Mother, dancer, inspiration.

S/R: Tell us a bit about yourself (where you live, your profession and what your passions are.

Mai Linh: Hello my name is MaiLinh, I’m 31 years old and on a daily basis I’m a nurse and I work with psychiatric patients. I was born here in the Netherlands but both of my parents are Vietnamese.

S/R: You recently became a mom. How has the process of pregnancy, birth and motherhood changed your relationship with your body?

Mai Linh:Last year I became a mom for the first time. You hear all kinds of stories about being pregnant, but most of the time only the positive things , so I focused on the positive sides first in the beginning. But to be honest it changed really quickly to hating it.

The thing is that I had a really normal, almost easy pregnancy, but still I didn’t like it. Mostly because I was so limited in the things I wanted to do. So at work, I couldn’t go to the aggressive patients in order not to risk anything. It was hard for me to feel limited. 

The birth was a very different experience.I gave birth at home with. a midwife and that was really all I wanted. We discussed going to the hospital in case of complications but luckily I had a very easy birth. it was a dream experience.

Motherhood is really the best thing that happened to me. All the cliches are true. It’s a love you can’t compare to any other love you know. 

My passion is dancing  and when you are in dance class you constantly see yourself in the mirror. The first time I danced after giving birth I was shocked with the changes in my body and even cried a bit. I even moved differently.

It took time but through dance I embraced the changes and accepted my body as it is now.

S/R: Nursing is beautiful but also challenging. Can you share a little about how that journey has been for you?

Mai Linh: I wasnt a fan of breastfeeding, honestly. You hear storeis about milk just flowing from you once you give birth , but thats not always the case. I had to go through a lot to produce milk- Pumping, masseges and more. I stuck with it because my baby girl latched on quickly and I really believe it is the best nourishment for her and i'm happy I can provide that to her.

S/R: What made you connect to Semi/Romantic and what did you like about our nursing bra?

Mai Linh: When I first saw your IG feed I immediately felt the brand fits my taste and perspective. Then I received the nursing bra and pantie. The set was so comfortable and pretty and the nursing bra is so easy to open and close for nursing. It was a great fit!

S/R: Can you share  a self care tip, habit or ritual?  Something you do to connect with yourself , feel better and find time for you.

Mai Linh: I always feel better and more like myself when I dance. It fills me with life and energy.

Besides that, I'm honestly still searching for ways to stay connected to myself and who I am , besides a mom. It's a process and i'm still finding my way.