We have a great support network...
My doula is looking after Olive, it’s so lovely to have someone who was there at the birth and helped Olive into this world, and know she is caring for her. We also have a mother craft nurse one day a week, and my mum is available two days a week, so between the three of them, the week is covered.
I live in black Acne jeans...
Or Bassike low slung relaxed pants, Jac + Jack and Skin and Threads cashmere jumpers, bassike T-shirts and cons! Acne, Bassike, Jac + Jack, Skin and Threads, Vanishing Elephant, Isabel Marant, Celine and APC are my favourite labels. I’m a very casual person, even when I go out. My style hasn’t changed since becoming a mum, I’m back into all my old clothes!
I want to teach Olive to be a kind person...
And always help those who are less fortunate than us. I want her to be empathetic and intuitive. I will always teach her to listen to her heart and her intuition. I will teach her that she can achieve whatever she desires in her life as long as she is determined and works hard.
For us, the first two months were a blur...
You’re totally in a crazy vortex and you get spat out the other side and feel like, ‘where did the last 2 months go?’ You just go through the motions, then all of a sudden you reach the three month mark and everything seems to get a little easier. You have adjusted to your new life and you can’t imagine your life without them in it. My only advice would be to try and sleep when they sleep and don’t be so hard on yourself or your partner. You’re all doing the best you can do, with the smallest amount of sleep.
We don't follow any routines...
We just listen to Olive and her needs, I use my intuition and it seems to work beautifully, she has found her natural rhythm. Olive is only four months old and we have never enforced any kind of structure on her, our lifestyle is very free and always changing, so its hard to be regimented with our baby, when we are not like that ourselves. She has just found her place in our lives and we have all adjusted accordingly, I think she is happy going with the flow.
From when Olive was in my tummy we used to play her all types of music...
Nothing has changed since she was born. We always have music playing in the house and she loves the noise. She also loves being out and about and will sleep just about anywhere. She often falls asleep in my arms when we are out to lunch or dinner. At the moment she is only waking twice through the night, so we are happy. Olive still sleeps in a bassinet next to my side of the bed. I love her being close and she feels safe and calm knowing I’m there. We don’t ever let her cry, we just pick her up and she settles straight away. We haven’t done any sleep training as we haven’t needed to, we’ve been lucky so far.
I have been buying Olive’s clothes from Kido, Seed, and online from Goat-Milk...
This amazing organic cotton basics label in New York, that my friend Jac Perrett told me about! And of course, you can’t go past good old sleep suits from Bonds.
I found the first few months challenging...
Trying to find our rhythm, but now we are totally in sync, the only part I find hard is when Olive is crying and I don’t know why. However she rarely cries now, so when she does it’s hard for me.
We received so many beautiful gift...
A hand made quilt made by a friend. It’s just divine. A beautiful baby cashmere jumper made especially for Olive by our dear friends at Jac + Jack. My mum also knitted Olive the most divine cream and grey blanket.
Olive’s room is just an extension of our own style...
We love Danish furniture and have chosen pieces that sit with our aesthetic: birch wood cot, a dresser from Great Dane and beautiful hand knitted toys and wall hangings from Kido and Koskela. I love hand made toys, wooden toys, things with character. I love this divine hand stitched picture of an owl in a white frame. It was a gift. My favourite toy is this beautiful crochet elephant wearing a tutu. It’s totally divine. Also, her books. We read her The Little Prince most nights, she loves listening to our voices.
We love our pram...
It’s the Baby Jogger City Mini. It’s the lightest pram on the market and it’s so easy to close. The attachment allows the Maxi-Cosi car seat to attach to the pram, so you don’t have to wake them up if they fall asleep in the car, transfer successful! I love the Ergo carrier with the new born insert, it’s amazing and it sits them in the perfect position to protect their hips. The Lil Fraser wraps are the perfect size and just enough stretch to give a secure wrap, we use them for every sleep.
At the moment my work schedule is not too crazy...
I took three months off and am now starting to get back into the swing of things. I’m being more selective with jobs, as I don’t want to be away from Olive unless I really have to. One week I might shoot one day a week, then the next four days, then nothing for a week – the life of a freelancer. I’m in a great position in my career, I have stepped right back into where I left off and I can choose what jobs I want to shoot, so I am blessed in that respect. But there will be times when work trips will arise and I’ll have to spend nights away from Olive. I’m not looking forward to them.
Olive came into this world beautifully...
She came out staring at me, like I already knew her. It was the most amazing feeling I’ve ever experienced when she was placed onto my chest, it was pure ecstasy. This person was here and I was overwhelmed with love and happiness. It was the best day of my life.”
My advice to first time mothers would be...
Listen to your intuition and stop reading all the books out there. I feel as though sometimes you can read and read and read and then loose sight of what’s in front of you – your baby! The more I listen to my intuition about what Olive needs, the more we seem to find balance and calm.
Motherhood has taught me patience and understanding to a level that astounds me, says photographer Bec Parsons. One of Australia’s most talented fashion photographers, Parsons first picked up a camera when she was twelve and has since shot for the likes of Harpers BAZAAR, Vogue Australia, Russh and Oyster magazine. Back in 2005, she founded her own magazine Love Want with her husband Bartolomeo Celestino. The creative couple live in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs with their now eight-month-old daughter Olive Delphine Valentine Celestino and two cats.
The most surprising thing about being a mum is how you can function with such small amounts of sleep. I just love being a mum. I have always wanted to be a mum and it’s everything and more than I expected. The love you have for your child is like nothing else on this planet, I can’t believe how much I love her, and it gets more and more with every day,” she says.
Bec’s little list of loves:
Tea and spelt toast with marmalade.
Bath time every evening with Olive, we both can’t wait for that special time together.
Acupuncture; yoga; shiatsu massage.
Hugs from my husband.
Sitting in the park with my family.
The occasional dinner out with my husband.
Steak with a side of broccoli and toasted almonds at Woollahras Bistro Moncur.
Photography: Julie Adams Hair: Paloma Rose Garcia at Oscar Oscar Salons in Paddington Makeup: Abigail Sheridan Words: Georgie Abay
May 2013