Jeannie Mai Jenkins is still adjusting to life as a new mom, and reveals the joyous experience hasn’t been without its share of hurdles.
“The new mom anxiety is real and I wasn’t prepared for the hit of it,” Mai Jenkins says about only having been prepared for potential postpartum depression.
“Here I am going through postpartum with worries, with heart palpitations, with an inability to sleep, and I was like, ‘I’m not depressed; I’m actually super stoked and happy, but I’m worried and really anxious and fidgety,’ and I didn’t know what it was.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
After searching ‘Can you get anxious after birth?’ on the internet, she was surprised to learn about the realities of postpartum anxiety.
“It’s a huge difference from depression: I wasn’t sad, I wasn’t sleeping all day, I didn’t feel miserable about my life, I wasn’t having suicidal thoughts,” she adds. “I was just very anxious, very uncomfortable and worried all the time.”
Gaining that understanding has helped Mai Jenkins manage life as mom to her 4-month-old daughter Monaco. “Now that I know what it is, I still get anxiety attacks, but I’m aware that it’s just a phase,” she says.
And while she still experiences what she calls “20 minute” bouts of panic, she now knows to take a seat and not let worries get the best of her when they hit. “Doing that alone has allowed me to help get control over the anxiety hitting me and I’m able to enjoy Monaco being out and about more often.”
Bennett Raglin/Getty
Focusing again on work has helped Mai Jenkins regain a sense of normalcy, including her role as Chief Brand Officer ofOwl’s Brew,a female-founded line of clean, tea-based spiked and sparkling beverages.
The Realhost admits she “would not be able to be the working mom I am without the village that supports me,” including her mom, brothers and husband.
“We’re talking about round-the-clock intervals of tummy time, feeding her, diaper change, burping her, interacting with her, making sure she naps, so there always has to be somebody with her and I would not be able to do all these things without the village,” she explains, revealing she doesn’t currently have a nanny and couldn’t be more appreciative of her family’s support. “They’re teaching me how to create a good family structure within our household.”
She reveals her husband surprised her on her first Mother’s Day with a trip to the Bahamas, which she calls “the most amazing, relaxing dream vacation” packed with necessary me time.
“My husband knew exactly what I needed … and he had set it up so that Mama Mai had taken care of Monaco so we could really just let our hair down and have fun,” she says, noting it’s something she never would have done for herself. “Why can’t moms go ahead and take that time off whenever they feel they need it? It doesn’t have to be Mother’s Day, but when your husband does it for you, it’s even better.”
Courtesy Jeannie Mai Jenkins
Her goal is to show their daughter “what a healthy household” looks like, saying, “we want to teach Monaco what it feels like to be in a safe family.” Mai Jenkins is overjoyed talking about the traits Monaco has inherited from her parents — smiley and fun-loving like her mom, calm and chill like her dad — and has made it a habit “mimicking” them.
She also recalls an overwhelming moment while she was breastfeeding when she couldn’t pump enough and her breast was getting clogged, leading to intense pain.
“[Monaco’s] crying because she needs more milk, but I can’t get it out, and I didn’t have a nanny,” she thinks back. “I just didn’t know who to go to to just make the boob pump, make her stop crying and also tell myself that I’m doing enough. And then she also peed all over the floor because we didn’t have a diaper covering her in time.”
But like any parent, the hardships only made her stronger: “She always gets changed with a towel underneath her and I’ve got that formula on hand, so I’m a pro now!”
All hardship aside, Mai Jenkins calls motherhood “the most exhilarating adventure I never imagined would exist for me” and thanks her husband for inspiring her to embark on this journey.
“It’s amazing being a mom,” she exclaims. “It’s so fun, I’m learning so much from her … and I’m excited for what’s to come.”
She admits she wants to focus on “letting things heal” and “getting back into shape” while getting through the first year of motherhood before considering more kids, but she is now looking at life beyondThe Real,which announced the end of its 8-season run in April.
‘‘I’m so proud ofThe Real… but, for me, I am ready for the next adventure in my life," she says, pointing at her daughter. “I want to hear her first word, which is going to be ‘Mommy,’ and I just want to make sure that everything checks out great with her.”
source: people.com
