In the second part of our three-part series, we hear from Rebel PT Prams in the Park mum, Katie Boyd. Before having Brodie, Katie tells us she was a career woman and didn’t think she would want to be a stay-at-home-mum… fast forward a few years and Katie hasn’t returned to her career after having her baby. Read her story here:
What did you study and what was your occupation?
“I guess I have always had a thirst to do everything and pack experience into life. After school I took a year out and worked in a school in Malawi before becoming an Au Pair in Spain. I moved to Aberdeen in 2007 to study Geography- I didn’t know what I wanted to work as but I knew I could do well studying something I enjoyed. Whilst at uni I did plenty of extra curricular activities for fun but that consequently boosted my CV. I also gained ski instructing qualifications which helped me earn my keep.”
“After graduating I was still not sure which direction to head. I knew that I wanted to do something well though. I got a job working in drilling and they noticed my potential and encouraged me to enrol in an online distance learning Masters in drilling engineering (4.5 years long!). I dived head first into career and dedicated weekends and evenings to study. I wanted to progress faster… I felt like I needed offshore experience to ever be taken seriously as a drilling engineer so moved onwards and upwards to a new company, working offshore. After two years the downturn was reaching it’s peak and my whole department was made redundant. I was very lucky to find a job as a drilling engineer with another company onshore. It was a monthly rolling contract so I was effectively self employed. I was getting married and my career was not developing so fast. I knew I wanted babies whilst I was quite young and to get a new job with all the maternity leave rights was not going to happen imminently. We therefore decided, at 28 years old, it was the right time to try for a baby. ”
What were your opinions of being a stay at home mum before pregnancy? Did your opinion change after giving birth?
“My before-pregnancy opinion was definitely “how can you be a modern woman and a stay at home mum”? I thought that being a stay at home mum would be mind numbing and that only women who lacked ambition would choose not to work. Both of these preconceptions were totally wrong!
My wee boy, Brodie, arrived a month early and needed a bit of extra care. For the first couple of months I was still planning on returning to work (although I had no job to go back to). However at 2 1/2 months old Brodie was diagnosed with a life threatening heart condition. We flew to Glasgow by air ambulance and he underwent open heart surgery two days later. He recovered well but I had this overwhelming feeling that I didn’t want to leave his side. Brodie is absolutely fine now and will have a “normal” life but I realised that this time never happens again and I want to treasure every moment with my little boy. It’s not a compromise, it’s an absolute pleasure.
What are your top tips for being a stay at home mum.
I think ‘stay at home mum’ should say ‘stay with child mum’ as we rarely stay at home! Get out the house. Live healthy, do excersize and be sociable! If you are healthy in mind and body, baby is likely to be too!
I have an Instagram page about @what_brodie_eats and other things he gets up to. The online community is a great way to find parenting ideas to keep us developing and Brodie will go to nursery one or two mornings a week from 14 months to aid his development.
What do you struggle with most?
I struggle with the idea that I might be jeopardizing my career. Will I still be wanted when I do feel ready to go back? Will I have the confidence?
What are your favourite moments?
Cuddles with my baby! Especially when I feed him. We had a bumpy start to our breastfeeding journey but strengthening our bond through milky cuddles is now my favourite part of the day!
What would you say to someone who was thinking about being a stay at home mum?
Do what makes you most happy… If you are happy it’s more likely your family will be too. #RebelLife