Lydia Bright: “Loretta has filled my life with so much love and colour”

Welcome to Spill the Milk, where we ask some of the UK's most famous mums and dads to reveal all about the wonderful world of parenting.

We caught up with entrepreneur, influencer and now author, Lydia Bright, to talk about motherhood and her new children's book Mummy & Me.

What's the story behind Mummy & Me?

When I first found out I was going to be a single mum, I started searching for books to buy for Loretta's room that would make her feel represented being in a single-parent family, but there wasn't anything. Most I found were just informative for older children, but young kids love magical stories, so I wanted to create something that she would find engaging.

From there it almost became my therapy and when I felt down I could chuck myself into writing. I did so much research, and after Loretta was born it evolved so much.

It's a magical story about a single-parent family, and unfortunately, the statistics are one in three marriages end in divorce, so it's a reality for a lot of children. We are all big on being inclusive and representative these days, so the book is not just for children from single-parent families, but for those who aren't so that they can see these different family setups.

With representing the different family setups, I spent a lot of time researching the animal kingdom for the characters so I could pick the characters around this, and I really wanted elephants.

Ever since Loretta was born I have been obsessed with elephants, so naturally she has too, and in the wild elephants are single mums, so I had to have them.

I've always been conscious of sharing the realities of parenthood too. So the book shares a magical adventure between mum and daughter, and while it's filled with lots of love, it's also full of chaos, because that's the reality of motherhood!

What does Loretta think of the book?

She only found out about the book recently even though it's been going on since I found out I was going to be a single mum.

Loretta knows I work, but she doesn't know the ins and outs of what I do, so I had this dream of handing my child my book but it was a disaster.

I read her the dedication and showed her the pictures of the mummy elephant and little Etta and she was just uninterested. But that's the reality of parenthood, isn't it? I think as she gets older she will understand it more though.

How do you balance work and mum life?

I returned to work when Loretta was young as I didn't get maternity leave. I struggled to find that balance at first, especially when I had to send her to childcare.

I had that awful pang of wanting to go back to work because I enjoy what I do but then I felt guilty that I was giving Loretta to a stranger. She was a Covid child too so it was really tough at first, which made the guilt worse, but she soon found her feet.

Now she's doing school hours it is easier, as before I was working when I could in the evenings.

What would you say to yourself if you could go back to those months before you gave birth?

Before I had Loretta, I was a perfectionist and I put enormous pressure on myself in every avenue of my life. Even at school I was a hard worker and I've always wanted to be the best I can be, so when I was facing motherhood as a single parent, I was gutted.

I worried about everyone's judgement and what people thought about me being a single mum, but as soon as I gave birth, you just don't have time to worry about what other people think. Loretta is the best thing that ever happened to me, she filled my life with so much love and colour.

I would definitely say try to worry less about what people think. Maybe it comes with age, but just do what makes you happy and go through the motions.

What's next for you now, would you look at writing a second book?

I would love a sequel! The book has evolved so much since that first draft, so since Loretta was born and her personality emerged, naturally I wanted the book to mirror a little bit of her personality and our lives.

Who knows if our life will be like this forever? I'll always treasure the memories we have made, but I would like more children and to have that family.

Just because it didn't happen that way the first time, it doesn't mean I'm not happy and it doesn't mean it won't happen.

It would be lovely to carry this on and follow the story. There are not enough books out there that represent single-parent families either, so it would be a dream.

This book has been many years in the making and now feels like the perfect time because it's nearly Mother's Day and it seems like such a great milestone to celebrate single mums. Plus Loretta is now at an age where she's enjoying picture books more.

I can't wait to hear the feedback and see kids reading the book.

You can buy Lydia's book now.

Mummy & Me by Lydia Bright and illustrated by Jojo Clinch (Puffin Books) is out 1 February 2024.

Samantha Ball is a Commercial Content Writer and freelanced for the Mother&Baby website for two years before joining the team full-time. She's a mum of two and loves browsing for the best products and cute outfits.