Right after the surgery a nurse told me that I was at higher risk of having a low milk supply, so in addition to feeling inadequate about the birth process I felt like I wouldn’t be able to feed my child properly. So I made a birth plan, only to realize that I had to have a C-section at 35 weeks for medical reasons. I think from all of the pressure of IVF, I really wanted to make sure that I was “doing it right.” I remember reading “Spiritual Midwifery” when I was pregnant and thinking that I had to have a natural childbirth or my daughter would not thrive.

I was very anxious with my pregnancy and delivery of my first born. LJN: What information or advice do you wish you’d received but didn’t (and had to learn through trial and error or on the go)?ĮM: I wish someone would have encouraged me in the early days of parenting to worry less and enjoy my time with my baby. I have learned to make peace with the fact that I may not get through the entire to-do list, and I remind myself that raising kids is a full time job and a privilege! I struggled with fertility issues, and had to undergo IVF to have my first daughter, so I am so thankful that Lucy made me a mom. I have never loved anyone as strongly as I love my daughters, and that immense bond has fueled my music and my life in ways I never would have thought possible before I became a parent. There is a huge identity shift that happens when you become a parent, and I found the process difficult but also intensely beautiful. The process of having children is both a wonderful and a very intense experience, and in the early days of being a mom I often felt overwhelmed and guilty for not doing enough. London Jazz News: What is the best advice you received about balancing/juggling motherhood and career?Įllie Martin: I think that the best advice I ever received is that everything has its time and place, and you don’t have to try and do everything at once.

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