Dragons Den Winner and Skin Care Entrepreneur Hanna Sillitoe Talks Motherhood & Multitasking
It’s a cold, stormy afternoon in Derbyshire. I’m sat on my sofa with the fire lit. Four month old Freddie is draped across my lap, fast asleep after a satisfying lunchtime feed. To my left - a little stack of nappies. To my right - print designs for my forthcoming product launch. This is modern day motherhood and multitasking at its finest.. I absolutely love it!
Hanna’s skincare range received investment offers from all five dragons. PHOTO CREDIT: BBC Television
Growing a Baby & My Business
I always thought I’d have children. It’s just one of those things I think we take for granted in our twenties. My only serious relationship ended at thirty five, so by the time I hit forty I began to feel resigned to probably having missed the boat. At forty two I put my missed period down to an early sign of menopause. Nevertheless I took a test. There it was in big bold letters PREGNANT!
A zillion thoughts whizzed through my mind. I would be raising this baby alone. How could I possibly find the time and energy to support us both emotionally and financially? What would happen to my natural skin healing community who’d come to rely on me? How would I explain this to my investment partners who’d been on board for just eighteen months since the success of my skincare range on Dragons Den?
Hanna with baby bump in her wild flower meadow. PHOTO CREDIT: Hanna Sillitoe
Pregnancy itself was a real rollercoaster. Morning sickness hit hard during the early weeks and there were days when it was a mission to get out of bed without feeling horrendously nauseous. In fact I spent much of the first trimester working on the laptop from beneath my duvet. Thankfully the feeling of sickness disappeared by week fourteen and I felt a huge surge of energy and motivation to get things done!
A week before Freddie’s due date I woke with what felt like period cramps. It was a Tuesday, the day before our little farm up in Yorkshire cold-press the organic juice cleanses for us. I spent the first couple of hours that morning uploading customer delivery addresses to a spreadsheet for them, whilst simultaneously filling my birth pool with warm water ... just in case. By 6am the cramping intensified - this was it! At 1.25pm that afternoon Freddie was born with my wonderful friend Rachel, Doula April and fantastic midwives Laura and Sheila by my side. I absolutely loved the experience of home birth.
Freddie just minutes after he was born. PHOTO CREDIT: Rachel Johnson
Balancing a Baby and Business
The week that followed was a wonderful heady blur of baby cuddles, nappy changes and trying to stay on top of the essentials work-wise, as Freddie and I began to navigate our way through the early days of balancing a baby with business. I mastered the art of breastfeeding during online meetings with the laptop tilted at just the right angle! I arranged phone calls with suppliers around our winter walks so that Freddie could happily nod off whilst I chatted, and whenever I had an event or meeting to attend, I’d pop Freddie in the sling so that he could come with me.
Freddie is four months old now. He’s such a curious, happy little soul. Less content to simply nap and more interested in interacting. There are days when I find myself singing the emails I’m typing to him to keep him entertained, whilst staying on top of customer enquiries. It’s not quite Disney classics but he just loves hearing my voice! My clients and suppliers have been incredible. They go out of their way to ask about Freddie and seem genuinely disappointed if he’s not on a zoom call or Instagram post with me!
Motherhood and multitasking. Freddie fast asleep post-feed whilst mum’s busy working. PHOTO CREDIT: Hanna Sillitoe
Motherhood and multitasking. Freddie fast asleep post-feed whilst mum’s busy working. PHOTO CREDIT: Hanna Sillitoe
Freddie smiling at the camera. PHOTO CREDIT: Hanna Sillitoe
My Future with Freddie
Motherhood has also motivated me to design a range of products especially for little ones. Having struggled with a lifetime of chronic skin conditions myself, I find I’m constantly checking Freddie for signs of dryness or eczema. Creating formulas I know are safe to use on his delicate skin has been so much fun and such a blessing. I can’t wait to add these to my range.
Of course at times an element of mum-guilt creeps in. Am I doing the right thing for Freddie, trying to raise him by myself whilst running a company at the same time? Then I remind myself, I have a duty to care to cater for all his needs - and that includes making sure we have a roof over our heads! Since I’ve had Freddie later in life I have some wonderful, shining examples of incredible mum friends who have led the way in mastering the kids + career balance. Wow, how amazing are we as strong, independent women? I am in awe.
I feel very blessed that Freddie and I will learn from one another as we navigate the next few years together. One thing’s for certain, it might not be a conventional journey, but it will be our exciting joint adventure to cherish.
Freddie just minutes after he was born. PHOTO CREDIT: Rachel Johnson
More Information
Hanna Sillitoe is the author of best-selling books Radiant and Skin Healing Expert. Having battled psoriasis and eczema for twenty years before successfully healing her skin through improved gut health, Hanna is passionate to help others achieve the same amazing results.
In 2019 Hanna received offers from all five investors on BBC2’s Dragons Den. She chose Tej Lalvani and Peter Jones. Hanna’s books, probiotic and skincare range are available via her website www.HannaSillitoe.com at select Holland & Barrett stores, and independent health shop retailers across the UK.
Follow Hanna on instagram - www.instagram.com/mygoodnessrecipes/
Feeding Essentials
To help master the art of breastfeeding during online meetings
Pushchairs & Prams
For those winter walks & work calls
Baby Swings, Rockers & Baby Bouncers
Keeping them entertained while you work
