Katie Walsh, Lola, 4, And Walter, 11 Months

Katie, We were pregnant at the same time (I was just two weeks behind) and we had so much fun comparing the growth of our belly and sharing pictures, and talking about our Big Mac and other food cravings. However, you looked stunning and kept your figure through the entire pregnancy. How did you manage?

Apart from our crazed Big Mac cravings in my first trimester and never saying no to dessert, I ate a good healthy balance of food. Fish, meat, fresh veg, lots of fruit, nuts, pasta, rice, pulses, cheeses… if I was hungry I ate, I never held back. I think it’s important to listen to your body, it’ll tell you what it needs. I’ve never been one for gyms or exercise classes, but I do walk everywhere or ride my bike– plus I think having a 3 year old and a dog kept me on my toes. They were my exercise routine!

What was your day to day dressing during the pregnancy. What look did you go for? Any tips on keeping the same style while “growing”? 

Knit dresses, shirt dresses, and over sized mens shirts with leggings or pregnancy skinny jeans were my staples throughout the pregnancy. Apart from the jeans and a few pairs for pregnancy tights to fit around my bump, everything else was already in my wardrobe. Knits dresses are my top tip, I wore them until the bitter end when nothing else would fit. I even liked the body con ones when I was 38 weeks pregnant– don’t be afraid of the bump! I stuck to simple greys, navy or black, and if I had somewhere special to go I’d throw on a pair of heels and a bit of sparkle with a piece of YSL or Lanvin costume jewelery.

I remember you mentioned rosehip oil as one of your beauty tips to maintain your skin elasticity during pregnancy, any other beauty tips you would like to share?

That’s my only tip, it’s the ultimate!… Rosehip oil mixed with a base oil, half and half rubbed all over your body every day! After two big babies I didn’t get one stretch mark. Oh, my other tip is to just pamper yourself as much as possible before your baby comes!!!

I’ve told you this many times, but for me, you are the ultimate wonder woman. You managed to design a collection, while being pregnant, and raising your beautiful little girl who is already 4. You kept on working as hard, without the help of a nanny, and your husband being away supervising the collection’s production. HOW did you do it? What is your secret to organization? Did you multi task and worked as quick as possible during the naps?

Ha ha, yes both! Talking about multi-tasking, I’m actually breastfeeding Walter now while I type with one hand 🙂 and I work as quickly as possible between naps and when they go to bed at night. I’m not going to lie and say that it’s easy– it’s not. We found out I was pregnant 2 weeks before we launched our new label which was quite a shock, as after having Lola 3 years before I knew how much work it is having a baby, plus I knew how much work it is to start up a label (after my first one Poltock & Walsh) BUT I knew I just had to put my head down and plough on through, it’s the force of the mother instinct!! I think my tip is to plan every little deadline and to plan to finish projects 4/6 weeks early and you will finish on time. You need to keep working steadily– not leaving your studio for 2 months before your show is not an option when you have two little ones who need you too.

After pregnancy, you went just a few weeks later on vacation in Tuscany. I saw pictures and you already looked stunning. Did you diet or exercise right away? You were full time breastfeeding, so it must have been difficult to watch what you were eating.

Oh, you’re too kind Julia– I’m not sure stunning is the word! Well, breastfeeding really helps everything get back into place– it must be that as I haven’t really watched what I eat yet, as I am still breastfeeding and I read that if you diet and your body feels hungry, toxins are released into your milk, which are bad for the baby. So, I say yippee, great excuse to eat what I like! As for exercise, I now have a two kid and dog routine so I’ve moved up to the next level! Ha ha!

How did you manage to breast feed full time, even through meetings etc…I am very shy so I would just do it privately in my own home. But do you have any tips on nice outfits with “easy breastfeeding” access while on the run, on the plane, when walking in the street etc? You mention just popping into cafes with Walter when it was feeding time. 

Anything with buttons down the front is the best, plus I wear loose cardigans so Walter can hide underneath when he feeds. Or wear a scarf that you can drape over your shoulder and over your babies head. I am very discreet and I just don’t really think about it. I’m feeding my baby, we were all babies once, it’s completely natural.

Is there any thing else you would like to add? Any tips you would like to give to other working mothers who at the same time, want to breastfeed exclusively, but have to work, travel, and keep on with their lives?

Don’t try and take on too much in a day. I think if you want to feed exclusively don’t try and run around doing everything you used to do pre baby, or you are going to have a break down and your baby will not be so happy with you too. Yes, do everything but take it much slower… do 2 meetings in a day instead of 4, for example. Make sure you have quiet time where you can relax with your baby and feed. Also, try and schedule things around your babies routine– you don’t want to be running to catch a flight when your kid is due to feed, you need to make sure that your baby is fed, changed, and ready for sleep when you are going out the door, so it’s a stress free trip!

Lastly, let’s talk about your clothing line, Bolzoni and Walsh. Were there any pieces you designed when pregnant where you had other pregnant women in mind? Maternity wear is quite unglamorous, and I managed to dress through my pregnancy wearing my regular clothes. Any pieces in your collection a pregnant woman could wear and grow into during her term?

Every season I’ve designed so far, there are flowy shirt dresses in the collections, which I wore while pregnant, after, and will wear when I’m skinny again. I love the versatility of a shirt dress. They are quite understated and prim, but unbutton a few buttons and all of a sudden you can see a lot of leg when you walk and have a plunging neck line. I love that unexpected sexiness… Roll your sleeves up and stick on a belt and you have another look. They are so versatile that they even see you through all the stages of having a baby and back again.

Thank you Katie! xx

Photography and film by Simon Bolzoni.

Take a look at the new Bolzoni and Walsh collection.