Motherhood is a beautiful journey filled with many small moments and milestones. It is a time when a soon-to-be mom experiences so many changes both in and around her. She needs to care for herself and her child as they travel through this beautiful time one step at a time. While these changes may seem overwhelming at first, reminding yourself that you aren't alone is the first step to making sure you're all prepared for this magical time!

Finding suitable clothing is one of the many struggles a mother may face. Maternity fashion is seldom given the importance it deserves. Many women prefer sticking to simple oversized maxi dresses that provide them with the comfort they need with their baby bump. However, we believe that all mothers, however different, must feel their best during this journey. While your pregnancy may cause various other physical changes to your body, it shouldn't stop you from looking and feeling good every step of the way. A mother must take care of herself both mentally and physically, so why forgo fashion as well? You are stunning, and while you may not fit into your old clothing, you can still style your new body shape! There are many size-inclusive fashion labels out there (ours included!) that cater to a mother's every fashion need! The choice lies entirely up to you. Whatever the occasion, be it a party or a cosy day, a park needs its own outfit! A mom has to give up a lot for her baby, but fashion does not have to be one of them.

Mothers are so much more than what meets the eye. We at Ranng celebrate all kinds of moms- single mothers, stay-at-home moms, career moms, single moms, trans women and women on every speck of the spectrum. Motherhood and womanhood both deserve to be celebrated. We decided to curate a campaign look at motherhood through a different lens and capture the unspoken moments that happen behind the scenes. After all, a mother is #notjustamom. Below are their stories as narrated by them, reminding us of what it truly means to be a mom. 

#ArchitectMom: Veronica from Germany, a single mom to 3- One girl and two boys, is an architect who also holds an executive MBA. She's both career-oriented as well as a great mother." 

"My career is important as well as being a mother in the same level because I really, really believe that as a mother, if I'm not happy and satisfied with myself, how can I teach this to my children. And I make sure I'm a good role model to them, especially my daughter," she says. Moms are multi-taskers and can balance multiple things at once!

#InfluencerMom: Seitu, an actress-model and stylist, has been in the industry since age 16! At 26, she had her daughter, who is now a teenager. The journey for motherhood, for her, was growing with their child every step of the way until her child grew taller than her. “She’s taller than me. I’m five, eight and a half, and she’s five nine. We’re more like sisters. So it’s sharing of clothes. Sharing of thoughts, all that process is something which I think is beautiful in its own way.” she says, describing how motherhood transitions into a completely different role once the child grows up.

#ArtistMom: Pooja Sharma, a chartered accountant, artist and mom of a 7-year-old boy from Gurgaon, tells us that the best part about being a mother is the amount of love and trust a child puts on their moms. The child knows and believes that their mother will always be there for them at all times. She also believes that this makes a mother’s role a beautiful and integral part of anyone’s life and that a mother plays multiple different roles. “Before a mother, you are a woman and before even that, every woman is a human. She is an individual and what defines this individuality is that even in that individuality, she has a thousand versions of herself and she should be, must be very proud of that,” she tells us.

#YogiMom: Perry Dhawan, a yoga and pilates coach, nutritionist and mother to a 14-year-old, talks to us about the changes a woman goes through during motherhood. She believes a mother needs to prepare herself mentally and then brace herself for the changes a baby brings. Motherhood can be a major transitional period in a woman’s life, and the work-life balance takes a toll on her. While learning the ropes of this new role as a mom may have you second-guessing, she says it's alright to take breaks and breathe. Being a new mom might affect work, and it may be impossible to balance both, which is entirely normal and understandable. “Of course, four, five, six months will be like that,” she says, “ but I think…take a chill, relax, it’s alright. Give a break to a little work or work partially. All people provide maternity leave, so I think it’s fine; everybody understands, take those 6 months and chill.” These times may seem challenging, especially to working mothers, but it’s totally alright to take it slow and take breaks!

#TechMom: Myrle Krantz, an American living in Germany, is a software engineer and mother to daughters, tells us that her journey to being a mother was all about overcoming learning curves. “There is a lot to learn,” she says, “I mean, there is a steep learning curve when you have a new baby.
It doesn't seem like it. Before you have a baby, you are like, how hard can it be? It’s just a baby right? Part of the challenge is that you’re on call 24/7. So even if the basic tasks are simple-sometimes they are not- but even if they are simple, you are repeating them continuously for a very long period of time. It’s hard to get a break!” Being a mom is all about learning every step of the journey, and it’s not easy!

#PetMom: Safah, a 24-year-old marketing specialist and small business owner, describes her love for animals. She started feeding stray dogs and cats and soon decided to make them her own. This breaks all biases surrounding motherhood and shows us that anybody can have maternal instincts and motherly love for anyone. It does not take a baby to make a mother. Anybody is capable of giving the same emotion!

#SoonToBeMom: Milena is a recruiter and soon-to-be mom residing in Germany. As motherhood is an entirely new journey for a woman, there is a shift in priority. She is no longer just by herself and now has a little one to care for. Here, she shared her insight about the modifications and changes she faced as a soon-to-be mom. “Before becoming a mom, you're still very focused on your individual personality and what you want and want to do”, she says ” And now carrying a baby, I realise it is also important to check in with my partner that we make a decision together because now, us as two individuals we are growing into a family.”

#StylistMom: Yogita is a stylist from Gurgaon and mom of two. Being a mother is a full-time, 24/7 job with little to no breaks. To a child, a mother is always there for them and never goes anywhere. However, Yogita believes that a mother is her own individual person. “I am working. I am going to gym, I have my own friend circle, and I am going on coffee dates. Taking care of kids as well, but I have some identity.” she says. A mother sometimes tends to forget to pamper themselves while constantly prioritising everyone else’s needs. They must learn to make time for themselves and do what they love!