Rawan bin Hussain on preparing for motherhood in Dubai

Rawan bin Hussain, Instagram star and Founder of House of Rawan beauty brand, talks about her pregnancy journey, gap year, and preparation for her baby girl.

When Kuwaiti-Palestinian Rawan Bin Hussain revealed she was pregnant in an Instagram video, we had to secure an exclusive with the glowing mum-to-be. If you aren’t on Instagram and haven’t been following this lifestyle influencer’s journey, Rawan first broke the internet when she took to social media to publish poetry. “I used to write poetry on Instagram and shared pictures from my travels, until the biggest broadcasting channel in the Middle East, MBC, published it and called me the ‘Kuwaiti writer that looked like Brooke Shields.’ That was a trending topic for a couple of months because people thought that I looked a bit different to people from the region.” While studying Law, her Instagram grew at a swift pace, and Rawan found herself collaborating with multiple brands, founded her own beauty label – House of Rawan – and even published a book. She plans to continue her Master’s degree next fall, but in the meantime, Rawan is enjoying being pregnant and learning everything she can about raising her first child, a girl.

Rawan has chosen the UAE, specifically Dubai, to give birth to her baby girl, as “it’s the center of the world and is a beautiful, cosmopolitan hub where opportunities are found and where dreams come true,” she says. “I wanted to make the best out of my gap year by staying here and working with the brands that I absolutely love.”  Rawan also mentions that the medical system in Dubai is very good. “My doctor is very nice, and she is very understanding of my lifestyle and work. She makes sure that my pregnancy is as smooth as much as possible, with the hectic lifestyle that I lead.”

Raised with four siblings, Rawan is well aware that her life is about to change drastically. “I think that being a mum will change my life and not just my social media life. Being a mother is a big responsibility and it alters your whole world, your responsibilities, priorities, you start thinking very different and you look at the bigger picture, and my bigger picture always involves my baby and her future,” she tells me. “Of course, that is going to make it worse when it comes to my social media, because I will not only have to set a good example for my followers but also for my daughter who will look up to her mother.”

With her massive following and responsibility, also comes pressure. When questioned, Rawan replies, “There is a lot of pressure on me, because at the end of the day, I am an influencer. I influence people and that means a lot of people look up to me whether I want that or not.” She does feel a bit responsible for those people, for her actions, what she says, and is aware that it can modify people’s mentality and decisions. “I try to stay real, positive, and have a good message.”

To keep calm, Rawan often books herself for prenatal yoga session. “A lot of days, when I don’t have work, I just stay in bed and that’s not really good. When it comes to the end of the pregnancy, you need to keep moving and keep the blood flow and circulation going.” It’s been a wonderful journey, according to Rawan, to see how she has improved from her first yoga class where she could not even focus. “I used to end up crying and pouring my heart out to my yoga instructor because of various reasons, like moving to a new city, not having to go to university anymore – that was the biggest gap of my life this year. For the past 22 years, I have been studying all the time and that took a huge part of my life, an enormous routinely part of my life,” she says. Not having that anymore, Rawan turned to prenatal yoga to fill the void in some way and is thoroughly enjoying the journey to motherhood. Without having to go to university or study all the time, her typical day now depends on when she feels ready to wake up. “If I have work, I wake up early, have a proper breakfast, shower, grab some coffee on the way for the team and myself, and then just go to the shoot location. I finish by the evening and head home. On the days where I have nothing planned, I go for yoga, and walk around the block. I used to take French classes, but I stopped for a while, because of travelling, but I am keeping myself busy in Dubai.”

Once her baby is due, Rawan is aware that her schedule will no longer be the same. “I will still be working but I need to be not only responsible as a mother, emotionally and socially, but also responsible financially. I don’t want to be the kind of woman who relies on her husband. I respect the role of a man and I also have so much respect for the role of a woman in helping the family financially. So, of course my work will still be there, however I will try my best to manage between work and my family life and I won’t compromise one or the other,” says Rawan.

At Mother Baby and Child magazine, we applaud women who are able to do it all. Becoming a mum is a huge step, with all the responsibility and learning that comes along with it, but Rawan seems to have a great support system – her husband and family – which she mentions is incredibly crucial.

Her advice for other pregnant mums, is to enjoy the beautiful experience. “It’s crazy how time flies. You will remember the first month, the first kick, the gender reveal scan, and all the worries you have. I think it is the most beautiful experience I have gone through. Just take it easy, whatever is going to happen, is going to happen and it is meant to be.” As she smiles while touching her baby bump, she speaks of how our bodies are meant to have kids, meant to change for a child, so it really isn’t something to worry about. “To all the pregnant mums, enjoy it and get as much sleep as possible, because I am sure when the baby arrives, you won’t have any time for sleep,” she laughs.

As for whether or not her baby girl will make an appearance on social media. “I am not sure if my child will be on social media, it’s a decision that I have to make with her father. So, let’s say for now that I don’t think so, I would want to keep it private for a couple of months,” she tells me, which is understandable, given most of her family life is private. For now, she’s busy making decisions about baby names, and we can’t wait to hear all about mini Rawan bin Hussain.

EDIT: In the days after our interview, Rawan welcomed gorgeous baby Luna to the world. We are so grateful to Rawan for sharing her journey with us, and wish her all the health and happiness with her new bundle of joy!

Credits:
Fashion: Galeries Lafayette
Hair Stylist: Michael Sassine
Makeup Artist: Elizabeta
Photographer: Ekaterina Trofimova  Instagram: (@katro_photo)
Location: Palazzo Versace Dubai (@palazzoversacedubai)