LGBTQ+ parents reflect on life as new parents

It’s been a whole month of celebrating Pride and for us that meant continuing to appreciate how beautifully diverse our Mamas & Papas families are. We caught up with a selection of LGBTQ+ parents from our M&P community to share their experiences of becoming a family- the good, the challenging and the unique – and to find out what they want to say to their much-loved and longed-for little ones. And as Pride month comes to an end, it goes without saying we’ll continue to be there for all our parents, at every stage of their journey.

@winniemaiya “It feels like yesterday since we started planning on having children. We had to have IVF with us being two mums and it was the hardest process, both mentally and physically, but knowing it helped us have our two girls we are forever grateful. Being mummies is all we have ever wanted, a love like no other the best feeling in the world. Don’t get me wrong our days are busy, our home is messy, our bed is no longer ours, and ‘me time’ is a thing of the past but our hearts are certainly full. We want our children to grow up knowing that to love and be loved is the best gift in the world. Kindness, understanding and acceptance is everything, our family may look different, but our love is exactly same.”

@Leah.sheil “Five months of our beautiful Oakley! Five months of this overwhelming love that we cannot even begin to explain. Oakley, you're our entire world! Your mummies and your family love the absolute bones off you. We cannot wait to watch you grow into the beautiful human you will be, but we also hope time slows down a little as your mummies are enjoying all the cuddles. You're our entire existence.”

@Doghousedecors "5 months have passed since 2 became 3. It’s hard to remember what life was like before you came along- perhaps partly to do with the tiredness! You have turned our world upside down, we could never have anticipated the love we would feel since you came along.

We are so proud to be your mummies and as scary as this IVF journey seemed at the start, every single appointment, injection and nail-biting scan has been worth it. Every parent wants to do everything they can to do right by their child and prepare them for the world and all the lessons that come with living in it. As your mummies we promise to teach you that there can never be enough love in the world, there can never be enough kindness and there can never be enough compassion.”

@thetatamfamily “Being a parent isn’t defined by a man and a woman, it isn’t a biological connection, it is so much more than that. To us, being a parent means having the ability to pass on our knowledge to another generation. Being able to show and feel love that is incomparable. Being a parent means teaching our children, whilst also learning ourselves in the process, in many ways.

We are hoping that our little ones will learn to love the world, and everyone in it. To lead a life without judgement, and to always have a kind heart. To find the positives in each situation, and know that nothing lasts forever. To see as much of the world as they possibly can, so they can understand and learn about different cultures and ways of living. We want our children to make the most of each day, always, so that they have memories to last a lifetime.”