The beginning I didn’t quite feel prepared for
I’m Stacey, a first-time mum based in South Wales, sharing the honest and often unseen side of early motherhood through life with my daughter, Adeline.
When I was pregnant, my journey was labelled “high risk” — not by much, but enough to shift how I was cared for and how I viewed myself. I remember sitting with statistics, medical terms, and quiet worries that I didn’t always say out loud. In the end, I was able to make informed decisions that felt right for me, and that experience shaped how I now approach motherhood: grounded in information, but guided by intuition.
Nothing, however, fully prepares you for what comes after.
The quiet shift no one talks about
After Adeline was born, I expected to be tired. I expected to be emotional.
What I didn’t expect was the quiet identity shift.
The feeling of being so full of love, yet slightly unsure of who I was now.
As an exclusively pumping mum, my days quickly became structured around feeding schedules, sterilising, night alarms, and the soft hum of a pump at 2am. It was relentless in a way that felt both purposeful and exhausting. There were moments of pride and moments of doubt — sometimes within the same hour.
Motherhood felt beautiful. But it also felt overwhelming. And I realised how rarely we speak about both at the same time.
Why I created this space
Glow with Adeline began as a way to process those early months — the mental load, the routine rebuilding, the confidence that felt like it needed gently piecing back together.
This isn’t a space about perfect routines or bouncing back.
It’s about:
- Realistic daily rhythms as a new mum
- Postpartum wellbeing without pressure
- Navigating identity after having a baby
- Finding softness in the chaos
- Creating small resets when everything feels heavy
I share the things I’m learning in real time — the routines that work (and the ones that don’t), the budget-conscious ways I support my wellbeing, the small habits that make me feel like myself again.
Sometimes that looks like structured reflection.
Sometimes it looks like playing solitaire while pumping at 2am to avoid online shopping.
Sometimes it’s simply admitting that motherhood is both grounding and disorientating.
What you’ll find here
Here, you’ll find honest reflections on:
• Early motherhood and postpartum wellbeing
• Gentle routines for overwhelmed mums
• Exclusively pumping life and feeding journeys
• Rebuilding confidence after birth
• Mental load and emotional resets
• Slow, intentional living with a baby
As Adeline grows, this space will grow too — evolving into a broader lifestyle approach to motherhood, self-care, and eventually rediscovering fashion, beauty, and personal identity in a new season of life.
Because motherhood doesn’t erase who you were.
It reshapes you.
The heart behind it all
I believe in softness over pressure.
In structure without burnout.
In information without fear.
In showing up imperfectly but honestly.
I don’t claim to have all the answers. I’m still in it — still learning, still adjusting, still figuring out who I am in this new role.
If you’re here because you feel a little overwhelmed, a little tired, or quietly wondering how to feel like yourself again — you’re not alone.
This is a space for becoming.
Slowly, gently, and without expectation.
Welcome to Glow with Adeline 🤍
Glow With Adeline. 