Odetta Mother's Day Special —A Tribute to all Mothers
Mums are remarkable, aren’t they? Who else could do your washing, prepare you scrumptious Sunday dinners, select out you up on every occasion you fall, be a regular shoulder to cry on, and nevertheless fuss and fear about you after you’ve grown up and left home?
Odetta community has many mothers empowering Odetta’s mission through their never-ending hard work, determination, loyalty, and care. We were star-struck while interviewing them, sharing the stories of some really amazing mothers from Odetta who are setting benchmarks for the others.
Ms. S
Can you help us to picture your day?
I am a single mom to a toddler. Since he is just a toddler, there is no school. We generally wake up between 8-10, then I give my son some toys to play or he watches cartoons while I cook breakfast. We have breakfast, I check my emails, work updates on Slack, and after breakfast get to working on Odetta's projects. My son spends most of his day next to me, playing, coloring, or watching cartoons. Sometimes work goes on till night, but mostly I try to wrap it up by evening. I work with intermittent breaks to feed, change, and putting him down to sleep for his nap. During his nap I get the MOST work done and aim to finish all assigned work. After his nap, taking my little man to the park for 1-1.5 hours is a must always to give us both the much-needed fresh air and connection time. After maghrib ( if the work has been done) we enjoy family time with my parents. By 9, I take him to our room and we play some to wind him down, brush our teeth and then he falls asleep. Then I enjoy a couple of hours just to myself by browsing through random videos or watching k-dramas.
What is the most tiring part of the day?
Trying to finish my work, but my son wants me to give him attention instead, hence having to juggle both simultaneously.
What is the most exciting part of your day?
Our park visits and the hour after waking up and the activities before going to bedtime…
Anything you're proud of!
Slowly and steadily rebuilding my life with lots of happy and fun moments with my loved ones! Alhamdulillaah
Having the courage to give up full-time work, and opting to work as a freelancer, even though it pays less, I can now afford things like more time with my son.
I would also like to say, my son, watching him growing, learning, and sharing his life with me is the most humbling yet amazing experience of my life. MashaaAllaah ❤️ ☺️
How helpful Odetta is for you?
Like I said earlier, although I earn less in terms of money, however, now I am able to be a stay-at-home mom because of it. So, thank you!💞
Your message for upcoming mothers and the rest of the world?
Heal yourself, so that others don't have to heal from you.
Javeria Satti
Can you help us to picture your day?
My day starts early in the morning as my little one strictly follows the rule “early to bed, early to rise...” So we are up at 8 in the morning, give him a shower and breakfast and then I start doing my work. Though I have kept a house help to play with him but still after every half an hour he comes into my room to see what I am doing. The laptop is definitely his favorite thing in the world. So I need to stop my work in between to entertain him. This is how the day goes. Also, I do some of the remaining tasks once he goes to bed at night. It’s not easy to manage work with sixteen months old who is totally dependant on you but I am happy with my lifestyle as I feel so lucky that I do not need to be away from my kid to pursue my career. I am happy to manage both at the same time (my baby as well as my work life)
What is the most tiring part of the day?
Not getting enough sleep, sometimes
What is the most exciting part of your day?
My “me” time ;) I make sure that I take out at least one hour for myself and that is usually when my son goes to sleep at night
Anything you're proud of!
Managing my work-life along with my naughty son. Never knew that I have the power to do that
How helpful Odetta was for you?
I feel lucky to be a part of Odetta. Due to my husband’s job nature, I cannot do a permanent job in one place so remote work suites me perfectly. Also, the best part about it is that I can earn from the comfort of my home and I don’t need to be away from my kid
Amna Khan
Can you help us to picture your day?
Wake up around 9. Check messages and emails for Odetta. Prepare the breakfast. Work for Odetta.. Work for Odetta. Around 6 pm, I go to the gym, then complete my daily task for Odetta till 3-4 am ❤
What is the most tiring part of the day?
When I am stuck in my work and suddenly my maid says, it’s Azaan meal time.
P.S. He doesn't eat his meal from anyone else
What is the most exciting part of your day?
When my son is sleeping :p
Anything you're proud of!
Proud to be MPhil Scholar in Mathematics 😎 Proud to be Odettian 🤩 Top of all, Proud to be a Mother 🥰
How helpful Odetta is for you?
Odetta has helped me a lot in my life. Odetta has given me self-confidence. Odetta makes me independent. Odetta is still helping me to secure my and my son's future :)
Your message for upcoming mothers and the rest of the world?
Motherhood: All love begins and ends there.
Your message for upcoming mothers and the rest of the world?
Motherhood: All love begins and ends there.
Gulshan Saeed
Can you help us to picture your day?
My day starts around 8 am. I prepare my husband’s breakfast and wake my elder son up for his online class. He is 4 years old, so I have to sit through his class for 3 hours. During his class, my younger one also wakes up and I have to attend to him as well. Feeding them both during the class. As soon as the class ends, my house-help arrives. So, monitor her while she cleans the house, do the dishes, washing and in the meanwhile, I get done with the cooking and other related tasks and attend to my kids. The whole process ends around 2 pm. That is when I put them to sleep and start working on my Odetta assignments. They sleep for 2 hours mostly and wake up around the time when my husband gets home. I sometimes pause my work if he is late or something. He attends to them till dinner time mostly. And around 7 I start preparing the dinner and meals for kids. This whole process lasts for 2 3 hours. Put everyone to bed and usually take a nap with them around 10 pm. Wake up in an hour or so and work till midnight and sometimes even more. I would like to mention that I have a passion for makeup as well and I am a freelance makeup artist as well. So I take out time for that whenever I have client appointments. But I feel happy and productive at the end of the day.
What is the most tiring part of the day?
Not getting enough sleep but I try making up for that on weekends
What is the most exciting part of your day?
Evenings, when I see happy faces around me
Anything you're proud of!
My family and their support. My kids when people appreciate their manners. My Odetta feedback. 😂
How helpful Odetta was for you?
Working remotely is such a blessing! I could not manage a fixed hourly job but the flexible working hours and team support have helped me become a productive member of my family.
Your message for upcoming mothers and the rest of the world?
“Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.“—Rumi
Ms. Z
Can you help us to picture your day?
I live in a nuclear family so Every day is a different kind of roller coaster ride, some days we're right on the clock some days we're lazy as a log. By we, I mean I and my son.
I wake up at 8 am with the sound of his laughs, he wakes me up by sitting on me playing with me. Then we both freshen up. After that, I make his breakfast and my tea. It takes more than 2 hours just to feed him half pancake. After his breakfast, I fill the room with toys and start working on projects. Sometimes he gets busy playing by himself and sometimes he doesn't let me work. On such days my QCs are nice enough to accommodate. I bath him around 2 and put him for his nap. I work until he wakes up then I make some snacks for him, I play with him. His father comes till then and we daily go to a nearby park for some time. At night I cook while my husband takes care of him. After my son is asleep I start my work for Odetta. 😍😍
What is the most tiring part of the day?
When I have to do it all by myself. Sometimes it gets so frustrating and tiring when I have to manage work and Omar at the same time. He cries uncontrollably and I can't leave work.
What is the most exciting part of your day?
Morning time with my son
Something you’re proud of?
I'm proud of myself that I overcome postpartum depression. It was the worst and the best phase of my life. And completed my house job. Got into Odetta.
How helpful Odetta was for you?
I was doing my house job at DOW University & Hospital, in April 2019. I was happy as I got caring friends, a loving family, and a supportive husband. I had to walk a lot to go from OPD to the hospital to T.B ward and university building. One day, I was walking and felt something is not quite right so I rushed to the medical unit to talk to my doctor. I got to know, I'm expecting, I and my husband were so happy I continued to work but my health got deteriorating, all that morning sickness got worse with time I visited so many ob-gyn, every doctor recommends to opt for abortion as it was weak implantation and that I may miscarry. But I don't know I didn't want that in my heart I knew if Allah plans something nothing can take that away from you.
Precisely, I was put on bed rest and heavy medications. I had to leave my house job then and there. After improvising I completed my house job with risky pregnancy. After completing my house job, I was alone for 5 months with no friends no social life. My family visited me. When my husband was at work I used to do some random courses on Coursera, play games, or recite Quran. After 9 long months, I had my baby in January 2020. It was my happiest day after that started the worst phase of my life postpartum depression. Being alone with a baby who is completely dependent on you is so challenging! New mothers have to go through a lot with changes in body and mind. No one can understand how motherhood brings all the changes and not all changes are positive. One cheerful confident girl becomes a sorry confined mother. Who has no life other than taking care of a baby with no social life!
But Odetta gave me a chance to prove myself, Made me feel worthy. I was extremely confused in my interview with Katharine I couldn't say anything I was silent. She didn't know but it was my first meeting with someone other than my family and doctors. First social contact with someone after a year. All I asked Katharine was to give me chance. One chance to prove myself. And guess what? She gave me!
I'm so thankful to her and Sughandh for introducing me to Odetta. I got my confidence back I made new friends. Odetta made me independent.
Your message for upcoming mothers and the rest of the world?
Mothers have no idea how they'll do it. But every single day it still gets done.
S. Masud
Can you help us to picture your day?
My kid is 1.5 years old, he has this habit of waking up at 10 AM sharp no matter when he sleeps at night. So mostly he is the one who wakes me up every morning. Then I have to feed him breakfast and simultaneously, I start working. After that, all routine chores (giving him a bath, cooking, helping cleaning lady and God knows what not) alongside my laptop is open 24 7 and I try to give attention to the laptop alongside my kid.
What is the most tiring part of the day?
When my baby is driving me crazy and I have to submit some urgent task. It has happened so many times that I burst into tears.
Moreover, I am unable to get enough sleep as I work all night after my baby sleeps and he wakes up early so have to wake up with him. But it's all worth it when someone appreciates our hard work
What is the most exciting part of your day?
When my baby sleeps in the afternoon and I get some time for myself
Anything you’re proud of!
Yesss! Working with a kid and handling the house all by yourself. It sometimes makes me feel like superwoman
How helpful Odetta was for you?
In so many ways that I cannot put it into words.
Odetta has not only given more secure future in financial terms but also my motivation level my confidence in my own self is so much elevated. I can watch my kid and work at the same time. No other job can beat this perk