I've been sitting on this post a while, it's been bubbling away in the back of my head and today felt like the perfect day to get it out, and down on paper so to speak.

In April last year I did my first shoot after having my 3rd baby, Cora. My first ever shoot as a mum to a daughter.

The shoot was a branding shoot for The Pole Co. It was completely out of my comfort zone, I'd never done a branding shoot at that point and I'd certainly never worked with pole dancers or worked alongside another photographer and I'd never done shoot a big shoot. It was a full day worth of shooting.

I remember driving over to the shoot feeling all the nerves, with my friend beside me who was coming to be my nanny for the day as I couldn't leave Cora as she was still little and breastfeeding, and her youngest daughter and pregnant with her her 4th child, her 3rd daughter.

I also remember feeling so grateful that they had been so understanding of the fact that I'd need to bring Cora and that my friend could be the one to come with me to look after her whilst I worked and bring her own little one too.

In a world where women quite often have to choose motherhood or career, it was such a privilege to not have to choose and do both that day. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to fully express my gratitude for that. Those accomodations meant the world to me.

When we arrived it was straight to work, it was a busy day, there was lots to do and I really had to be on the ball for it. The Pole Co are business who work with pole dancers to help them train safely and stay injury free. They have a strength and conditioning coach, a mindset coach, mobility expert, a sports and exercise nutritionist, and a physiotherapist. They are an absolute dream team and five absolute kick-ass women.

Being surrounded by them all, and seeing and hearing all their knowledge and expertise was quite something, and then they started doing tricks on the pole and I was absolutely blown away. Not only are they all intelligent and experts in their fields, they are also all ridiculously strong, flexible and just generally phenomenal.

L