First-time mom Mapaseka Koetle is a big advocate of breastfeeding.
The Scandal! vixen welcomed a baby girl last October and she attributes shedding off the baby weight so fast and returning to her slimmer figure to breastfeeding. She adds that she’s not worried about having sagging breast.
“I’m breastfeeding and I’m going to do it throughout the year. So, in the morning I feed the baby. Before I leave I pump and I make sure she is left with enough because she gets hungry a lot,” Koetle reveals.
“People don’t understand the power of breastfeeding. When you breast feed you lose weight and the baby gets all the needed vitamins. I think all women should breast feed and not worry that the breast will get saggy. It will get saggy [anyway], and if you have money go fix it then.”
Koetle says she only had six weeks after giving birth before she returned to work.
She counted on the help of her loved ones in juggling her career and motherhood.
“It’s hectic, but doable. You are going to need help. Don’t be shy to ask for help from your mother or aunt,” Koetle advices.
“It does help to have my husband. He is very supportive and is a hands-on father. If I have a commitment at night, he’s at home with the baby.
“Motherhood is amazing. You learn to be patient. You get to keep going even though you are tired. You have a baby, someone who depends on you for everything. I’m excited, happy and loving it.”
In the current storyline, Koetle’s character Dintle finds herself in a pickle after her husband Mangi (Kagiso Modupe) discovers that his half-brother Quinton (Brighton Ngoma) fathered Dintle’s newborn baby. Koetle teases that in the coming weeks the audience should expect plenty of drama.
Koetle adds that she relied on her own personal experience as a new mom in handling the storyline.
“It’s easier to play a new mom on-screen now since I just gave birth. Handling and carrying the baby is easier because I’m a mom.