TERRIFIED
have done things differently, even during my pregnancy, than I would have done now – knowing the importance of the early years.”
In another candid admission, Kate confesses she would have managed her approach to children differently even before she had given birth.
“Even in pregnancy,” she says. “Because you know the science, and I found that fascinating to see the wellbeing of the mother – not just physically, you know there’s so much information about making sure you exercise and making sure you have a healthy diet and things like that, which, yes, is definitely important.
“But the emotional wellbeing of the mother directly impacts the baby that you’re growing.
“It’s difficult, and also with life’s challenges and everything like that, it really is hard. I was a lot more aware of it third time round than I was the first time round.”
Kate calls the first cuddles with George in her arms “extraordinary” and “amazing, amazing”. She adds: “It is extraordinary, as I’ve said, how can the human body do that?”
She also admits she was “relieved” that he was “a happy, healthy boy.” (The couple had chosen not to find out his sex in advance.)
Kate fondly recalls the moment William first looked at their son. “Seeing the pure joy of his face, it was really special,” she says.
The Duchess hints how she experienced some loneliness during her children’s pre-school years. That’s one of the reasons that her early-years’ work is focused on helping mums with young children.
She says: “I think a lot of the work that we’ve been trying to do, in terms of looking around the early years, is actually providing that link because you then have the health visitor who comes and does the standard checkups and things like that.
“But having had such a wonderful support network through pregnancy and delivery from nurses and
Asked what advice she would give to her younger self about becoming a mum, Kate says: “I’ve got this one photo of Charlotte smelling a bluebell, and really for me it’s moments like that which mean so much to me, and I try every day to put moments like that in, even if they’re small or even if I don’t have time, but that, in an ideal world, is what I would like to do.
“It’s the simple things that really make a difference. It’s spending quality time with your children.
“It’s not whether you’ve done every single drop-off and every single pick-up but actually it’s those quality moments that you spend with your child where you are properly listening to them, properly understanding what they feel and, if things are going wrong, really taking time to think, ‘How as a mother am I feeling?’
“‘Am I actually making the situation worse for my child because this is bringing up all sorts of things I feel, rather than just focusing on them and how they might be reacting or responding to certain situations?’
“That would be another piece of advice I’d like to give myself back then.”
Last May, Kate unveiled a garden at the Chelsea Flower Show to highlight the benefits of the natural world and encourage families to enjoy the great outdoors. Her woodland wilderness plot, complete with a rope swing that reminded her of her own upbringing,– formed part of her work on early childhood development.
The podcast with Kate was recorded at LEYF Stockwell Gardens Nursery in South London to promote Giovanna’s 5 Big Questions for the Under Fives survey. The online poll aims to help “build the healthiest generation in history by giving every child the best start in life”.