Heidi Range has opened up about the most challenging aspects of motherhood since welcoming her first child, daughter Aurelia, with husband Alex Partakis in January.
The former Sugababes singer told GoodtoKnow that while she absolutely adores being a mum, she has found herself becoming frequently short-tempered with Alex due to her many sleepless nights.
‘I think the sleep deprivation is really hard,’ she confessed. ‘I definitely have become a bit snappier and had a short-temper with my husband a few times. It sends you a bit delusional.’
Heidi even admitted that she finds herself questioning her parenting skills ‘all the time’.
She added: ‘I beat myself up all the time. I try these different classes because I think I should be stimulating her and then she’s tired and I think, “Oh God I’ve over-stimulated her, am I trying to put too much on her?”
‘You’re just questioning yourself all the time. You sit on Google and read all these books and they all contradict each other, it’s a constant guessing game.
‘I think it’s all about just finding a new rhythm of life, your life changes in every single way and it’s just finding a new rhythm that suits them – but it’s lovely’.
But any ‘first-time mum’ nerves that Heidi may experience certainly haven’t put her off wanting to expand her family.
‘I’d like three [children]. Aurelia is such a lovely baby and quite an easy baby so if they could be like her then that would be lovely.
‘I don’t want to rush the next one because I want to enjoy being with Aurelia and giving her attention but because I do want three and I’m 35 this year, I don’t want to leave it ages. Maybe in a year or two I will start trying for the next one.’
Meanwhile, Heidi admitted that while she wants to get her figure back to its ‘normal size’, she isn’t punishing herself over it after developing a newfound ‘respect’ for her body.
She said: ‘I think when you’ve had a baby you have so much respect for what your body has actually done.
And Heidi admits that getting back into shape is something she wants to do for herself – other people’s opinions on her weight don’t worry her.
‘I want to get back to where I was but that’s for me, where I feel good and more confident,’ she added. ‘If someone had an opinion on the fact I’m not the size I was they can get lost quite frankly.’
But despite ‘still trying to lose the baby weight’ Heidi, who is currently working with eBay Fashion to give style inspiration to mums, hasn’t let that stop her from wearing the clothes she wants.
‘Obviously everything changes a lot and you have to adapt to it [but] I’m still wearing the same type of clothes,’ she said. ‘Not things as fitted because I’m still trying to lose the baby weight.
‘I’m just focusing on getting fit and healthy again and back to my normal size’.
