Meet Andreea Gaul— model, content creator and recently minted mother who is all about giving the real real on the ups and downs of parenting. Like many of us, her priorities have shifted immensely in motherhood.
Known for top-notch skincare routines and hair hacks, Andreea Gaul made a name for herself on the internet as a beauty influencer when she launched Simply Andreea in 2015. We first connected with Andreea in 2021, about four months after she gave birth to her daughter Alina (who just turned 1 – officially a Bobbie graduate!). As one of our early Bobbie subscribers, we were inspired by Andreea’s journey into parenthood and how her transformation led to a more unfiltered lifestyle. While she’s still all about those brilliant beauty tips, she’s also passionate about using her platform to challenge societal norms around beauty, body image, and the illusion of perfection.
You lose a little bit of yourself when you become a new mom— until you figure out who you are. I needed to find myself.
Andreea Gaul
We chatted with Andreea in person at her home to discuss her challenging pregnancy and postpartum experience, how snapback culture is bullsh*t, and the fact that she’s not back in her pre-pregnancy jeans (and doesn’t care if she ever is!).
How did you feel when you found out you were having a girl?
We were surprised it was a girl because everybody thought it was going to be a boy. Once I knew, I started to feel more pressure. With a girl you have to be so much more careful than with boys. I thought, there’s so much more I’m going to have to teach her! And in my job, on social media, do I want to post about her? What about the creeps? So many thoughts went through my head — it was scary.
What was your pregnancy like?
I had a very difficult pregnancy. I wouldn’t say it was a 10, but I’d say definitely a 6 or 7. I had sciatica and extreme carpal tunnel and couldn’t feel anything from the bottom of my fingers up. All while I was trying to work through my pregnancy and be camera ready, which was already a lot of pressure!
How did Alina’s birth go?
On top of tearing during delivery, I pinched my ephemeral nerve. When they tried to get me off of the delivery table, they stood me up and I just fell. This left me incapable of holding Alina and walking or moving for a while. It took me five months to recover. For a first pregnancy— it was a lot!
And what about the recovery and postpartum period?
I didn’t feel like myself until about 6 months after when I got cleared to workout and put pressure on my leg. I never thought I would be like the old Andreea— your priorities shift, your body shifts— everything is so different!
I felt like I needed to be strong and be confident that I could reach a level of self again, for her.”
What motivated you post-pregnancy?
Work was a big push to get back out there. And because I wanted to have another kid, I thought, if I let this defeat me, then what’s my business trying to have another kid? Who will I be after a second kid?
How do you feel being a role model mom?
Becoming a mom has definitely made me understand how strong my body is and what the female body can do. There’s a lot of pressure from the outside world, mainly from people that haven’t gone through motherhood — or men who, SORRY, unfortunately just can’t ever understand.
Do you compare yourself to other moms?
We have to stop comparing ourselves to other moms. I was comparing myself to other mom bloggers and it became a mental roller coaster! I want moms to have patience with themselves. Understand that everybody is different — no pregnancy or postpartum journey is the same.
I remember one mom who was running a marathon postpartum. Another was back in her regular jeans in just nine weeks. Listen— I had to size up. I actually threw away my clothes. I just thought that mentally it was better to donate and give things away that didn’t fit me. Instead of me focusing on trying to get back into pants or shirts that will probably never fit again, I wanted to wear clothes that made me feel good about myself.
How has the mom community embraced you?
I never understood the community that comes with becoming a mom. But all of a sudden, out of the woodwork, when I post a question I get a million responses! I got so many helpful tips and I learned that I can affect lives in a positive way by recommending products that make other mom’s lives easier. I can connect with women all over the world!
Tell us how you feel about the “snapback, bounce-back” culture
The stress of bouncing back to your pre-pregnancy self makes me so mad. I felt sad. I felt defeated. I was going through all the emotions.
I saw a mom post how she was cleared for her six weeks and the next day she was back to her two mile run. It makes me think how much that can affect a new mom. I understand it, because I work in this industry, but a mom that doesn’t see through social media might not realize that those pics could have been shot six months ago or that maybe she just ran for two seconds for a social campaign. I don’t want other moms to think that they need to be running two miles a day after they get cleared. I’ve thought that way myself. Like why am I not working out five times a week? I just think snapback culture has to end. It’s toxic. It’s not good for any mom’s mental state.
What’s your confidence like postpartum?
I’ve made it a priority to be very transparent about the postpartum body and my body journey. I committed to never retouching my photos when it comes to my body. There is no rush to get to whatever body goal you have. I have a body goal. My body goal is to be really strong and feel good in my body— whatever size or scale number that would be. My weight has changed, but who cares. Do I feel stronger? Absolutely. Do I feel more confident? Yes. This is my postpartum journey — nobody can put that journey in a box.
Do you love your postpartum body?
I love my body now in the way that it gave birth to my daughter. I went through all this hardship and I’m on the other side. I actually think I have more confidence now than I did before. It’s a different kind of confidence. Before I was so focused on the very physical aspects and now it’s based on internal things.
How do you stop social media from affecting your positivity?
Once you find your inner confidence, it’s very freeing to quiet the noise. Maybe that means to mute accounts. Or maybe to stop going on certain sites. For me, social media is my job, I have to be on it, but I had to turn off some accounts— even those of friends. You have to put yourself, your mental self first. You have to handle your sh*t and just be confident in that!
What words of advice do you have for Alina?
I’m secretly, selfishly hoping that there is no social media or that it’s not cool anymore by the time she’s a teenager. But remember — everything is temporary.
I want to make sure Alina knows that her uniqueness is her strength. For me, I was teased about my unibrow. And now everybody is like “OMG-your eyebrows-we love them!”. Embrace your uniqueness, girls!
Stay true to yourself no matter how cool or uncool it is. Your uniqueness is your strength.
I’d also love to teach her to be kind. Be kind because life gives you back good things if you are kind.
And finally, tell us about your feeding journey
Alina was given formula at the hospital when she wouldn’t latch. I wasn’t a fan of the brand the hospital had recommended. I wanted a European formula, but I didn’t like the idea of not knowing where the formula was coming from or how it was getting shipped. I wanted something organic from a brand that was transparent about their ingredients. I did a lot of research and came across Bobbie.
After getting formula shamed by other moms (many who were European), I loved Bobbie’s message and their mission. They reminded me that it was okay to do whatever you wanted to do as a mom — as long as your baby is fed, they are fine. I liked that it was about the feeding of your baby and also the mental state of mom — the whole motherhood journey! I think more brands should be like that!
I had oversupply, clogged ducts and mastitis and decided to combo feed. After four months, Alina wasn’t interested in breastfeeding so I went with Bobbie completely.
From all of us at Bobbie, we so appreciate you Andreea for sharing your authentic words of self-reflection and positivity. Thank you.
Stay tuned every month to get the scoop on modern parenthood from our community. And remember, you’re doing amazing.
xo,
Bobbie