I'm delighted to launch the MotherStories website with the story of my best friend who became a mom 7 months ago. She lives in London with her little Lilia, and it was during my last visit to their home in October that we worked on this first interview.

Kat, what was your first reaction when you found out you were pregnant?
F***. I was in the office, sitting on the toilet between appointments, and I couldn't understand what was happening to me. I cried with joy and then with anguish!

Who was the first person you told about your pregnancy?
My mother, then Steve the father.

Wasn't it too difficult to live through your pregnancy in London far from your loved ones?
I admit I felt isolated. Steve and I didn't live together and he worked a lot. We only saw each other at weekends. Most of my English friends don't have children and like to go out a lot (one of the reasons I moved to London). The first few months were particularly difficult because I didn't yet realize what was happening to me. I felt like I was missing out on so much, but not for a second did I contemplate abortion.

What was the most challenging thing for you during those 9 months?
Stopping eating sushi and Martini espressos (laughs) and then boxing, which I used to do 5 times a week. I quickly took up yoga, which I practiced until the week before giving birth.

3 weeks. Looking back, it was far too soon! Lilia is now 7 months old and my bowels are still very sore from the C-section. My tummy has recovered in all sorts of ways. My back, legs and shoulders hurt from carrying 7 kg at arm's length. If I'd known, I wouldn't have done so many crunches and would have opted for post-natal yoga instead of stubbornly sticking to the normal classes.

You mentioned the C-section. Did the birth not go as planned?
I wanted to give birth in the water without an epidural or painkillers, but in the end it was just the opposite! After more than 30 hours of labor and a few complications, they performed an emergency C-section. It was very difficult because I was totally unprepared for this eventuality. I had this strange feeling that I hadn't given birth "properly", as if the fact that it came out of my womb by C-section made me less legitimate. I had nightmares for weeks after the birth, reliving the operation, but then it passed. You look at your healthy (and cute) baby and everything else becomes superfluous.

Your mom came from Russia to stay with you for a while, with her partner, to help you after the birth. How did it go?
They arrived the week before the due date and I ended up giving birth 2 weeks late. I might as well say that the last few days I wanted to gut her, between the hormones and the fact that she wanted to give her opinion on everything. When I finally arrived at the maternity ward, I almost felt like I was on vacation! Back home after the trauma of the C-section, we found ourselves with 6 people, including my dog Bella, in a 50 m2 apartment... At no time did I imagine how much I would have just wanted to be alone, in the peace and quiet with my daughter. I remember I didn't know how to hold her, I was stressed, tired and my mother was always behind my back telling me to "do it like this" or "in my day we didn't do it like that". The horror! I should have made them go to a hotel from the start. After a lot of arguing and a lot of nerves, they finally cut their stay short.

Would you do it again?
Like this? No WAY! She came back when Lilia was 3 months old and things were completely different. Everything went really well. Everyone had settled in and gained confidence. I was serene (well, almost). It was a time when Steve was working a lot, so fortunately my mother was there. I was able to unload on her a bit, take a breather and take some time for myself.

What would you have liked to know about the post-partum period that no one told you about?
I had been warned that when my milk came in for the first time I might feel unwell because of the hormones, but at no time was I told that I might also have a kind of flu called "milk flu". I had a fever, I felt as bad as I'd ever felt in my life, and by dint of sweating, I lost 15 kg in 3 days (the only positive point)!

What did you watch out for during your pregnancy?
I ate very healthily, making sure that every food I ate was good for Lilia and me. I continued this fairly restrictive diet for 3 months after giving birth (no meat, nothing raw etc.). Difficult for someone who ate sushi every day. Otherwise, I ate a lot of fresh ginger, Manuka honey, red fruit, yoghurt and lots of leafy vegetables (kale, broccoli, spinach, etc.). It's very important to strengthen your intestinal flora. Symprove brand probiotics are great for this. I've taken them before, during and after pregnancy, and I've never been ill. Vitabiotics supplements are also very good.

I imagine it's easy to have this kind of diet in London?
Yes, and it's much cheaper than in Switzerland. Here, everything is organic, gluten & lactose free, especially in my neighborhood in Hackney.

Do you plan to stay in London?
For the time being, yes, because here it's easier and more accessible to find a place in a nursery or a nanny. There are also plenty of city-funded after-school activities and play centers for all ages. For example, I can take Lilia every day for free to a singing, yoga, gym or massage class in our neighborhood.

Is it easy being an expat mom?
Yes, but then again, especially in Hackney! For parents-to-be, too, there are a multitude of courses and activities on offer. Steve and I took part in 5 different courses, each lasting 3 hours. It was there that we met other couples living in the same neighborhood, who over time became good friends. We meet every week with the other moms for lunch, coffee or a class. The ultimate advantage here is that strollers and dogs are "more than welcome" everywhere.

Speaking of dogs, how did your dog Bella cope with Lilia's arrival?
After realizing that she wasn't a toy and that we weren't going to give her back, she turned into a real protective big sister.

What were your must-have mum-to-be products and addresses?
Elizabeth Arden green tea body cream, Holistic Health alternative skincare center, Stretch London yoga studio, Tiosk for afternoon tea with girlfriends and my Ilado Paris pregnancy bola.

Broadway Market, I imagine?
Of Course!

Utopia when you're a young mother?
Take a bath, drink a cup of tea while it's still hot, slip on a pair of skinny jeans, wear lipstick... I go on (laughs)?

Do you feel fulfilled in your role as a mother?
I've never been so happy and "complete". Until then, my life didn't really make sense. Now I can face anything, and I'm no longer afraid.