News

To her, children are not an excuse – they are an impetus to make things happen, and “there is nothing more important than healthy and calm parents and children, as well as their harmonious relationships. There is nothing more important than family.”

Always looking for the answers, Natalia has long-year experience (over 15 years) In print, TV and online media.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from the New Bulgarian University, and a Brand Management MA degree from the same university. Later on, she got another master’s in Primary Pedagogy from the Sofia University “St. Clement Ohridski”.

As a mother of two, the topics of pregnancy, birth, and conscious parenting are very close to her. Her curiosity for the physical and emotional health – both of the parents, and of the children, has motivate her to undergo multiple trainings in first aid for babies and children, art therapy for children, academies in emotional and social intelligence in children and so on.

1. Natalia, you have rich professional experience in various website from the Net Info network. Could you please share the biggest challenge you have faced in your work so far?

When it comes to working with information and you are well aware this information will reach people, even if it is just one person (in our case, it reaches hundreds of thousands of users), the daily challenge you are facing is to sift through the information that is reliable, verified, and high-quality. You should not let anything get you misled, you should be thorough, people should understand what you are telling them, you should be useful, delicate, but also open and precise; you should make people trust you first, but also deserve their trust every day – these are the challenges a journalist is facing on a daily basis. And I am no exception.

2. You are a mother of two. Does your private life give you inspiration for your professional undertakings?

Of course. I believe that in life we should achieve the right balance between our personal interests and our daily activities. This is the way we can be happy. Currently, I am the editor-in-chief of one of the most established websites for mothers and parents – “Oh, Na Mama”. Pretty often, I am joking with my fellow-workers that “I have not just seen this movie. I am part of this movie.” Because I am interested in the same topics that pregnant ladies are interested in, and now I am interested in the topics related to bringing up the children. I am definitely inspired by the conversations, advice and all those wonderful mothers, whom I meet daily – at the parents’ meeting, in the playgrounds, in social networks.

3. What are the most memorable moments of your work that have made you feel really happy and satisfied?

Most of the times, I feel satisfied when I have managed to help or calm down someone by giving them important information. Or simply when I have walked in someone else’s shoes. Sometimes, people really need empathy. My happiness and my joy lie in my meetings with all those amazing people that I have had to honor to talk to – touching the success of Bulgarian and international celebrities and the experience and wisdom of each individual with an exceptional life is priceless.

4. You mentioned that you have recently become the editor-in-chief of our platform “Oh, Na Mama”, which is dedicated to a topic that is important for every woman – parenting. Could you please tell us more about the responsibility that comes with this important topic and what is the content that makes the website stand out?

Bringing up two children (in my case) is a huge responsibility – imaging the responsibility of giving advice and opinions on topics related to the health and well-being of thousands of other children. But I am happy and most of all grateful for being able to work with a broad circle of the best experts in the field of child health. Yes, being selective and making sure you provide reliable and verified information on important topics is my responsibility, and the responsibility of the amazing team behind the website. But without our experts, the topics would not have been so thoroughly and professionally developed. Furthermore, we remain true to the maxim that after all, “mamma is a human being, too”- therefore, we also publish entertaining content, of course, presented smartly, because I can gladly say that our audience is committed, intelligent, and witty.

 5. One of the key priorities of Ohnamama.bg is to not only offer curious and useful information to its readers, but also to make sure it is told, verified and confirmed by experts. How important is expertise, when it comes to children’s health?

Yes, as I mentioned, we are working with a broad circle of some of the best experts in children’s health. I am convinced that parents should be calm, confident, and well informed when it comes to bringing up their children. And this can only happen with the right and reasonable selection of expert opinion about the physical and emotional health of children. I am proud that names such as ophthalmologist Prof. Alexander Oscar – Doctor of the Year 2020, Ass. Prof. Nikoleta Markova – one of the most prominent experts in pediatric dental medicines in Bulgaria, Mariana Manusheva – the creator of the First Aid School, are all part of the experts that we trust. And there are many more – some of the best consultants in nursing, child sleep, healthy diets, speech therapists, psychologists, even experts in car child safety (I find it difficult to list all the amazing people and experts) have joined our mission to be a reliable, adequate source of information. And I am grateful because they contribute to making sure our children are growing up healthy and happy.

6. What do you think are the most important topics that deserve deeper discussions?

Everyone who has a child knows that there are no topics, cases or problems that are not important. When it comes to our most valuable treasure, I believe we should be well informed so that we can make adequate decisions. The topic that I personally believe deserves more attention from all of us as a society is the family. As a unit, as a value, as a choice. Focusing on making sure our child is doing well – taking care of their health and their needs, we often forget that we too should be happy and in harmony between each other as parents. We should show our children what love actually means in reality, instead of letting our children find out what it is from fairytales and the movies. Mothers and fathers, regardless of their status – married, parents or separated – should demonstrate respect, dedication, and love for each other. And the good example of giving love will teach children to have big, good hearts.

7. The “Oh, Na Mama” platform offers not only useful information, but also various tools for future mothers. Could you please tell us more about how they can be useful and have you used any of them yourself?

We have a broad range of tools that can make the lives of parents easier in a quick and efficient way. For example, every pregnant woman can follow her healthy weight gain during the pregnancy period. We also have a special immunization calendar to make it easy for us, and the pregnancy thesaurus is simply amazing – all those complicated words and names that each of us comes across for the first time, are explained and make us feel calm, which is extremely important. I have used all of them and they have really made my life easier.

8. One of the exciting sections in the website is the one that helps future parents pick a name. Pretty often, we say that a name defines one’s fate. This makes selecting a name even harder. Do you believe in this or do you think that this is just a myth?

I don’t believe that a name can predefine one’s fate, because this would mean one’s fate is determined by the person who picks their name. But I do believe that it is important to be very serious when it comes to selecting the names of our children. Therefore, we have a great and very rich Name List, where each family can pick a name suitable for their baby.

9. What is it that inspires you when you select the topics on the website?

The living life. Literally. In our website, we are doing our best to answer the questions that interest a pregnant woman and every parent. I am inspired by the questions that we receive from mothers. I am inspired by my personal conversations in the playground. I am inspired by situations where I, being a parent, face on a daily basis. I have always said that my power is not so much my knowledge, but my desire to gain knowledge. Never stopping to ask questions and look for the answers to important questions and finding them so that I can pass them forward.

10. What was the last topic that you worked on and why do you think it will be interesting for the readers?

Just before this conversation, I collected some photos of the first meeting between a mother and her baby. Real photos, revealing the depth of this intimate experience – the photos are genuine, beautiful, impactful, and spur a whirlpool of emotions, which, I believe, will move every woman. Come, take a look, and dive into the magic of motherhood. Stay and let’s walk down the path of parenting again – it’s not easy but it is definitely very meaningful.