While Nara Smith’s digital world often feels like a serene dream of handmade treats and effortless elegance, her recent reflections on life after her fourth child offer a strikingly raw contrast to that polished aesthetic.
The model and mother recently took to social media to peel back the curtain on her postpartum journey with her newest daughter, Fawnie.
For a creator who is usually seen navigating her home with perfect poise, hearing her speak about the messy and often overwhelming reality of newborn life was a powerful reminder that no one is immune to the struggles of life with a newborn.
Nara and her husband, Lucky Blue Smith, are already parents to Rumble Honey, Slim Easy, and Whimsy Lou.
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Even with the experience of three previous births, Nara admitted that this time around has presented its own unique set of hurdles.
She touched on the universal struggle of exhaustion, noting that she has been surviving on as little as three hours of sleep a night.
While she is grateful that her rest has recently increased to four hours, the physical toll of that sleep deprivation is a far cry from the rested, glowing image many fans see in her posts.
One of the most significant parts of her message focused on postpartum anxiety. Nara pointed out that while we often talk about postpartum depression, the specific weight of anxiety is frequently left out of the conversation.
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She described a constant pressure to be productive and a nagging fear over whether she is a good mother.
This anxiety often manifests as intrusive thoughts, which are those sudden and irrational fears that can haunt a new parent.
Nara shared how she would worry about her own bedding somehow ending up in Fawnie’s crib, even when the baby wasn’t anywhere near her bed.
The birth itself felt somewhat surreal for Nara, partly because Fawnie was a surprise baby.
She explained that her pregnancy was so hectic that she didn’t fully process the reality of it until the baby was actually in her arms.
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For the first two weeks after the birth, she felt as though she were living in a dream or a hallucination, waiting to wake up and find herself still pregnant.
This sense of dissociation eventually faded into an overwhelming joy, but the transition was anything but instant.
Adding to the emotional weight was a physical battle with her health. Nara has long dealt with eczema, and while it stayed calm during her pregnancy, it returned with a vengeance the moment she entered postpartum.
Dealing with painful skin flare-ups while trying to care for a newborn and three older children made the adjustment period incredibly difficult.
She mentioned that these physical and mental challenges were compounded by a very rough holiday season for her family, suggesting that even the most beautiful homes can face private hardships.
As Fawnie reaches the three-month mark, Nara is finally feeling like these struggles are becoming a distant memory.
Her main takeaway for other women is the importance of giving yourself grace and recognising that life moves in seasons.
She wanted to share her story because she believes postpartum should be talked about more openly to prepare moms for the fact that every single experience is different.
By speaking her truth, Nara has shown that even a life that looks perfect on the outside requires a lot of resilience and a willingness to take things one day at a time.
Lifestyle
