Onya Megs, motherhood isn’t a spectator sport
ROYALS, they are so not like us.
While every pleb parent goes to extreme efforts to maximise the publicity of their little prince or princess-to-be – I’m talking 3D scans posted on social media, elaborate gender reveal parties (streamed live online, of course) and OTT naming ceremonies – the Duchess of Sussex has flipped the script.
While previous princesses, looking at you Kate, have followed the party line and presented the royal baby on the hospital steps like Simba at Pride Rock mere hours after giving birth, the celebrity formerly known as Meghan Markle is having none of that.
Instead, she’s decided to quietly give birth (although not literally “quietly” as she’s opted for no epidural or caesarean) and hang with the new baby until she’s good and ready to tell us. Quite frankly, I suspect the child was born long ago.
In fact, I’m pretty sure that the next move for Baby Sussex is simply to waltz out the front door to the surrounding paparazzi and strike a pose – thumb in, thumb out, back of the nappy to the camera, head tilted sassily over the shoulder. This baby is a born natural.
But honestly, I think Meghan is wise.
Good Lord, I was too busy attempting to stem the flow of bodily fluids from literally every orifice to even try to pose. The closest I got was a few days later, and what a shot – maternity bra stuffed with frozen nappies and cabbage leaves to relieve the pain of the approximately 500 litres of milk that had flowed in. And the baby’s not even in the picture … he couldn’t fit thanks to the boobs.
But beyond the optics of the situation, I say good on you, Megs. There really is nothing like those first few days of motherhood.
It’s the sweetest of spots – you’re in awe of this tiny, wrinkly yet beautiful baby, you’ve only endured a night or two of sleep deprivation (a veritable slumber party compared to what’s coming) and you still have plenty of helpers on hand doing the jobs you haven’t mastered yet (changing nappies, milking yourself). Actually, Megs probably gets to keep those helpers. I believe they’re called servants.
Still, what is our obsession with ensuring the world not just knows but cares about our little bundle of joy?
I’ll admit that social media, like my children themselves, was in its infancy when I gave birth. There was no pressure to rack up the likes and loves and shares of their entrance to the world via my exit.
It’s a baby, not a popularity contest.
Isn’t it ironic that the mother of the one baby we all seem to care about (or so we are told) is one of the few not to buy into that game?
I appreciate that a birth is a major event and I completely condone the sharing of a birth announcement on socials – it saves a lot of time compared to the group text I sent in September 2007.
And there are many parents whose posts are inspirational – those who have struggled with infertility, children with special needs … I truly do celebrate those milestones with their mothers.
It’s just all the other stuff that I don’t know if we need – timelines of tummy shots, weekly countdowns, etc.
It’s wonderful that it’s so important to you … but is the public applause necessary? Does sharing it on social media really add to the experience?
And if it does, that’s a bit of a worry in itself. I’m not even talking about the horror of being trolled about your most precious moments, I just don’t think that the “success” of your pregnancy should be dictated by social media.
It’s important to you and that’s what matters. Like Megs, take the time to enjoy your moment.
It’s obvious that the royals have learned a lot from allowing members of the family to marry commoners like Meghan, but the truth is … we could learn something too.
Royals and plebs … we literally do have something in common.
Read Ann Wason Moore every Tuesday and Saturday in the