Interpreting Stories of Motherhood
By guest contributer: Emily Orlik, co-founder of lifestyle brand NINA.
Having a baby in the middle of a global pandemic and a national lockdown was not what my brother-in-law and his wife had envisaged. We heard the challenges – how there was less support available, how partners could only be at the hospital a short while, how it was challenging to buy essentials like
nappies. We were frustrated too that we couldn’t be there in person to support and to celebrate and welcome our new niece. 2000 babies are born each day in the UK so that’s a lot of other new parents and families in the same boat.
Over the past few months we’ve heard lots of women’s’ stories and experiences of their journey to motherhood at this moment in time. NHS midwives who want to remind everyone to “Remember, we are always here for you, ‘new normal’ or not.” Completely coincidentally corroborated by Annie, who came out of hospital in the middle of the lockdown – “Midwives are still there and doing a brilliant job at keeping us and our new babies safe.” Kate shared about her fertility struggles, suggesting to others to “Try not to focus on the ‘what ifs’, because we can’t predict the future, nor
can we dwell too much on the past.” Primrose discussed how being a naturopath has been incredibly empowering for her during pregnancy (and how she can’t live without kefir every morning or her raspberry leaf & nettle tea to prevent leg cramps at night!)
Everyone has their own story. At NINA we launched The Motherhood Prints at the beginning of lockdown: limited-edition art prints inspired by motherhood to celebrate all the women we know and love. It’s been amazing to read about the inspiration behind the artworks and how the artists interpreted the theme of motherhood. Artist Harlie Briggs for example paints abstract nudes and nature. Beautiful pieces. But more than that, there’s so much beneath the surface that we don’t always hear about. Through her art Harlie is out to celebrate the female form “because society
decides not to.” And in creating her prints for The Motherhood Prints in particular, Harlie was reflecting on how much her own mother loved pregnancy and so she wanted to capture the joy she felt as she neared her due date.
It’s easy to forget to simply be inspired! There’s so much female power and energy in the world. Without forgetting that there are a huge variety of experiences of motherhood, it’s amazing to stop and simply be inspired by how powerful motherhood is.
Take a look at The Motherhood Prints at our website and follow us on Instagram here. 10% of the profits from each print sold goes to Awamaki, a charity that supports female artisans in Peru.
About Nina
NINA is a lifestyle brand selling unique artist-designed products for families
