Bored Panda reached out to Claire Falconer, a certified women's hormone coach from Australia. On her social media profile, she helps future mothers and shares valuable tips related to hormonal health, fertility, preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum. Apart from assisting her followers on the pregnancy journey, Claire continues her own adventures by traveling Australia in a camper van with her partner Luke and their two beautiful children, 2-year-old Beau and newborn Reef.

Motherhood often comes with unexpected challenges. Apart from all the wonderful moments, women have to face some difficult situations. That's why we asked Claire if she could share one of her personal experiences related to being a mom. Falconer told us: “As a mother we sacrifice our bodies, our brain cells, our social lives, our sleep, eating a hot meal, our money, our energy, our patience all in the name of unconditional love. Motherhood is wild, daily I’m reminded just how lucky I am but also questioning how am I going to survive.”

Asked to share a bit more about the realities of pregnancy that often go unnoticed or unspoken, Claire said: “I think the realities of pregnancy are now shared very openly. The fatigue, the nausea, the constant heartburn, the insomnia, the constant feeling of being uncomfortable, the back pain and hip pain and so much more physical symptoms everyone is so aware of. What isn’t spoken about so much is the fear and anxieties, the constant checking the toilet paper after every wipe for fear of losing your little one, the fear of will you be enough, will you be a good mum, will your relationship survive. The constant questioning yourself is sometimes enough to send you insane.”

But we shouldn't forget that, first of all, the time of expecting a baby comes with some wonderful benefits: “Something else that isn't shared so much is just how beautiful and powerful pregnancy can feel. People seem to always share the bad. But pregnancy can be beautiful. I felt the most sexy I have in my whole life during pregnancy. Every time I looked at myself in the mirror I was reminded that I was actually growing a human. I was making fingernails and toes. It was a beautiful time in my life.”

We wanted to know what, according to Falconer, is the most rewarding part of being a mom that makes all the challenges worth it. We found out that: “The unconditional love you feel for your little ones. Motherhood is the toughest job in the world but what these little people do to our hearts is what makes it all worth it. That little smile, or giggle they give you is worth even the worst night's sleep.”

Lastly, we were curious what advice Claire would give to other moms-to-be or new moms who might be facing some of the less glamorous aspects of motherhood. Falconer shared with us: “Do what you need to do in order to survive, there is no 'right way' to do things (obviously within reason). You will get so much advice from so many people and it’s often so overwhelming and this adds to the stress of motherhood. Trust your gut, and do what works for you, your family, and your baby. No baby, no mother is the same. You do you!”