What do mothers who earn five-figure salaries have in common with mothers who hustle to make ends meet every month?
A lot, especially when it comes to making life-changing adjustments for adopting a new role in their life.
âPrior to this my husband and I were focused on what we wanted to do when we wanted to do it and thatâs it. After we became parents we became focused on what Sofia needs, what would be good for Sofia and how it would affect her before we think about our needs,â said Che Puan Sarimah Ibrahim, 43.
The Irish-Malay award-winning TV host and emcee who was appointed as Patron 2021 of the Mental Illness Awareness & Support Association (MIASA) said that motherhood had helped her discover her passion in mental health and shifted her career from entertainment to edutainment to improve mental health awareness and remove the stigma against mental health conditions.
Sarimah who gave birth to Tunku Sofia Najihah Tunku Nadzimuddin, 2, on 19 July 2019 said that although she had a background in psychology, she had never pursued it in any way and would never have if not for motherhood.
âI sort of put my career on hold when I was trying to get pregnant naturally. Put it on hold again for my entire pregnancy. Once I delivered Sofia, I took some time to heal physically, mentally, emotionally. Now, I am back to work now busy with a lot of digital emceeing and hosting talks onlineâ she said adding that she had a bout of postpartum depression and took about six months to recover with the help of her very supportive husband Tunku Nadzimuddin Tunku Mudzaffar, a mental health professional, family, and friends.
Sarimah sees a 360 degrees change in lifestyle. Her calendar these days is filled with more family-focused activities, playdates, spending one on one time with Sofia and she even goes to bed with the soundtrack to the cartoon show Cocomelon in her head.
