‘Like Dani Dyer I lived with my mum when I had my babies - it was a life saver’
22.04.2023 - 12:15
/ ok.co.uk
Eimear O'Hagan felt immediate empathy for former Love Islander Dani Dyer when she heard that the reality star had moved in with her mum as the due date for her twins' arrival approached.The 41-year-old writer describes the "primal need" she felt while pregnant and why having her mum on hand, to help her in those first tricky weeks post-birth, not just once but twice, was a no-brainer... "Before I knew my due date, whether I was having a boy or a girl or had made any decisions about what sort of birth I wanted, I was sure of one thing.
I’d be moving my mum Joan in before I had my first child, and not letting her leave until I felt confident I could manage on my own. Hearing that Love Island star and influencer Dani Dyer, 26, has moved back into her family home, as she prepares to welcome twin girls in June, I understand exactly why she wants to be close to her mum Joanne, 46, at this time.
I felt that same primal need for my own mother when I had both my children, and truly believe it gave me the best possible start to motherhood each time. In May 2015, Mum, now 67, flew from her home in Belfast to mine in Scotland, where she stayed for three weeks.
Along with my husband Malcolm, 41, she was with me when I gave birth to her first grandchild, a boy called Ruadhan, now almost eight, but it was after the delivery that I really wanted and needed her.There’s a Chinese tradition called ‘zuo yue-zi’ which is where new mums are encouraged to rest, recuperate and bond with their baby, and not worry about anything else. Having Mum there allowed me to do exactly that.