"My advice is to never regret not being perfect, listen to yourself and what your body is telling you and never feel guilty about anything."
Rather reserved and discreet, Allison, the creator of Élhée, lent herself to the interview game. We have transcribed her interview for Liberty London's "Motherhood Diaries", in which she tenderly shares her views on motherhood."
Have you always considered yourself a mother, and what does motherhood mean to you?
I've always wanted to be a mother and dreamed of having a big family, and I've been lucky enough to have three beautiful babies plus one with my husband's eldest son. For me, motherhood is synonymous with unconditional love and chaos. It's the great unknown!
What was your relationship with your body during pregnancy?
Pregnancy is an incredibly powerful process, synonymous with enormous inner and outer changes. I experienced my three pregnancies as a gentle and joyful journey and loved every minute of them. Watching my body transform and feeling my babies grow inside me was one of the things I enjoyed most, and something I had to
give up every time I gave birth. Breastfeeding allowed me to maintain this intense bond for
a while, until I had to bottle-feed them.
There's a lot of pressure around pregnancy and motherhood. Have you
had to deal with any kind of pressure?
I never felt pressured during my pregnancies, either professionally or personally. I have, however, been subjected to misogyny on several occasions in my entrepreneurial career. The most hurtful experience occurred during a pitch for my project Élhée in front of an "Association de soutien à l'entrepreneuriat". The jury elegantly advised me to stay at home and continue raising my three children rather than pursue my project in order to "protect myself". These words strengthened my resolve and my desire to create my Élhée brand. After all, there's nothing women can't achieve.
What resources have you found most useful during your pregnancy?
Open-mindedness and carefreeness. Letting go during my maternity leave was a great inspiration for me. Being able to spend all my time with my young children encouraged me to devote even more time to them as they grew up. I naively thought that running my own business would enable me to do this, even when I went back to work, but that turned out to be the only thing partly true. My husband and I continued to see friends, go out and travel after they were born, but we always made sure our children were included. The most important thing for us is to be able to create and give them memories together that they will treasure forever.
How did you reconcile work and family life after their birth?
Reconciling work and children is not easy on a daily basis. I appreciate the freedom I have
thanks to my job to manage the children and live at their own pace, even if
most of the time it's quite complicated to find the right balance.
Do you have any favorite Liberty kids brands or products?
There are so many things I love about Libertyfrom their range of sleepwear for children and women to their practical notebooks that are ideal for managing the maternal mental load or perfect as gifts for friends. But my current obsession is with newborn essentials from Bonpoint - they're absolutely adorable.
