By Nicole Fuge
Sporting the most adorbs bebe bump, Rebecca Burrow broke the news last week on her Insta account, that she’s expecting a sibling for her mini-me daughter Arabella. Fresh from a vacay with the fam in Bali, we chatted with Bec about her gorge brand–Mini Marley, how she manages the #bossmama juggle, social media, and her mindset going for round two after suffering from hyperemesis during her first pregnancy.
1 // What is the story behind Mini Marley?
The concept started after I had Bella, so almost 4 years ago now. I had always worked in the fashion industry. I started in retail, then did a bit of modelling and eventually moved into fashion PR and event management. A lot of my friends had their own brands, or worked in the industry so I had a lot of background knowledge and words of wisdom around me before going into Mini Marley. When Bella was about 4 months old and I started shopping around for her, I noticed there was a gap in the market for gender neutral basic kids’ clothing (little did I know so many people also noticed this and now it seems to be a flooded market, but smart minds think alike, right?). I wanted comfortable and durable kids’ clothing that reflected my personal style. I wanted Mini Marley to be a small company with sustainability in mind and I have made a conscious effort in making sure that we keep pushing and sourcing new ways to minimise our effect on the planet, whilst ensuring our high quality standards and making sure all of our pieces are made in small numbers so they are exclusive and special to our customers.
2 // What went into creating this increds label?
A lot of time perfecting the pieces, a few mental breakdowns, a lot of tears and a lot of love. I think I underestimated the ease of starting a kids’ label, but we had quite a few setbacks and it took me about 6 months longer than I had initially forecasted, to finally launch the brand online. I am a bit of a perfectionist and didn’t want to release anything until I was truly ready, but it all worked out for the best. I am constantly learning and growing, and there is still so much I want to achieve.
3 // What are some of the lessons you’ve learnt along the way?
I think one of the most important lessons I have learnt is to give myself more time, and not to rush anything. Setting yourself goals, and not comparing yourself to others is so important. You can easily get lost along the way, and I found that was my biggest downfall sometimes, when I would compare myself to others and what they were doing, when I just needed to concentrate on my own tasks and go my own direction with the brand.
4 // What are some of the tips and tricks you can share when it comes to being a #bossmama?
Oh gosh, I hardly feel like a boss mama. I feel like a lot of days I am so exhausted by the end and fall into a heap in bed, but then I am so thankful for making it through the day and get to wake up with a brand new day ahead of me. You need to be able to accept the help around you. You literally cannot do it all, so any little bit of help you can get, take it with open arms. Accept that even by asking for or receiving a helping hand, you are still a super woman, and you’ll be able to give more concentrated time to whatever needs it rather then half doing a million things at once. A little bit of organisation goes a long way. I like to write a list at the start of my day, even putting little tasks like laundry and groceries, and prepping dinner on my list just so I can time manage my day better.
5 // What are your fav Insta hacks?
You can set an alarm on your Instagram that tells you when you have been on it for a certain amount of time. I love this because you can so easily get lost in a vortex of scrolling and this lets me know when enough is enough. I use Instagram a lot for my work, so it’s good to get on there, get work done and reply to my customers, then to get on with my day so I don’t waste too much time scrolling.
6 // How do you manage the ups and downs of the mama juggle?
I’ve learnt to laugh at myself and I think this helps a lot. I also have a really good support crew around me. My husband is the most incredible human and I am lucky because we both have jobs that allow us to be at home a lot together. I also have a lot of friends that are mums with kids around the same age, so often when the world feels like it’s crashing and mum life is feeling all too much, I can just call them or meet up with them to talk about it and realise that I’m not the only one going through it. Sometimes just speaking about it and having people that understand you and are going through the same thing can help you so much. I keep a gratitude journal to help put things into perspective when you get overwhelmed. I try to practice gratitude every day, it really puts you in a completely different mindset and starts your day off in such a powerful positive way.
7 // Given that you are already a mama to little Bella and have been through this before, does this pregnancy feel different?
Yes, completely different. With Bella I had hyperemesis, so I had morning sickness for 40 looooong weeks–the whole way through my pregnancy. It feels like a distant memory (I am sure it is my memory blocking the trauma otherwise I may not have decided to do it again!). I was so lucky with my first pregnancy because even though I felt so terrible, I wasn’t working at the time and didn’t have any other kids to chase around and keep alive, so I could just look after myself and rest when needed. I allowed myself to have a lot of bedrest, and even though it drove me mad a lot of the time, it was what my body needed and I am so thankful that my life at the time let me surrender to that. If this had happened to me this pregnancy, I don’t know what I would have done, but I am super thankful that I don’t have to think about it. I was also 26 last pregnancy and am now 30, even though it’s not old I can feel the difference in my body changes, energy levels and moods. It is a big shift, but knowing that this is the last time I will get to experience pregnancy I am really soaking up every second. It goes so fast the second time around, I can’t believe in April we will have another child. It’s really blowing my mind!
8 // What are you most looking forward to being a mama of two?
Witnessing the special bond between two siblings. Taj and I both have small families; he is an only child and I have only one sister, so we weren’t sure whether we would go again for round two. After losing my mother at the beginning of this year, my whole life perspective changed. My sister is the most incredible human and I think that she really aided with keeping my head afloat through this terrible time. It really is a special bond that you can’t find anywhere else, having a sibling that you have unconditional love for and I am so happy that I get to give that to Bella. She is so excited about being a big sister and I am sure that (after the shock jealousy at the beginning starts to subside) she will be amazing at her new role of big sister. I also can’t wait to see the bond between Taj and the new bubba. I think nothing is more beautiful than seeing the person you love, create a bond with their child. Your heart grows to levels you didn’t even know existed. It’s such an amazing feeling.
