Tell me a bit about your pregnancy? How was that experience for you?
I had a bit of morning sickness. I always felt like I might vomit the first few months which for me was hard because I really love food, so I was pissed that it would make me sick. Especially because I was in Sicily and the cuisine is so good and very intense. My cravings were for Japanese comfort food and also Ligurian food. My husband’s mother’s family comes from Liguria so I am accustomed to their food and it is light. Suddenly after the first three months passed I was better. Also, I do believe I was a bit boring, you can say I am a person who does not really love being pregnant. I mean there are many women who really truly adore being pregnant I guess but I am not one of those women. What I do enjoy though is being a mother.
How was your delivery?
Well he never turned upside down in my belly, he was always upright and I tried everything! Took two classes on birth and delivery, rubs and massages and so on, but I knew two months before the due date that I would have to have a C-section. At least that took the pressure off of having a natural delivery. I guess if I had really, really cared and been super strong and insisted on a natural birth delivery then I could have, maybe… who knows? I am a practical person and I just do what needs to be done. I guess it depends on each individuals desire.
How was the feeling when you met Mattia?
I remember I thought he was extremely good looking 🙂 A good looking healthy little boy.
How was hospital experience for you?
It was in Zurich and my husband is Italian, so if you ask him he says it was like being at a 5 star hotel. I had the opposite feeling…for me it was a bit too much, every 20 minutes to a half hour a nurse would enter asking if I needed something etc etc… I just wanted to be alone and have some peace. Actually one woman became angry with me because she wanted to talk and talk about her experiences, but I just wanted to rest and be alone so she was quite annoyed with me – ahahahah. I had the feeling she was not extremely intelligent anyway so I just wanted some peace and quiet.
( Aki takes a break to give us a real traditional green tea, from a town in South Japan where her grandmother comes from which btw, lived until 102 years old. Aki says in Italy people can brag and have intense conversations about olive oil or mozzarella, but in Japan the topic will be green tea. Many conversations can go on about which hometown has the best green tea. I must say that the green tea I tried from Aki’s grandmother’s town was the best one I have ever had to date.)
Did you breastfeed?
Yes, for seven and a half months. I never had a super lot of milk though, I had to work hard on maintaining it. Lots of tea drinking and eating well and in abundance. It definitely is a lovely period and I know how fortunate I am to have been able to do it. It’s also just so convenient, but the down side is that the dad can not really not help very much. It was like an excuse for my husband to say, ” oh no, he needs you it’s physical” ( Aki laughs while recalling this )
What was Mattia’s first food after breast milk?
If I am remembering correctly, Ibelieve it was an apple. I always prefer making my own food, but of course going out from time to time is lovely as well. In general I just really love food and cooking. For Mattia it just made the most sense to make it fresh myself each time, my mother did this for me, so I do the same for him.
What is your favorite thing about being a mother?
Very good question and I was actually thinking about that the other day, but it is difficult to answer. One of the greatest things is that I feel through him, so it’s like childhood allover again. I am also so proud that I created a human.
What is that most difficult thing about being a mother?
Making him fall asleep, it can really piss me off in a way you know? Like I can get so frustrated. I feel often like I am somebody’s total punching bag, which I understand because I used my mother as my punching bag. A very interesting fact that I’d like to point out is that l was raised more by my father not my mother. My mother was the worker.
So I must say since we are friends and I have the privilege to having tasted your food, do you think your husband knows how lucky he is to have a wife that is such a great chef?
Mmm…, I think he might forget, but I think every man forgets how amazing his girlfriend or wife is to be honest. He was also raised without siblings, so I believe in general people who grow up as only children are raised a bit different.
What is your favorite dish to cook at home for your family?
The first important thing for me when I cook is to see what’s in season. I really follow the seasons when it comes to food. Now I have been into Monks beard. I must say I am also very influenced by Italian food. Since I am living here in Italy now, I’ve been exploring many new (“old”) recipes.
How is it you to be 1/2 Japanese in Italy?
It is a very, very interesting experience honestly, maybe I can compare it to being a black man in Asia. Most people assume I am Chinese. For example, once I was walking with my son ( note I am half Swiss, half Japanese and my husband is Italian) so my son is a mix. A man around 45 years of age once asked me if I was only a baby-sitter or if I cleaned houses as well. I would maybe understand a bit better if this was an older man, but a 45 year old… I just don’t know what to think. In 2017 people from everywhere are everywhere.
How is the love story between you and Francesco?
We went to the same Japanese school and I saw him in the outdoor area of the school one day as he was playing soccer. He was playing very intensively and in Japan you rarely see people misbehaving. But as I am very rebellious, I was able to see in him the same which was in me so I started a conversation with him. We became friends, about three years later we met in Paris and we became “friends with benefits”, never expecting anything from each other for about 6 years. Then once he came to visit me in Zurich and we started to consider the possibility of being more then just “friends with benefits”. After three years of dating exclusively we married.
So you are a working mother now, you have your own company. How do you balance your time?
Actually, in my case very conveniently. I can organize my own schedule. I feel very lucky to have a job. I contribute Japanese products to European shops. I started with lots of bags and now I have many other products, like accessories, wallets, handmade dolls for kids and this year I started also with porcelain. All direct sales of my web shop – japanproxy.ch – where all my products are available to everyone.
Do you want to have more children?
I am at about 67% yes, but I am also very fine with one. I would love to see Mattia with a sibling, but I am also 37 going on 38 so I guess I don’t have much more time.
Is there something very important to you in raising a child?
I try to be very open minded on what is important and what is not. I think for me personally, I would like him to be a happy person that really enjoys life, but I guess this is very personal. I am a very excited mother, I love to show him animals and I get more excited than him most times. I love painting and coloring with him. I really feel like I am a child again with him.
You and your husband are both very artistic and creative right?
Yes, I guess so. In the past, I was a photographer and a florist. We both like art and we go to museums often. We are also into languages and both speak 5 languages. Actually my husband almost 6. Mattia hears 4 languages spoken at home – Swiss-German, Italian, English and Japanese.
Can I ask you what is the most difficult thing for a couple when becoming parents?
It is so difficult to have conversation. There are so many periods that children love screaming or crying, it is also a way to torture people, just screaming at people for hours and hours. Sometimes Mattia just wants attention over and over and we cannot do anything else, I feel like our conversations are always interrupted.
Where do you like to buy Mattia’s clothes?
I mostly prefer second hand shops because kids grow so fast. Plus, I just cannot ( I try to avoid supporting companies such as H&M or Zara.. etc.) support H&M or Zara etc.. I really respect designers, environment and little independent companies.
What is your favorite thing about living in Milano ?
I am going to have to say Chinatown here is very unique and cool. I really like it. It is a mixture of main island Chinese and European culture. Also, Milano is very geographically convenient, an international city with departure gates to the world.
Since you are a woman with ambition and very positive energy and have opened my eyes in so many ways I wonder if there is anything you might like to add for our lovely readers?
Well there is a saying that our children are the future, so yes 🙂
I guess customer awareness, where products are made etc.. Check the tag ‘’ Made in …? ’’
Our grandparents still purchased high quality products, which we are happy to inherit because they had and still have value. Not anymore with our generations way of shopping. What we buy is landing in the trash. We invest little and let the garbage hill grow higher. Let’s change our habits into ‘’ Buy less and value more’’ for our children and their future.
Good products as in our grandparents time still exist and are produced, but we will not find them at H&M, Zara nor any (other similar) affordable shops . Indeed it is products which are more or even very expensive http://storyofstuff.org/
I started to distribute products from Japan. A country where the high quality of manufacturing production is an essential part of the culture, and above all, human and workers rights are respected and there is no child labor involved.
I would like especially like to thank Aki, for her honesty on motherhood. Honesty always takes courage. I find comfort and inspiration in her words and ways. I wish you and your beautiful family all the best. In case you are interested in viewing her Japanese products you may find them all here at, japanproxy.ch
Have a great weekend
Love JM
@Photo, www.mamafedona.com