women In Conversation panel at Parramatta Westfield (pictured with Hakavai)
Previously, Turia opened up about nursing baby Hakavai and why it hadn’t been a simple process
‘Nothing prepares you for how drastically life changes when you become a mum. From the magic moments to the sleepless nights, it’s a crazy time and one I think we should talk about more.
‘We take so much for granted.’
Previously, Turia opened up about breastfeeding Hakavai and why it hadn’t been a simple process.
While she admitted to not being an ‘expert’ at it (she confessed that this was an unrealistic expectation), she’s now slowly getting the hang of it.
But while practice helped, it was also a matter of staying positive in the face of adversity, she said.
While she admitted to not being an ‘expert’ at breastfeeding, this was an unrealistic expectation, and she’s now slowly getting the hang of it
And while the positivity wasn’t free-flowing to begin with it’s getting easier as her son gets older (with her fiance Michael)
‘I believe that our mindset is critical for our failure or success, and a positive outlook is a big part of this. And yes, it always requires work! For everyone – we all need to keep working at getting our mindset right,’ she said.
‘There’s a tip of Megan Gale’s that I love. Swap ”I have to” with ”I get to”. So for example when I get woken up at 3am by Hakavai, instead of thinking ”I have to go and feed Hakavai” I think ”I get to go and feed Hakavai!”. It’s a simple mindset shift that reminds me how lucky I am to have a healthy little boy.
‘I know it can be hard to do, but I’d really encourage new mums to try and make time for something they enjoy, every day, or as close to that as possible.’
Turia said when she got home she shut the door and cried when she came home from the hospital
And while the positivity wasn’t free-flowing to begin, the motivational speaker said she is learning on the job.
‘The first few weeks were really tough,’ Turia said. ‘I am getting better at being a mum.’
The inspirational burns survivor said when she got home from the hospital after giving birth, she shut the door and cried.
‘For a lot of women, it’s [birth] is quite a traumatic experience,’ she said.
‘You feel very vulnerable and your hormones are going up and down and then your partner says ”what’s for dinner tonight?’ and you just lose it.’