Get to know me, Christiane Bégin, a canadian mama of 3, partner and woman behind Citrus Love content & podcast. I am currently doing a Masters in Counseling and Psychology….with the end goal of helping couples and couples with kids thrive.
Becoming a mother was always a no-brainer for me, I imagined a life with a few kids filled with laughter, activities and cute outfits.
…and then I got pregnant and my perception of motherhood changed. I had heard a handfull of repetitive things about what happened when you became a mother such as the classic ”better sleep now because once the baby comes, you’ll never sleep again” and ”it’s exhausting but so rewarding’ and ‘enjoy every moment because they grow so fast’.
I was raised on a farm, in a very small French speaking community in Northern Alberta, Canada. Family was incredibly important and having grown with a Stay-At-Home-Mom, I knew that I wanted to do the same thing with my little kids one day.
Fast forward to me moving by myself to Montreal to study Fashion Marketing and getting a Degree in Fashion Marketing & Design at the University. After many years of dating my partner, my biological clock was yelling I’m ready!! and a few months later I was pregnant. Although I experienced a wonderful pregnancy, the changes, the hormones, it was quite an adjustment. After some back and forth, I decided to give birth with a midwife (in a birth house) and unmedicated.
We entered as a couple and left two days later as a family of 3. All I kept thinking was ‘how will I do this’, ‘I can’t believe I have a baby’, ‘why isn’t there a book that tells us how to be a parent’, ‘why didn’t anyone tell me I would feel this way’. The reality and new feelings of motherhood quickly set in and I felt more alone then ever.
Why didn’t anyone explain what REALLY happens to the woman. We all focus on the baby being born but forgetting that the woman is birthed into a mother at that same moment.
With a working partner and my family accross the country, I felt alone, confused, sad, overwhelmed and questioning my new identity. The truth is that some postpartum topics and not so pretty mom life moments remain unspoken or brushed off as ”this is normal mom life”. I believe this is why a lot of women feel lonely, depressed, confused and anxious.
Things I Love :
Reading non-fiction books most likely related to psychology and personal growth, listening to podcasts and walking outside for a quick mood booster is a must! I release stress with a mix of workouts at home from an app, traveling makes me incredibly happy and having deep conversations one-on-one, I always have a camera with me #cameramama, I have spontaneous dancing moments at home. I would switch wardrobes with Carrie Bradshaw’s character from Sex In The City, of enjoy anything tastefully colorful. I eat dark chocolate daily.
This platform is my way of sharing with you my beautiful friends, what I have learned from experience and from other cleaver and strong individuals along the way.
My mission is to constantly grow and become a better version of myself everyday. And discovering the ingredients to raising confident, caring and mentally strong kids along the way.
