Shay Mitchell Shares the Best Way to Support Any Mom in Your Life
Updated: May 14, 2020
The Canadian actress talks about life as a new mom and what she’s up to in quarantine.
We caught up with Canadian actress Shay Mitchell over the phone, who’s currently in quarantine in L.A. with her boyfriend, fellow Canadian Matte Babel, and baby girl, Atlas. The You and Pretty Little Liars star tells us about her partnership with Pampers for their just-launched Share the Love program, her advice for new and expecting mothers, and the best ways to support any mom in your life.
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How’s quarantine going for you? How are you handling the pandemic as a new mom?
I’m taking it one day at a time! I’m reaching out to friends, checking in on people, and using FaceTime as much as possible.
Have you been able to squeeze in any time for self-care?
Yes! I give myself an hour a day, and it’s usually around Atlas’s 10 a.m. nap time. I’ll set up a workout for myself, take the dog on a walk or have a bath. I just take that hour to reconnect with myself.
What workout are you following?
I’m just going online and seeing what everybody’s doing. There are so many great workouts on Instagram Live out there, and who knows, I may be working on my own little workout program right now! Physical activity has definitely been helping me through this.
Have you succumbed to the typical quarantine activities—baking bread, mastering a TikTok dance?
I’ve definitely managed to jump on board the TikTok train! Yesterday, I managed to do the new Beyonce dance so that’s up, and I’ve also made banana bread—two things a lot of people have also accomplished!
@shaymitchellYou know i had to do it when Beyoncé came on this track ##fyp ##whyamihashtagging♬ original sound – cassidycondiee
How long did it take you to learn the Beyonce dance?
Twenty-seven minutes! Not like I was timing it.
Which recipe did you use for banana bread?
Bon Appetit‘s Best Banana Bread—I was a big fan of it.
How else are you keeping yourself busy and entertained?
Jenga! I consider myself to be the Jenga queen, so any time I can get Matt to play with me, that’s one that I do, or I just practice on my own. Another game we love is the card game Crazy Eights. We’ve been pulling out all the board games and having fun with them.
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Have you learned anything in quarantine?
I’ve just realized that if you grill onions and garlic, and add salt and pepper, you can really make anything taste good. So, I’ve been using my kitchen as my own sort of science lab, as my boyfriend calls it, and I’ve come up with some really good concoctions. Also, melted cheese goes a long way. Use those ingredients, and whatever you make is bound to taste good.
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Why did you decide to partner with Pampers?
We’re reminding other moms out there that they’re doing a great job. We want them to know that anything they do to support their child is enough, even if it doesn’t feel like that. I know from my own experience, parenting is really hard even in the best of times, so it’s especially challenging in these circumstances, during the unknown. I really feel it’s important to help each other out and offer as much encouragement as we can.
Post-partum, for me, was very interesting. I was able, at that time, to hang out with other friends of mine—like new mom Troian, who was actually one of the first people I saw after giving birth. She was able to come by, and it was so nice to just be able to talk with her. There were actually quite a lot of other friends of mine who also gave birth around the same time, so we have a little group chat—and we’re always texting on it.
It always means a lot to me when I hear someone say, “You’re doing a great job!” I really appreciate it, and so we’re trying to do that for other moms. Anybody can do this—and you can use the hashtag #sharethelove on Instagram or Facebook or Twitter. It’s a great way to send some extra support to any mom in your life.
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What advice do you have for new or expecting moms?
My best advice for parents out there is to take it one day at a time. Be generous with yourself and know that you’re doing a great job, and what you’re doing is more than enough. I can’t stress that enough. I think it’s so important. That’s why this whole #sharethelove campaign is about encouraging other moms and showing your support. It means so much because there is a lot of doubt that can happen, especially being a new mom.
What’s the best way to support a new mom?
Bringing food, anything you can, delivery credit, or ordering food and just have it arrive is so nice. Go visit—when we’re not social distancing anymore. But in this time, I would say just reaching out, and telling anybody who’s expecting, or is a new mom, or has kids, that they’re doing a great job. It really goes a long way, and it costs nothing.
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What are your plans for Mother’s Day?
I’ll be spending time with Atlas, we’ll probably make a lot of food, and I might even try making bread, if I get really confident! I think we’ll set up a little picnic outside. And at night I’ll be doing a Zoom hangout with some other moms. We’re calling it “Moms After-Hours”! We’ll all put our kids to sleep and catch up with a glass of wine.
Have you found any silver linings to being in quarantine?
The time we’re getting to be able to spend with Atlas—it’s more time than we would’ve had without this. Matt and I are both constantly travelling, so the fact that we’ve been able to have so much time together with her has been really nice.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
