#findyourtribe with Sasha Romary
[cs_content][cs_section parallax="false" separator_top_type="none" separator_top_height="50px" separator_top_angle_point="50" separator_bottom_type="none" separator_bottom_height="50px" separator_bottom_angle_point="50" style="margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;"][cs_row inner_container="true" marginless_columns="false" style="margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;"][cs_column fade="false" fade_animation="in" fade_animation_offset="45px" fade_duration="750" type="1/1" style="padding: 0px;"][cs_text]#FindYourTribe is a series dedicated to discovering mamas from around the world. It’s an opportunity for us to get a peek into the lives of amazing women and badass moms.[/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][cs_row inner_container="true" marginless_columns="false" style="margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;"][cs_column fade="false" fade_animation="in" fade_animation_offset="45px" fade_duration="750" type="1/1" style="padding: 0px;"][cs_text]Sasha Romary, a New Yorker-turned-Parisian, recently moved to Singapore with her husband and their 1-year-old. She's the founder of The Modern Mama, a maternity and postpartum consultancy. In that capacity, she works with mamas worldwide to help to plan for their baby's arrival and find a healthy balance with the demands of new motherhood. (She'll even help you to figure out what baby gear you really need. How cool is that!?)Let's meet her, shall we?[/cs_text][x_image type="none" src="http://www.bonnenuitbaby.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Untitled-design-15.png" alt="" link="false" href="#" title="" target="" info="none" info_place="top" info_trigger="hover" info_content="" class="aligncenter"][cs_text][x_custom_headline type="left" level="h5" looks_like="h5"]After becoming a mom, how did you find your tribe?[/x_custom_headline] As an expat living in Paris, my friends became my family. I was incredibly lucky to have met three fabulous ladies during my pregnancy through expat groups and word-of-mouth. All of us were due with our babies around the same time and we supported each other throughout our pregnancies and then, once the little ones were born, we were all there for each other to compare stories, share sleep and swaddle tips and text each other at the 4am cluster feeds! We celebrated when we successfully had coffee together out in public and supported each other when couldn’t handle the sleep deprivation. I honestly don’t know what I would have done without them![x_custom_headline type="left" level="h5" looks_like="h5"]What would your memoir be titled?[/x_custom_headline]Cracking the Code of Motherhood - I honestly felt like everything with new motherhood was some kind of puzzle or riddle that I had to solve. I had read all the books, done all the research and when I was actually faced with this helpless little creature to care for, somehow it all just flew out the window. Every hurdle was a new code to be cracked and every time I figured out Oliver's little quirks and what worked for him, I felt more empowered and confident as a mother.[x_custom_headline type="left" level="h5" looks_like="h5"]What's the first thing you do each morning?[/x_custom_headline] Is it horrible to admit that I check my phone? I wake up to little toddler voices chatting away most mornings and I relish the 5-10 minutes of scanning through emails, checking Instagram and looking at my schedule for the day before getting up with him. While it is a little embarrassing to admit that, it helps me to then focus 100% on my little guy for the first few hours of the day.[/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][cs_row inner_container="true" marginless_columns="false" style="margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;"][cs_column fade="false" fade_animation="in" fade_animation_offset="45px" fade_duration="750" type="1/2" style="padding: 0px;"][x_image type="none" src="http://www.bonnenuitbaby.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_5295.jpg" alt="" link="false" href="#" title="" target="" info="none" info_place="top" info_trigger="hover" info_content="" class="aligncenter" style="width: 250px;"][/cs_column][cs_column fade="false" fade_animation="in" fade_animation_offset="45px" fade_duration="750" type="1/2" style="padding: 0px;"][x_image type="none" src="http://www.bonnenuitbaby.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_6753.jpg" alt="" link="false" href="#" title="" target="" info="none" info_place="top" info_trigger="hover" info_content="" class="aligncenter" style="width: 250px;"][/cs_column][/cs_row][cs_row inner_container="true" marginless_columns="false" style="margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;"][cs_column fade="false" fade_animation="in" fade_animation_offset="45px" fade_duration="750" type="1/1" style="padding: 0px;"][cs_text][x_custom_headline type="left" level="h5" looks_like="h5"]If you had 12 hours with no outside commitments, how would you spend the day? [/x_custom_headline]Oh man, that sounds amazing! I would probably sleep for the first 10 hours and then maybe get a massage, pedicure or go to a yoga class. Life with a toddler has rare moments of peace and quiet so I would keep it quiet and peaceful so that after those 12 hours I could mommy hard![x_custom_headline type="left" level="h5" looks_like="h5"]Do you have a parenting philosophy? [/x_custom_headline]I think you can read all the books and align with whatever parenting philosophy you want but once you have kids you realise that they are all individual little people with different needs and different ways of communicating those needs. I love the Magda Gerber & Janet Lansbury philosophy of recognising what goes on in these little human’s brains and how to support them in developing and growing their sense of self. Sometimes it means that we have screaming kids in grocery stores or kids that don’t share their toys while we are figuring it out but sometimes it means that we are able to sit with our young children at a restaurant in public and have a nice calm meal because we have been able to successfully communicate and understand the needs of our kids.Parenting is a constant up and down and the best way to be able to stay level headed about it all is to find a healthy balance in your life as a parent. Parents need time to themselves to take care of themselves and regroup so that they can parent in the best way that they can. I don’t care who you are but no one can dedicate 100% of themselves to someone else 100% of the time. You will be a better parent if you are a happy, healthy (and fed and showered!) person. You need that and your kids need that and finding that balance leads to a happier family![/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][cs_row inner_container="true" marginless_columns="false" style="margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;"][cs_column fade="false" fade_animation="in" fade_animation_offset="45px" fade_duration="750" type="1/2" style="padding: 0px;"][x_image type="none" src="http://www.bonnenuitbaby.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_7088.jpg" alt="" link="false" href="#" title="" target="" info="none" info_place="top" info_trigger="hover" info_content="" class="aligncenter" style="width: 250px;"][/cs_column][cs_column fade="false" fade_animation="in" fade_animation_offset="45px" fade_duration="750" type="1/2" style="padding: 0px;"][x_image type="none" src="http://www.bonnenuitbaby.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_0277.jpg" alt="" link="false" href="#" title="" target="" info="none" info_place="top" info_trigger="hover" info_content="" class="aligncenter" style="width: 250px;"][/cs_column][/cs_row][cs_row inner_container="true" marginless_columns="false" style="margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;"][cs_column fade="false" fade_animation="in" fade_animation_offset="45px" fade_duration="750" type="1/1" style="padding: 0px;"][cs_text][x_custom_headline type="left" level="h5" looks_like="h5"]What are the last three books you loved? [/x_custom_headline]The Goldfinch (like 2 years after everyone told me to read it!), Harry Potter and The Cursed Child (the second it came out!) and Mothering the New Mother: Women’s Feelings & Needs After Childbirth. Yeah, I guess that is a pretty accurate picture of me![x_custom_headline type="left" level="h5" looks_like="h5"]What's the last thing you geeked out about?[/x_custom_headline]Herbal remedies! I have just created a bunch of natural and organic herbal teas and baths for postpartum recovery and healing and I am totally obsessed![x_custom_headline type="left" level="h5" looks_like="h5"]What’s your favorite part of being a parent? Least favorite?[/x_custom_headline] My favorite thing about being a parent is being able to watch my son solve a problem. I love seeing his mind work and watching him figure out how to do things. For example, we have the tiniest little step from the living room into the kitchen in our apartment and I have been watching him for the past week approach the step and stare at it trying to figure out how to get down that step while staying standing up. He would sit down, scoot down on his bum and get back up to walk for ages and then a few days ago, he got to that point, held onto the wall for support, moved one foot until it slipped down the step and then just continued walking. I could see the amazement and joy in his face! Definitely a proud Mama moment.Least favorite is definitely the 6:30am wake up call on Sunday mornings![x_custom_headline type="left" level="h5" looks_like="h5"]What’s your most treasured article of clothing in your closet right now?/strong>[/x_custom_headline]I have this simple cotton black dress from Zara that is just everything! It doesn’t wrinkle, its super flattering, I can wear it with flip-flops during the day or nicer shoes and a necklace in the evening and it was only, like $20. To me, that's perfection![x_custom_headline type="left" level="h5" looks_like="h5"]What’s your tried-and-true parenting hack? [/x_custom_headline]Wait 3 days. Oliver is only 14 months so if he has a fussy or bad sleep day, or if he is teething, he is still at the age where everything is a phase and in 3 days, it will have changed to something else.…that, or, just give him my iPhone to play with if I need 5 minutes![/cs_text][cs_text][x_gap size="3em"]Previous #findyourtribe mamas:Maggie Kim, Editor and WriterBethany Ciotola, BloggerSunshine Punzalan, Content Creator[/cs_text][x_gap size="100px"][x_image type="none" src="http://www.bonnenuitbaby.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/findyourtribe-4.png" alt="" link="false" href="#" title="" target="" info="none" info_place="top" info_trigger="hover" info_content="" class="aligncenter" style="width: 200px;"][/cs_column][/cs_row][cs_row inner_container="true" marginless_columns="false" style="margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;"][cs_column fade="false" fade_animation="in" fade_animation_offset="45px" fade_duration="750" type="1/1" style="padding: 0px;"] [/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][/cs_content]