Mum Guilt, Weaning + Work Life Balance - We Chat To TikTok Star + NHS Key Worker, Lauren Young
Let me introduce you to Lauren Young aka lozzij; she's a mum, content creator and NHS key worker, who shares the ins and outs of motherhood, work and day-to-day snippets of her life on Instagram and TikTok. We’ve had a fantastic time working with Lauren on some fun videos over on TikTok and had to show her off to you, our amazing community of Mamamates 💜 Keep reading as we talk all about mum guilt, weaning, life in the social media spotlight and so much more….
Hi Lauren! Tell us a bit about yourself...
Hi! I’m Lauren, 29 from Worcestershire! I’m a registered nurse and first time Mum to Lilah, who is one years old! I live with Lilah’s Dad, Jase and have two stepchildren and two pug babies! I don’t really have any hobbies except being a mum and being addicted to TikTok!
Describe your motherhood experience in five words...
Beautiful, unconditional, selfless, challenging, exhausting!
We absolutely love seeing your life updates on TikTok! What inspired you to start sharing in this way, and how do you feel knowing over 230,000 people now follow you?
To be honest with you, when I saw Jase scrolling through TikTok for hours I’d get so annoyed, so he made me download it and I was soon hooked and couldn’t stop scrolling! At the time, I was an intensive care nurse nursing through the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Jase told me I should start posting videos, I lacked so much confidence to post but once I realised how much fun it was I kept posting! So I began making content to document my journey nursing through the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and when I got pregnant I began documenting my pregnancy journey! Not only to help my own mental health but to provide comfort and support for others too!
The pandemic caused intense loneliness and I think we all took to social media for company and the support I received from my videos was just breathtaking and inspired me to keep going to where I am today - sharing my journey into Motherhood with Lilah! The amount of followers I have is so overwhelming, I’m so grateful for every single person who follows our journey! I don’t think they realise how much they mean to me and how they have actually supported me and kept me going especially through tough times! Followers are family to me, we’re all in this together!
When did you first start weaning Lilah, and how has the weaning journey been so far for the both of you?
Lilah began baby-led weaning at exactly 6 months! It was something I’d always wanted to do although it caused so much anxiety. I was really lucky and Lilah took to solids so well, she picked up the skills so quickly and has come so far! It’s the best thing I’ve ever done! I find it so much easier as she just eats what we eat and we can sit and eat as a family.
As a nurse, do you feel like you felt more clued up with weaning health and safety?
Definitely! The main fear around weaning is choking and as a nurse, I’m fully trained in this emergency situation. I always recommend parents take part in a paediatric first aid course because it does really help lessen anxiety!
There's always this pressure of perfectionist parenting (which doesn't actually exist). So, what did you find most challenging?
There’s no such thing as a perfect parent, we all have struggles and hard parenting days! Lilah doesn’t sleep well so that’s been my biggest challenge, she is still breastfed and uses me for comfort throughout the night, which is exhausting especially when I’m at work! But she’s beginning to find other ways to comfort herself back to sleep now, she’s started sucking her thumb! I know the sleepless nights and her needing my comfort won’t be forever so I try to remind myself that when I struggle!
You recently shared your experience of heading back to work after maternity leave. How are you finding the balance? And what steps are you taking to make the transition easier?
Returning to work has been extremely difficult, sending Lilah to nursery was such a difficult position and caused me extreme Mum guilt however I know that my job and the work I do would make her proud! It’s a lot easier now we have adjusted into a new routine and Lilah loves nursery! I’m also enjoying being back at work and doing the job I love. To make the transition easier I optimise my days off with her! Time spent together is now extra special! Caffeine also helps, haha!
Mum guilt - how has this affected you? And what would you advise to another mum who's in the same boat?
I’ve been affected by mum guilt massively since returning to work, on my days off I’m exhausted and I feel so guilty if I don’t plan something fun for me and Lilah to do. I’ve overcome this by finding fun things to do for us at home on days where I struggle such as arts and crafts! My advice would be to remember all your child wants is to be loved and to be with you, doesn’t matter where you are or what you are doing as long as you are together! Embrace lazy days!
Having a large social media following on TikTok, and unfortunately, because of this, you do receive negative comments around how you choose to feed and raise your baby. How do you deal with this?
I always focus on positive comments rather than the negative comments on my videos, people have been so supportive throughout my weaning journey and I’ve received so many useful tips and tricks from others too!
What’s one thing you wish you knew about motherhood?
That sleep is underrated, haha!!
What would be your top tips and tricks for our community of Mamamates who are also exploring the world of TikTok?
If you’re looking to start creating content just be yourself and have fun with it! I also feel like it’s important not to focus on analytics (followers, views, etc), numbers can get you down and if you had fun making the content that’s all that matters!
How did you first come across Mamamade? And what's your favourite aspect of our brand?
We found Mamamade on Instagram and I’m just so grateful for the stress it takes away from mealtimes!
How does Mamamade fit into your schedule as a family?
When Lilah is at nursery she is collected by her Grandma who takes her home and gives her dinner before her Dad and I are home from work. So for dinner Grandma always cooks her a Mamamade meal, we always have a stash in the freezer as it’s so easy for her to just quickly cook in the microwave for minutes! It’s also so reassuring for me to know she’s had a healthy, nutritious meal after a long day at nursery!
And last but not least, which five meals and snacks are Lilah’s favourite?
Lilah’s loves the Mamamade Banana Oat Pancakes! She loves them with Greek yoghurt and berries, she has these for breakfast and eats them as a snack too! Her favourite meal is the Mamamade Pasta & Mushroom Meatballs!
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading all about Lauren, I sure have! Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us and we can't wait to see more of your videos and pictures pop up as we scroll through during night feeds and school runs 😅 Click to check out Lauren’s TikTok and Instagram 📸 and if you’re into parenting TikTok let us know your favourite trends in the comments section below or DM us on Instagram so that team Mamamade can recreate them 👀
Love,
Himanshi + Team Mamamade
