Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
DUCHESS TALKS OF MOTHERHOOD
THE Duchess of Cambridge admits she often suffers “mum guilt” as she juggles family life.
Kate says raising George, six, Charlotte, four, and 21-month-old Louis with husband William can leave her fraught with insecurity. And at times, it has also been lonely.
The Duchess, 38, who opened up about the highs and lows of parenthood to Giovanna Fletcher in her popular “Happy Mum, Happy Baby” podcast, also says she has found ways to keep happy and strong.
She reveals that special breathing techniques were a saving grace during her pregnancies, while enjoying the great outdoors with her kids has now become one of her greatest loves.
Kate’s chat with Giovanna – also the wife of McFly star Tom Fletcher – aired yesterday.
ON GOING PUBLIC
She admits it was “slightly terrifying” when she revealed her first baby George to the world a day after giving birth. But she and William, 37, decided this was a moment the public should share with them.
She says: “For us to be able to share that joy and appreciation with the public, I felt was really important.
“But equally it was coupled with a newborn baby and inexperienced parents, and the uncertainty of what that held, so there were all sorts of mixed emotions.”
It was July 2013 when the Duchess emerged on the steps of London’s famous Lindo Wing at London’s St Mary’s hospital.
She and William were so determined not to mess up they even practised putting a baby doll in a car seat so they’d know what to do in public.
Kate reveals: “We were like, ‘What do we do?... in a swaddle? How’s this supposed to work?’ It was quite hard to do that on the world’s stage.”
Their approach couldn’t have been more at odds with how the Duke and Duchess of Sussex handled things.
When Meghan gave birth to Archie on May 6 last year, Prince Harry made the low-key announcement outside their then-home at Frogmore Cottage, Windsor. Their first photocall with Archie was two days later in Windsor, but with an invites-only crowd.
ON HYPNOTHERAPY
Hypnobirthing helped Kate get through labour after difficult pregnancies with severe morning sickness – known as hyperemesis.
The technique uses a mix of deepbreathing exercises, visualisation and mindfulness to help curb pain.
Speaking of her pregnancies, she says: “I was really sick. I wasn’t eating the things I should be eating, but yet, the baby was still able to take the goodness from my body and to grow new life, which I think is fascinating.
“Actually it was through hyperemesis that I really realised the power of the mind over the body. I’m not going to say that William was standing there sort of chanting sweet nothings to me – he definitely wasn’t! I didn’t even ask him about it, but it was just something I wanted to do for myself.
“I saw the power of it... the meditation and the deep breathing and things like that, that they teach you in hypnobirthing, when I was really sick