A MOTHER-OF-FIVE from Rhyl has released a book about motherhood, which looks back on her own experience of rearing children.

Jess Hymus-Gant first started writing “bits and pieces” for her new book, Moments in Mummydom, many years ago, when she was still a new parent.

Now a mother to five, she looks back on those “tired, lonely” times and found that many others had gone through the same experiences.

“I was a new parent and at that stage I was trying to navigate looking after two small people, a new-born who did not sleep at all for the first year and a 19-month-old,” Jess told the Journal.

Rhyl Journal: Jess with Darren Millar MS at her book launch.Jess with Darren Millar MS at her book launch. (Image: Jess Hymus-Gant)

“As well as exhilarating, it was a lonely place at times, amidst the sheer tiredness and being bombarded with advice from people, books, healthcare professionals.

“Trying to work out who to listen to and whether to trust my own judgement, riding the pendulum of melting moments, when my little ones did something that just grabbed my heart and extreme self-doubt.”

“So I just started to put a few little bits on social media, normally in the middle of the night during night-feeds, as a kind of ‘is there anyone else out there who is having a day like this?’.

“It turned out quite a few people did, and there began the seeds of a book and my blog.”

The book charts her authentic and relatable rollercoaster journey through the highs and lows of parenting five rambunctious children, and offers humour, sadness and solace.

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After what Jess describes as a “nomadic” upbringing, she finally settled in Wales 25 years ago and has worked as a service manager for a social justice charity for 24 of those years.

Moments in Mummydom was published last month, is available on Amazon and Kindle, and Jess held a book launch hosted by Darren Millar MS with up to 70 people in attendance.

The book has already garnered praise, with former BBC presenter Rachel Vine calling it a “wonderfully funny, warm and engaging insight into the ride that is parenting”, adding “this heartfelt diary will remind you that messy, imperfect family life is where the magic happens".

Jess credited a writing course she had attended earlier this year with giving her the push to publish.

Rhyl Journal: Jess with members of her family.Jess with members of her family. (Image: Jess Hymus-Gant)

She said: “ It is so important that in this day and age of social media, where we are bombarded with airbrushed images of life, we are honest and real with each other.

“In January I did a ‘Write my Book’ course with a number of other writers - we had a fantastic book coach, Matt Bird, and he kept us accountable as we set aside 100 days to write our books.

“Five of us have now had our books published.

“You'll laugh, you'll cry and you'll find comfort in knowing you're not the only one.”