Here’s an excerpt of an interview with Anioushka, the winner of Birthing Naturally Queen Season 1:
1. From being an aeronautical engineer and now winner of this pageant. How was your journey up to here?
Aero planes have always fascinated me since childhood and I was really determined to work very closely on aircrafts. What better profession could I choose other than being an aeronautical engineer. Every time I startup the aircraft, the roar of the engine gives me a boost of motivation and becomes the wind beneath the wings of my dreams. The journey from fixing aircrafts to nurturing a new life has been the most exciting journey of my life so far!
We are what we choose to be!! And the most beautiful choice I made ,was to become a mother. No emotion can ever match up with the feeling of holding and breastfeeding your baby for the first time. It is a bond of pure love which just keep growing stronger everyday, thanks to this love and bond that I participated in BNQ season1, made new mom friends who are sailing in the same boat, overcame my anxieties, guilt of leaving my baby behind for work and learnt how to balance out professional and personal commitments in a better way and experienced the joy and sense of achievement in accomplishing the tasks during the journey of the pageant. This journey not only taught me to value myself more but also brought my husband and me closer as a couple as we enjoyed performing all the tasks together.
2. What was the initial thought before contesting in birthing naturally queen?
Hearing Birthing naturally, the first thought that came into my mind was the book Birthing Naturally by Dr Mahima Bakshi which I had religiously read and followed during my pregnancy. I wasn’t sure about participating initially and just signed up for fun and as my husband encouraged and motivated me to do so. Moreover I have always wanted to do something for the women, so the real drive came when I learnt about the cause for which the pageant was being organized. Maternal mental wellness is something which is less talked about, although so many new mothers fall prey to postpartum depression. Through this pageant I have become a more aware and strong mother who believes in bringing a positive happy change in lives of other new mothers!
3. How was the experience of participating in the pageant?
Sometimes the journey is much more beautiful than the destination itself. It has been a unique experience as this was the first time I participated in a pageant and that too in first of its kind pageant for new mothers. My journey in BNQ was made even more special by my family as they motivated, supported and encouraged me at every step and were equally excited and involved in all the tasks of the pageant. I rediscovered myself as a stronger, happier and confident person and overcame the anxieties and insecurities faced by every new mother .
4. What is your ultimate source of motivation in your life?
There is not just one thing that motivates me as a mother, but I drive my motivation from so many things around me, nature being the greatest inspiration, how Mother Nature nurtures and cares for all.
As a mother I do get inspired to see how my mother, mother in law care for their families. I even get inspired by a mother working by the roadside and taking care of her baby who is swinging in the sling. As a professional, the sense of achievement and accomplishment and the endeavor to be the best have always been the biggest motivating factors for me.
5. How did your real-life experiences help in winning the crown?
One’s experiences in life truly help building the personality and the persona one carries, the same has helped me in achieving and realizing my goals and dreams. I believe in passion, striving for excellence, giving my best in everything I do and not settling to be average!! I strongly feel that perseverance and the attitude to bring in perfection in whatever I do has actually helped me winning the title and crown.
6. What are your future plans after winning birthing naturally queen’s crown?
Winning or loosing is a part and parcel of life. I’m honoured and elated to have won the title , even if I would have not won the title I would have given my best to promote this beautiful cause. I always wanted to do something for women and children of our society and here I got an opportunity through BNQ to learn, explore and spread awareness about maternal mental health of new mothers which gets ignored.
Family plays a very important role in supporting a new mother regain her physical and mental strength and boosting confidence in balancing her new life. The mindset of the people around us especially family members needs to be tweaked and according importance to post partum mental wellness is the need of the hour. As the birthing naturally Queen my endeavour is to interact with as many women and families and make them aware about the importance of maternal mental wellness right from the day they choose to become mothers or parents.
7. Having a baby girl of one year and a job that asks for major commitment, how you manage everything? What are the challenges that you faced in day-to-day life?
My work demands immense focus and critical supervision for which I need to be vigilant, alert and on my toes to handle any contingency any hour of the day. It holds true with nurturing and raising a child too, a mother’s role is indispensable and she has to be on her toes 24×7 all 365 days. As a working mother I ensure to work harder to give my best both as a mother and a professional. My baby was 8 months old when I joined work, initially the biggest challenge was to prepare both of us to overcome separation anxiety and developing sleeping and feeding pattern for my baby.
I was fortunate that my organization supports breast feeding because of which I could come and feed my baby at regular intervals during working hours. It took me time to overcome the guilt of leaving my baby behind but gradually with the support of my family and Organization I could overcome these challenges and create a perfect balance between my professional and personal commitments.
8. Would you like to advice something to the young mothers of upcoming generation?
There are so many things that I wish to tell the young mothers starting with the fact that we are new generation moms with an access to the world of information at our fingertips… so don’t feel alone as you can connect with so many other new moms and groups that can really help you with sailing through the common problems new moms face. Believe in your instincts, no one knows your baby better than you. Pursue your dreams, there is no age and limits to having dreams and fulfilling them. Take good care of your health and always make time for doing what makes you feel happy. Take pleasure in performing daily chores of the baby. If you enjoy doing things for your baby you would not find it burdensome. Most importantly we need to keep our identities intact to be truly content, happy and proud of ourselves!