Laila Ali Talks Motherhood

Laila Ali is enjoying her new role as mother to son Curtis Mohammad Conway Jr., 1. She recently sat down with Fit Pregnancy’s Mom & Baby and talked about life with her family.

Here are some highlights:

On how being a mother has changed her daily routine:
“I’m not on top of things like I normally am. I’ve got a pile of paperwork, messages to return and laundry that needs to be done. But you just get to a point where you have to say, ‘This is going to have to wait. It’s just not that important.’ I could hire a full-time nanny and be able to take care of everything, but I’d rather be there for my son and let the laundry wait.”

On her husband’s [Curtis Conway] parenting skills:
“He is an excellent dad. He doesn’t just want to be involved; he is involved. He’s daddy and his role is just as important as mine. The first few times he got up at night with Curtis Jr., I would get out of bed and look over his shoulder. But once I saw he had it, I left him alone. He’s patient and loving, and he knows what he’s doing.”

On if she has any outside help with the baby:
“I do have a part-time nanny who is here three days a week, a few hours a day. At some point I broke down and decided to get some help so I could at least go to the gym.”

On how she spends her time with her son:
“We have our playtime together when I let him crawl and play with his toys. He also goes wherever I go; I just pack him up and take him with me. Curtis Jr. doesn’t really slow me down at all. He’s a very easy baby.”

On the challenges of breastfeeding:
“I breastfed for seven months, but for most of that time I was pumping and feeding Curtis Jr. by bottle. My husband is very hands-on and in order for him to help feed the baby, I decided to start pumping. The baby had only been breastfeeding for a week when I started; and as soon as he had a bottle, he wasn’t interested in breastfeeding anymore. I didn’t want Curtis Jr. to stop breastfeeding, and I missed that bonding time with him, but at the end of the day, I was happy he was getting my milk. At the six-month mark, I pumped just in the morning and at night and, soon after, my milk dried up. I would have liked to continue pumping, but I’m not going to sit around and mope about it. As moms, we’re never really in charge. We just think we are.”