Q & A

Frequently Asked Questions

Lauren Booth

I have gotten a lot of questions this last year, on social media and in person, so I put the most frequently asked ones here!

Q: What is it like being a young mom?

A: This is probably the most frequently asked question that I get, and it's sort of vague. Basically, I am busy all of the time. I am either playing, working, doing chores, making dinner or trying to figure out what tooth is coming in next. Having friends is not as hard as I thought it would be, as long as those friends are respectful of my time and my daughter, which they all are. The earlier days were a lot harder than they are now, because they consisted of pumping milk and trying to figure everything out. We have a routine now, which makes things a lot easier. I love that having a baby at a young age allows me to still be a kid sometimes, when we make baby paint together, or when she helps me cook by banging a spoon on her table, it's really fun. It's very fulfilling, and I get to give her experiences I never got and keep her safe from some experiences that I had.

Q: What do you feed her?

A: I still give her formula, probably four times a day but it depends. She eats puffs for snacks and sometimes I will cut up a banana or avocado for her. She eats organic fruit packages that I get from Costco or Target, and I mix them with rice cereal, oatmeal, banana oatmeal or power blend. 

Q: Why don't you post her face on social media?

A: I get this question A LOT. Some people are very accepting and some people think I'm crazy. Personally, I have a strong belief that privacy is protection. There are people out there that steal children, there are people that will look for any reason to be mean, even if it means saying hurtful things about a child. Elodie deserves all the protection I can give her in her first few years of life. Part of my parenting plan is that she is independent. She has her own life to live and her own decisions to make, and I feel like exploiting her in the most vulnerable part of her life is wrong. She will be able to talk, sooner than later, and when she can teach me how she wants to be treated, I will listen to her. 

Q: Do you have any advice for birth?

A: Everyone has a different experience, but I would say to bring extra clothes from home. I brought one extra outfit and ended up being there for five days, most of the time in a robe. I was really glad that I brought shower things, like body wash, and makeup. I brought things that helped me feel more like myself after I had my daughter. During labor, just stay in the moment and be calm. Anxiety can turn any situation into a bad one. 

Q: How do you know what to do with a baby?

A: I didn't. I brought her home, not knowing what was next or how to handle it. I didn't know what was right or wrong. Most of it came instinctually, like you know you have to feed the baby, let her sleep and protect her, but how exactly does that work. It took about twelve hours for me to figure out how to feed her, it took about a week to get on a somewhat normal sleep schedule, and it has taken me almost a year now to figure out how to baby proof everything in my house. (Still working on that). I'm always learning when it comes to Elodie. 

Q: How do you pronounce her name? 

A: When we picked her name, we wanted it to be something different but nothing too odd. We didn't think people would have such a hard time with pronouncing it. It is not EL-OH-DEE. Her name is ELLA-DEE. It is French for riches, and field of flowers. Her middle name is Marie, named after my grandmother, and her last name is Little. 

Q: Did you want a girl or a boy?

A: I wanted a daughter so badly, and kept having dreams that she was going to be a boy. Isaac and I were both really hoping for a girl and that's what we got!

Q: How many kids do you want to have?

A: I really don't know, I can't imagine the stress of raising a toddler and having another baby in the house at the same time. However, I think three or four would be ideal.