Fabiola Beracasa And Julien, 7 Months

Dear Fabiola, Romy is just a few weeks older than Julien, and it was so much fun to have a friend in New York pregnant at the same time, and to share our excitement! I remember you didn’t slow down one minute while pregnant. How did you find the energy? I know you stayed in shape by walking daily to your gallery in the Bowery– did you do any other working out while pregnant?

During my pregnancy I got very lucky… I felt great most of the time (except for that heartburn!) and I wanted to keep busy, because I knew that pregnancy would be the easiest it was ever going to be to go anywhere with my baby! I also knew that I wanted to be a hands on Mom and that I would take some time off once Julien was born. I did walk EVERYWHERE including the gallery, I made Jason walk for hours during my last trimester! My first 2 trimesters I did gyrotonic, and on the weekends I would swim all through the pregnancy.

You kept on going to a lot of events through your term, making it look so fun and easy to dress a bump!  What was one of your favorite pregnant outfit?  Any worse pregnant outfits, haha?

One of my favorite looks was an outfit I wore to the Chanel “Little Black Jacket” dinner– where I saw you– and the dress I wore to the Met Gala. For the Chanel event I wore a Chanel black jacket (creative!) and a yellow chinese print Preen dress. I remember Carlos Mota telling me I looked like a Chinese vase 🙂 For the Met Gala I wore a beautiful silver beaded Marchesa gown, and some big hair to balance the bump. I cant remember my worst pregnancy outfit, but the last few week there were NO “outfits”, haha. Everyday became a uniform– I bought some maternity jeans, the same ones you got, JBrand Maternity Jeans  (I still wear them, they are great) and I would wear all of Jason’s button down shirts. He started to get annoyed when his favorite shirts were always in my closet!

Now, let’s talk about motherhood and your beautiful baby Julien, who I yet have to meet! What’s the most special gift he/you received?

Julien received so many amazing gifts, including the moses basket from you which he has long since outgrown 🙁 But, I have to say the best gift Julien got was two huge bags of “hand me downs” from a friend who’s son is turning 2 soon… She gave me all her son’s adorable clothes– most of which were only worn once! In turn, I handed all of Julien’s tiny clothes (yes, he is a very big 3 month old) to another friend who is 7 months pregnant with a boy. She was also very grateful and said she will pay it forward in her own way. So, actually the best gift was discovering a circle of friends who are moms (like you) that you can rely on for friendship, advice, and the occasional “hand me down.”

I know you love Makie too (Romy has the same Kimono!)– any other favorite brands? Or baby stores?

I do LOVE Makie, I buy him so many things there… When I’m in the mood to dress him in something more traditional, which I think is very cute for a modern baby, I go to The Best Dressed Child — they have a huge selection. The website can be a bit overwhelming, but you can find SO MANY cute outfits for boys and girls if you have patience. As for baby toys, I love the Hansa stuffed animals. They are so life-like and look amazing in Julien’s room. Hansa also educates kids about wildlife conservation.

I know you have taken a break and devoting most of your time to your baby (I didn’t want a nanny in the first months), but sometimes it is important to also have time for yourself. Do you have any help? Do you manage to find any time to pamper yourself a bit? If so, do you have anything to recommend? Have you resumed working out?

I do have help, a fantastic baby nurse from the start… Jason has a full time job, so it was hard for him to be with me and Julien during weekdays and an extra pair of hands is ALWAYS welcome… I have been breastfeeding exclusively since he was born, so I cant really hand him off for a night because if he gets hungry, I’m up! So as helpful as she is, I still have a full time mommy job.

I’m surprised that no-one tells you how time consuming, taxing, sometimes difficult but ALWAYS rewarding breast feeding can be. I would suggest to any new mom who wants to breastfeed that she meet with a lactation consultant (I had a great one), it’s worth it if and when she has any questions or problems.

As for pampering, I get in-home massages as often as a can (sometimes once a week) from My Spa 2 Go, which is run by my friend (and NEW mom). I have also gotten in home mani-pedi’s. It’s great because you can book all kinds of treatments at home:)

Working out is not what it used to be, and until I get my smaller boobs back, I’m going to refrain from running and jumping!!! We have been spending a lot of time in our Hamptons house, where I have access to a fantastic indoor swimming pool, so I’ve been doing a lot of swimming, which I love.

I have been to a few events, and soon after I decided that, until I stop breastfeeding (6 months) I want to dedicate most of my time to Julien. Before I had him, I thought I would be able to do it all after the first month, but I’ve slowly realized that I want more time, and I don’t want to spread myself thin, so I dedicate a couple of hours a day to work (either on calls or the computer) and the rest of the time I spend with my son.

Do you have any other tips you would like to share? Whether it’s beauty, motherhood, health etc…?

The best thing I’ve done is dedicate this time to Julien. I feel blessed to have the luxury of being able to stay home and enjoy this time with him, as well as give myself space from the outside world and pressures. And even still, I manage to be exhausted EVERYDAY!

Thank you so much Fabiola! 

The Hole

Photos: Fabiola Pregnant by Marek Berry, Fabiola and Julien by Rachel Chandler

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