Monika Radulovic has revealed whether she plans to have more children while speaking about her journey as a mother.
The former Miss Universe Australia star, 33, shares sons Luka, three, and Mateo, nine months, with husband Alesandro Ljubicic.
The happy couple, who married in 2018, welcomed their second son, Mateo, in July, and Monika has spoken candidly about adjusting to life with two children.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Monika said she and her husband, artist Alesandro, are “satisfied” with their children and are not currently planning to grow their family further.
‘One child is a lot, two children is a handful! “It’s fantastic, but right now we are completely satisfied and satisfied with two,” she said while promoting Philips Sonicare’s Mother’s Day campaign.
Former Miss Universe Australia star Monika Radulovic has revealed whether she plans to have more children as she opens up about her journey as a mother.
“Every parent should help care for a child and, for now, we are very happy with our two healthy children.”
Monika said the “most challenging” part of motherhood for her has been having a second child and spoke of the difficulties of caring for two young children.
“That has been, without a doubt, the most challenging thing for me so far in motherhood,” she candidly shared.
‘You have a child who is aware of everything that is happening and still really needs you, and then you have another child in the mix!
“An analogy that I’ve heard that makes a lot of sense is that it’s like you have a partner, and the partner says they want to bring another partner into your relationship, and you’re going to love the new partner and that’s going to be great, and I think sometimes that’s how the first son feels about his brother. I couldn’t have said it better!’
Monika and her husband, Alesandro Ljubicic, share two sons: Luka, three, and Mateo, nine months, and Monika has spoken candidly about adjusting to life with two children.
The Survivor star also admitted that she has struggled to find a new “identity” as a mother, as she was previously someone who valued herself based on her work accomplishments.
‘What I can say has been a challenge for me as a mother is a new self-identity because I always prided myself on being a go-getter and really type A person and the way I valued success was my achievements in my career and my studies. ,’ she said.
‘When I became a mother, I took a big step back and prioritized my motherhood. But that sometimes means that the most successful thing you’ve done all day is keeping a child alive and fit: the house is a mess, you haven’t washed your hair, and you’re exhausted.
“So for me, it was learning to not let myself get carried away with that, but to incorporate these little spaces of self-care.”
Monika said she is also learning to not be so hard on herself as a mother, as she has been a “perfectionist” for most of her life.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Monika said she and her husband, artist Alesandro, are “satisfied” with their children and are not currently planning to grow their family further.
“I overanalyze everything, I’m a perfectionist, so that brings me back to parenting, what I could have done better today as a mother and that kind of thing,” she said.
“Whereas other parents may be a little more relaxed and tolerant and think ‘that was enough, I did my best and that was enough.'” I should take a little leaf out of those people’s books because that’s how I think we should all be: not too hard on ourselves or striving for perfection.’
“Part of self-care is being kind and gentle with yourself,” she continued.
“When mom guilt kicks in, I try to remind myself that I don’t have to be perfect and to take it easy because picking on you and putting yourself down as a mom doesn’t help. It doesn’t help the current situation.”
Monika, who will celebrate her first Mother’s Day with two children this Sunday, described motherhood as a “blessing” as she spoke sweetly about her beloved children.
‘I have two healthy children and they are very sweet. Motherhood has 100 percent been a juggle but it has also been a blessing,’ she admitted.
Monika said the “most challenging” part of motherhood for her has been having a second child and spoke about the difficulties of caring for two young children.
‘They say it’s the best of times and the worst of times, and I couldn’t have said it better.
‘Although there are really difficult moments when I feel like everything I do is like my hands are tied behind my back because I can’t do anything like before, but at the same time I see these two beautiful children! If they are happy, it means I have done enough.
Monika said she shares her experiences as a mother, good and bad, on social media in the hopes that she can help other mothers in a similar situation feel “validated.”
On taking time for herself amid her busy family life, Monika said she integrates self-care into small moments, like brushing her teeth or using her Lumea hair remover.
She explained: ‘For me, self-care has always been a very important part of my life, because of how much it affects my mental health.
Monika, who will celebrate her first Mother’s Day with two children this Sunday, described motherhood as a “blessing” as she spoke sweetly about her beloved children.
“But becoming a mother has been turned upside down because the time I used to have for myself, doing these elaborate self-care things, I just don’t have that time anymore.
“So now it’s really important, instead of neglecting self-care, to turn it around and use the time I have every day for small things.”
‘What I do is I brush my teeth (you have to brush your teeth every day) and instead of it being an autopilot thing, I now use it as a mindfulness exercise.
‘I have the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean toothbrush, which is amazing because after two minutes of using it, it turns off.
“So during those two minutes, I stop and really think about what I’m doing and focus on the sensations I’m hearing; it may sound funny, but after taking those two minutes, it makes a big difference in my mood.” .
Monika’s comments came as she promoted Mother’s Day research by Philips Sonicare, which revealed 51 per cent of Australian parents do not prioritize self-care.
Monika and Alesandro, who married in 2018, welcomed their second son, Mateo, in July, and shared sweet snaps on Instagram at the time (pictured).
The research, conducted in April by PureProfile with a sample of 1,000 parents, also found that 69 per cent of mothers admitted to feeling like they shouldered the majority of parenting responsibilities.
Commenting on the study, Monika said: “It’s about putting more emphasis on us as parents and looking after ourselves and also how this has a knock-on effect on the whole family.”
‘If the mother takes care of herself, it benefits the rest of the family. Since I’m a mom and can completely relate to the fact that I don’t have enough time for myself anymore, I thought this just speaks to me. “I love spreading the message.”
Ahead of Mother’s Day, Philips is offering up to $100 cash back to consumers who purchase the Lumea IPL 9000 Series or Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000. The Mother’s Day cash back promotion is available until May 12, 2024 ; all claim forms must be received by June 17, 2024.