Motherhood Diaries - Tanya Hennessy
This Mother's Day, ToniMay is honoured to feature Tanya Hennessy, a beloved comedian, author, and social media personality, as part of our campaign celebrating the profound journey of motherhood. Tanya shares her incredibly personal and inspiring path to becoming a mum, the unexpected joys, and the deep meaning behind our limited edition infinity symbol necklace.
The Long-Awaited Title: "Scottie's Mum"
For Tanya, embracing the title of "Mum" is still a surreal and deeply cherished experience. After a challenging seven-year journey, including seven rounds of IVF, she now proudly calls herself "Scottie's Mum."
"It's still really weird to say Mum," Tanya admits. "This is my first Mother's Day so it's kinda cool… slash really cool. Because to me, being someone's mother is, for me, the coolest thing I've ever done. It's really special."
Her path was marked by immense perseverance, battling stage four endometriosis, polyps, and PCOS. Each past Mother's Day was a poignant reminder of a dream deferred, making this year's celebration all the more meaningful. "This Mother's Day means resilience and strength," she states, a testament to her unwavering spirit and Scottie's fight to be here.
Motherhood: A New Lens on Life
Motherhood has profoundly shifted Tanya's perspective, narrowing her focus to what truly matters. Her concept of love has transformed from superficial appreciation to an all-encompassing devotion.
"Now my focus has become very narrow... I can only see her now. Which is great 'cause it focuses everything else… correctly," she explains. This intense focus on Scottie has brought a new sense of clarity and purpose, guiding her decisions and priorities.
While she humorously notes the lack of glamour and sleep, Tanya finds immense joy in the small moments. "I love being a mum more than I thought I would. Because it's so exciting, it's like look at her little face, look at her little changes… seeing her experience the world for the first time and watching her laugh—she laughed for the first time the other day... it's like, oh wow, magic does exist."
Q&A with Tanya Hennessy
WHAT DOES MOTHERHOOD MEAN TO YOU?
Motherhood means to me making someone's life fun and joyful, giving someone a safe place in a world that is terrifying, being someone's everything, and loving that. Like when she cries and I can settle her, it's like the best thing in the world, which is really strange… I'm a career person, so the fact that this is a bit of a high for me is kinda wild.
CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR JOURNEY TO BECOMING A MUM?
Journey to becoming a Mum, zero out of ten. Um, took a lot of time, a lot of effort, and a lot of money. And I would do it all again. For her. So I did 7 rounds of IVF and 7 years for Scottie... Every Mother's Day that's passed has been a grief, like a mourning, a marker of something that maybe wasn't meant for me... and this is my first Mother's Day so it's kinda cool…really cool
WHAT DOES THIS MOTHER'S DAY MEAN TO YOU PERSONALLY?
This Mother's Day means to me… uh, finally I'll get a gift, uh first of all! No, but it means… I don't know, it means so much. It means that I did it. That Tom and I did. She did. She fought so hard… I have stage four endometriosis, I have polyps, I have PCOS… she fought every single stage to be here. So this Mother's Day means resilience and strength.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR PAST SELF DURING THE HARDEST PARTS OF YOUR JOURNEY?
I would say… stay the course. Stay there, it's worth it… it's hard, and I know there's no promises because you are just trying without an ending, you know, but it's worth trying. You have to keep trying. Because in your instance it does work. And it's a miracle. She's a miracle. And it's worth it. Every surgery, every injection... But it's worth it. It's all worth it.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT BEING A MUM?
I love being a mum more than I thought I would. Because it's so exciting, it's like look at her little face, look at her little changes… dressing her up in fun outfits and seeing her experience the world for the first time and watching her laugh... it's like, oh wow, magic does exist.
WHAT DOES THE INFINITY SYMBOL IN THE TONIMAY COLLECTION MEAN TO YOU?
The thing I love about this necklace is that it's the infinity symbol, and infinity means forever, it's infinite, it never ends and that's, I think, how you feel as a mother with your love toward your baby, you know, it's infinite, it's forever.
"Stay there, it’s worth it… it’s hard, and I know there’s no promises because you are just trying without an ending, you know, but it’s worth trying. You have to keep trying. Because in your instance it does work. And it’s a miracle. She’s a miracle. And it’s worth it. Every surgery, every injection... But it’s worth it. It’s all worth it."
- Tanya Hennessy
