Metro.Style #HipAndHappeningMoms 2019: Jess Tan-Gan

 

When the time is right, everything will all fall into place. Jessica “Jess” Tan-Gan believes in this saying, because her beautiful angel did come at the perfect moment.

Before becoming a mom, Jess would spend most of her days working under the Tan-Gan fashion label as its chief financial officer. She grew up tagging along her mom Lulu Tan-Gan on her buying and sourcing trips, factory visits, and trade fairs. Jess was sure she was going to spend the life ahead of her in this fashion business.

But Jess has decided to lessen her workload for the full-time job as a mother. The happiness, fulfillment, and intangible rewards she gets from which, no amount of money can ever equate to.   

Jess and her husband, businessman and athlete Earl Yap, was blessed with a baby three years after she found out she had a 10-cm myoma growing on her uterus, prompting her to go on a road to self-discovery as well as a health and wellness journey. It was indeed a terrifying and difficult road to take, but she knew she would make it through, especially with her husband's love and support. Jess wanted her own family, and when she finally had one, no words can express how grateful she is. 

Now with a one-year-old son by her side, Jess chats with Metro.Style to reminisce on some of the challenges she encountered as a mom and talk about how she was able to overcome them all.

 

READ: Your Last Minute Mother's Day Gift Guide For The Stylish Mom

 

Baby Benjamin

 

READ: Your Last Minute Mother's Day Beauty Gift Guide

 

How did you prepare for the birth of Benjamin?

"I'm like a workshop type of mom. I attend a lot of classes. For me, preparing for your baby is not like preparing for a puppy. You need to be prepared, so that your first few months, which is already physically and mentally tiring to begin with, is going to go as smooth as it could be. It's never going to be perfect but being prepared and having the tools is really important.

"One of the classes I took was an infant class about RIE (Resources for Infant Educarers). That prepared me so well for the first year and soon-to-be toddler life of my baby. I also have a baby bible; the author is American, Deborah Carlisle Solomon, and she wrote a book called Baby Knows Best."

 

How important was it having a support group through your pregnancy?

"It really helps to have mom friends. Ever since I became pregnant, I've been through the journey with my friends like Patti (Grandidge). I think it's one of the reasons why we haven't lost our minds yet!"

 

What's the most important thing you learned from your fellow moms?

"With me, with my doctors, I'd sometimes be so conflicted. When my doctor says this, I'll be like, 'Should I follow him? It doesn't feel right?' And then with Patti, she just kind of does her own thing, and I learned through that experience that if I don't feel like it's right for my baby, maybe it really isn't so I won't do it. Sometimes it's really about following that mother's gut instinct."

 

What's a tip you can share to your fellow first-time moms?

"Just enjoy the experience. I'm not very lax, but I just have faith that everything will turn out fine. And I think because we have knowledge now, we should be more mindful. It's our responsibility to bring that to our children and use the tools that we have to make our babies the best that they can be."

 

“When you become a mother, your time is limited and that forces you to be even more decisive on really prioritizing and allocating your time towards what matters. More than ever, family comes first”

 

[photos]

Photos from @jestangan

 

Photography by Stan Ong

Production and set design by Indy’s Playground

Clothes from Gingersnaps, Talulah’s Closet, Monochromatic Baby, Billie Mallare, and Pottly & Tubby 

 

Visit Metro.Style again for more #HipAndHappeningMoms Mother's Day special features.