She's a Wildflower, Papamoa Beach Road, Tauranga (2026)

01/03/2026

I don’t think I realised how much long-term sleep deprivation would affect me. Not the newborn phase, because you expect that and you’re kind of running on adrenaline anyway, but the months after, when life is technically “back to normal” but you haven’t actually slept through the night in almost a year.

It’s not even just being tired. It feels like my nervous system is always slightly on edge because I never quite reach the bottom of rest before the day starts again.

I stopped drinking coffee years ago because I noticed it was making it worse. I love coffee, but it started making me feel wired and fragile at the same time, like my brain was moving faster than my body could keep up with, and with the lack of sleep already, I knew that it would just tip me right over. (It made me a snappy person before becoming a mom so I would hate to think what it would do to me now 🫠)

So naturally I hopped on the matcha train. It became something I looked forward to, but not in a productivity way. More in a “this makes me feel like myself again for five minutes” way.

I started by taking a walk to my local coffee shop, which was a beautiful ritual when the early days just felt too much. I’d pop bub in the front pack and she’d have a little nap while I got myself a little treat. And then they started charging $10 for an iced matcha and sorry not sorry, I’m not paying that 🙃

So now I’ve done the responsible thing and I’m making it at home. I lowkey love the process of making it, the quiet, the feeling of doing something slowly before the day properly begins. It’s the one part of my morning that’s just for me that I have between daycare drop offs and starting work.

It hasn’t fixed the sleep deprivation, obviously. I’m still tired most days. But it feels like one small way of taking care of my nervous system instead of pushing through it.

01/03/2026

Caption

I don’t think I realised how much long-term sleep deprivation would affect me. Not the newborn phase, because you expect that and you’re kind of running on adrenaline anyway, but the months after, when life is technically “back to normal” but you haven’t actually slept through the night in almost a year.

It’s not even just being tired. It feels like my nervous system is always slightly on edge because I never quite reach the bottom of rest before the day starts again.

I stopped drinking coffee years ago because I noticed it was making it worse. I love coffee, but it started making me feel wired and fragile at the same time, like my brain was moving faster than my body could keep up with, and with the lack of sleep already, I knew that it would just tip me right over. (It made me a snappy person before becoming a mom so I would hate to think what it would do to me now 🫠)

So naturally I hopped on the matcha train. It became something I looked forward to, but not in a productivity way. More in a “this makes me feel like myself again for five minutes” way.

I started by taking a walk to my local coffee shop, which was a beautiful ritual when the early days just felt too much. I’d pop bub in the front pack and she’d have a little nap while I got myself a little treat. And then they started charging $10 for an iced matcha and sorry not sorry, I’m not paying that 🙃

So now I’ve done the responsible thing and I’m making it at home. I lowkey love the process of making it, the quiet, the feeling of doing something slowly before the day properly begins. It’s the one part of my morning that’s just for me that I have between daycare drop offs and starting work.

It hasn’t fixed the sleep deprivation, obviously. I’m still tired most days. But it feels like one small way of taking care of my nervous system instead of pushing through it.

08/02/2026

Michelle a year ago would be shook that it’s taken me this long to get a proper workout in, but we’re finally back in the gym 😮‍💨

Ready to finally enter my fit mum era 🏋🏼‍♀️

27/07/2025

Pregnancy prep that actually made a difference
part II

Seeing my regular physio throughout all three trimesters

I know, this one was a big luxury, but if you can afford it, I would highly recommend it!

I’m lucky in the sense that I’ve been going to Nicole and the team at for so long, that they just about know my body better than I do at this point 😅

What that meant during my pregnancy was that Nicole adjusted my workouts and movement according to each trimester, and when movement became just a little too much, she shifted our sessions to help me feel as good as I possibly could in my body 🤍

Whether it was through massage, cupping, acupuncture or lymphatic drainage, she always knew what I needed!

Again, I know it was a luxury, but one I will without a doubt be incorporating into my next pregnancy (one day)

03/07/2025

the best things I did during my pregnancy (to prepare me for a an unmedicated home birth)

part II

1. Movement.
You knew it was coming though. My workout routine changed dramatically (in that, there was no routine 🙃), but prioritised movement when and how I could.
I scrapped weightlifting for the most part because I genuinely stopped enjoying it. Instead, I went for lots of walks. LOTS of walks. I took up Pilates for a while. I did prenatal yoga. All movement is good movement and got me ready for the marathon that is labour.

2. I didn’t read a million books.
I only read one prior to giving birth - Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth (highly recommend 🙌🏼).
Tbh, pregnancy was overwhelming enough without the pressure of a huge reading list that I only had 9 months to get through. I trusted that a lot of what I needed to know, I would find out once she got here.
Naive? Maybe. But it’s what worked for me.

3. I had a (gentle) balanced diet.
Look, the first trimester was rough 🙃 most meat and veggies made me want to 🤢 and it was honestly a time of survival. I basically survived on anything beige.
Past Michelle would have been mortified. Your body is a temple and all that.
Once that passed I still had sooo many food aversions, mostly to “healthy” foods. I made peace with that, and tried to make the best decisions I could.
Instead of going to Maccas every day, I prioritised making home made meals and tried to incorporate whatever fruits and veggies I could to keep things balanced.

4. I ignored fear mongering.
It’s comes from all directions the moment you get pregnant. I honestly don’t know what the phenomenon is, but it needs to stop.
Just treat it as noise, that negative energy isn’t going to help ✌🏼

5. My husband and I were (and still are) a team.
This one is huge. We’ve both been involved in all of the decisions around pregnancy, birth and every stage after.
He didn’t treat me as if this was *my* thing that I was going through - he was fully my support throughout!

What are some things you did that prepared you for birth?? Lmk in the comments 🤍

02/07/2025

Posting this while contact napping cause nothing is going to change that for me now ✌🏼

24/06/2025

31 laps around the sun today ☀️

I feel like the past year has gone by in a blink. I know we say that every year, but I can’t genuinely can’t fathom how quickly the past year has gone by, and how much has happened!

I had a good feeling about 30, but I don’t think anything could have prepared me for the year I’ve just had.

A year ago today, I was racing the streets of London with , trying to get to the West End theatre showing of Mamma Mia on time. I had no idea at the time that it would be my last birthday before becoming a mum (although I had hoped!).

Little did we know that bean was already with us 🤍

In the past year I have kayaked and climbed a Fjord in Norway, driven through the Scottish highlands and seen Taylor Swift at Wembley Stadium.

We bought and mildly renovated a house. I say mildly because really, it was just a paint job, but at six months pregnant, that’s one hell of a feat!

But the biggest part of this past year is that I grew and brought our little girl into the world 🤍

Birthdays will never look the same again. It’ll be a very long time until I get to spend one in Europe, going to theatre shows and concerts and kayaking down Fjords.
For now they look like slow beach walks with a hot drink (I know, WHAT A TREAT 😍).
They look like baby snuggles and piles of laundry and maybe, just maybe, an everything shower later.

I’ve always been a person who felt like I needed to make a big deal about my birthday, and in small ways, like this post, I guess I always will make some kind of deal about it.
But I’m ready for the change that this next chapter has brought. A chapter that is less about me, and more about us 🤍

23/06/2025

the best things I did during my pregnancy (to prepare me for a an unmedicated home birth)

part I

1. I started seeing a pelvic floor therapist when I was 20 weeks pregnant.
I cannot 👏🏼 recommend 👏🏼 this 👏🏼 enough.
If you only take one thing away from this post - let it be this. Go see one, and go see one early. Waiting until you’re 32 weeks + isn’t going to give you the results as going early will.

2. I continued seeing my regular physio.
I know that this one is a bit of a luxury, but I would do it all over again. Nicole knows my body better than I know it myself, and has been treating me since before I was pregnant.
At first she helped me alter my exercise to suit each trimester, and towards the end she helped with things like swollen ankles and back spasms.
Whether it was acupuncture, cupping or lymphatic massage, I always left feeling a million times better - especially in the later weeks.

3. I saw a naturopath prior to conception and at the start of every trimester.
This is another biggie. She did a deep dive into my blood work and was able to work alongside my diet and lifestyle to recommend high quality prenatal supplements specifically FOR ME.

4. I found a midwife that aligned with my values, and that made all the difference in itself.

5. Perennial massage.
If you know, you know.
If you don’t know, chat to your pelvic floor physio about it (and actually do it 🙃)

I want to elaborate on each of these a little more because I don’t feel one little carousel can talk about why each of these were so important to prepping me for my home birth - we’re just scratching the surface here.

There’s also part II to come because giving birth is pretty much as intensive as training for a marathon (in a very different way though)

16/06/2025

Ten pieces of advice that I’ve actually found helpful as a first-time mum navigating the newborn phase

We’re raising this tiny human who literally has no idea how to be a human in this bright, new world. We’re both learning and we’re both doing amazing 🤍

(I hope you’re reading this in your own voice if you’re a first time mama too)

06/06/2025

In our Pilates mum era 🧘🏼‍♀️🧋

23/05/2025

In this stage of life that feels very slow and intentional.

I’ve spent far too long being that busy girl. Always a million things on my plate. Always ten steps ahead of myself. Always working towards the next thing. The next goal. Always trying to see how much more I could fill my day, until it was overflowing.

This little girl coming into my life has felt like the biggest breath release.
Like finally someone said “it’s okay to slow down, in fact, it’s encouraged”/

My days look incredibly different now - they were always going to.
Most days I don’t get out of the house until 10am (if that), and if we do, it’s just for a walk along the beach.

The rest of the day is filled with nap time, feeds, cuddles, cries and some laundry in between.

It’s messy, it’s emotional and it’s oh so beautiful.

It’ll probably be a while until I return to fitness in the way I was before pregnancy. Surprisingly, I have no desire to rush back into it.
My body has changed so, so much and I’m really at peace with it. Right now is the time for stillness, and warmth and embracing motherhood, rather than trying to fit yet another thing into my now haphazard “routine” (if I can even call it that).

19/02/2025

Currently sitting on my sofa, in the same gown, but about twice the size that I was in these photos.

I think the third trimester has been my favourite of all of them to be honest (minus the swollen ankles 🫠), but I think I’m reaching that “okay, I’m ready for her to be out” stage.

Only a few more weeks until we get to meet our baby girl 🤍

📸

She's a Wildflower

01/03/2026

01/03/2026

08/02/2026

27/07/2025

03/07/2025

02/07/2025

24/06/2025

23/06/2025

16/06/2025

06/06/2025

23/05/2025

19/02/2025

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