OneUpBaby’s Katerina shares her version of being a mommy-blogger

Katerina, Mom & Lifestyle Coach of the OneUpBaby shares her stance, the dawn of her blog, and more.

With a degree in Biophysics, Katerina adds scientific background and research to the mix of her posts. This also adds an edge to her content on OneUpBaby, in the cluttered space.

In a candid conversation, Katerina brings out the secrets of a Mom Blogger, her experience OneUpBaby, and the evolution of the industry.

Looking back, where did it all begin?

It all began when I was a new Mom, Russian / American just recently moved to India, learning through the ropes of being a first time Mom. I wanted, of course, to raise my kid to the best of her abilities – curious and brave child. I started reading and researching about it.

With my 2 Master Degrees in Biophysics, I wanted to share them with other Moms – this is how OneUpBaby blog on Instagram was born.

I started sharing activities for babies – many Moms quickly responded, this is all nice and great, but we simply DO NOT HAVE energy and motivation, we are drained. From this point, I created a program for “tired moms”, which we have called “Happiness Recharge”. We run it in closed WhatsApp group with my video lessons helping the step by step to take a more positive outlook in life, restore body and mind, and discover the missing joy.

I also created programs like Baby Sleep Without Problems and Dream Relationships, and more coming up this year. My daily posts and Stories attracted 41K+ followership base, mostly young urban Indian parents.

What’s in the name, OneUpBaby?

“OneUp” is taken from American sports, where it means basically someone on the top of the charts, leading team or sportsman. So OneUpBaby would apply to children of all moms following our community, who are as happy and healthy as we want them to be.

What is your USP in this cluttered space? How does your content give you an edge?

All my posts are based on scientific background and research, whether they are about baby or mom issues. This makes my info a unique mix – I do not shy away from practical advice but give understandable theory behind it. In many cases, this information is new for Indian parents. In other cases, it confirms ancient wisdom that we get from Ayurveda, shared by our grandparents. And I also live up to my principles, showing how our whole family is following what I preach. We share our daily lives in Instagram Stories – and many of my followers enjoy the Stories even more than posts, especially our morning routine.

Importantly, I get lots of information from international sources, so OneUpBaby is a channel to share these innovations with Indian parents too.

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You know what every kid really needs? ⠀ ⠀ Happy Mom, who is ABLE TO SHARE with them her skills to live joyfully and slowly. ⠀ ⠀ If mom is simply happy, sitting with her phone in locked room, this is not enough. Baby will not be inspired. Baby should feel like he is a part of the life which makes Mom happy – this is the trick.??‍♀️??‍♀️??‍♀️ ⠀ ⠀ ☀️If mom is happy, it gives amazing example to the kids. She is the proof that in this imperfect world you can not only survive, but also enjoy – friendship, talks, walks, flowers, train rides, Diwali cleaning and family dinners??. If Mom can live like that – baby will be not scared of the world too. It means baby will not spend energy on being anxious and worried. Baby will simply grow – free and calm.??? ⠀ ⠀ ✖️Depressed Mom – Psychoanalysts have the term for her – they call her “dead parent”. She is dead as a connector for baby, between his small world of clean bedsheets and cozy playroom, and big scary world outside. … The energy of the big world does not come through her to the baby. She is closed and focused on herself, on her inner pain. ⠀ So baby also does not get enough energy to live. He is scared and suffocated. As he grows, he might try to revive his mom, to make her Happy. He will not succeed, and receive the first destructive experience of futility. He will try less in the future. ⠀ ⠀ ✖️Anxious Mom teaches babies to worry without a single reason, without a single word. She makes the anxiety the base camp for the family, from which they all are on lookout for potential troubles. The family is not breathing – they are on constant watch. Even if today is a wonderful weather, surely it will be spoiled by the evening. And mom will say, with tiresome look – I knew it. Every happy moment will be seen only like exception, as a quiet before sure storm in the future. ⠀⠀ ✖️Suspicious Mom sees enemies all around us. Even if person seems fine, surely he is just hiding his true face. <more in the Comments ??????> . . . Photo by @jaswalradhika.1712 . . #realmotherhood #motherhoodintheraw #motherhoodthroughinstagram #clickinmom #hellostoryteller #lifeasamama #momswithcameras #motherhoodthroughig

A post shared by ? Katerina? (@oneupbaby) on Aug 21, 2019 at 7:06am PDT

Please take us through your content creation process. How do you stay relevant and relatable?

I interact a lot with my followers. I take pride in answering them all, no matter how much time it takes. This gives me a unique view on what is really bothering my tribe, what kind of questions they have. Some of my answers I share right away in the Stories for others and some most common topics deserve a post on the page.

Also, I keep writing about topics most concerning for me, like the quality of our Babies sleep (the late sleep of babies is really an epidemic in India), or baby nutrition and Mom happiness. I feel personally passionate about these topics as they impact the lives of the future generation.

How do you make moolah with your efforts?

There are a lot of brands approaching me for advertisements on my page, but I keep it very limited – firstly excessive promotions irritate the followers, secondly, I do not have too much time, and brands can be very demanding. I intentionally keep a high bar for the price of promotions on my page, and also had denied many partnerships which do not fit with my philosophy. Importantly, I also run several paid programs online, for example, Happiness Recharge for Moms, Dream Relationships for Parents, and Baby Sleep Without Problems.

How do you maintain editorial objectivity with the influx of brand briefs?

Just as I mentioned before, I promote only the products I am happy to use myself and give to my kid. This makes the objectivity an easy task. I am also known to promote great startups free of charge, again if I believe in their ideas and philosophy.

One instance/experience that made it all worthwhile

Every day I have such experiences which almost make me cry (from happiness☺). New mom messaging me from the delivery hospital saying – thanks to reading your blog during pregnancy, I was able to breastfeed my baby and resist doctors pushing formula to my crying child. Or a lady from Dream Relationships group replying how she was able to notice so many wonderful things about their husband that their passion is back.

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3 MYTHS about PLAYTIME that stops us from becoming a fun mom – who can invent new activities and enjoy games with her kids ??‍♀️. These misconceptions scare most of us moms, so don’t forget to tag your friends here, and LIKE the photo before we start ❤️ . . ❌Myth 1: You need to spend the whole day playing with baby. But we need to cook and clean and work and have ME time too? This creates a lot of Mom Guilt, yes ladies? . ✅Truth: You need to play only 15-20 min, 2-3 times a day – this is enough for baby development. But you need to be focused and engaged with baby, no multitasking. Baby will benefit more. Its better than bored Mom who kinda plays but kinda scrolls Instagram too. . And during the rest of the day, engage baby with your normal daily life. Put baby to the kitchen floor and give onion to peel. Go to “Uncle ATM” together to get cash, search for right products in the shop. Babies enjoy being part of Mom’s life a lot! . . ❌Myth 2: You need to play “development games” even if they are boring for you. Because you have read that math and puzzle develops baby brain but you HATE math and puzzles! ??‍♀️??‍♀️??‍♀️ . ✅ Truth: You should find alternative games fun for both you and baby. Perhaps you love to draw – put large paper sheets and unleash your creativity. ??If you like fashion, organize a fashion show for dolls or play dress-up with baby. Anything that YOU LOVE is the best development game for your little one. . . ❌Myth 3: If you are a good Mom, games should come easy for you. Another Mom Guilt trap! No you can be a GREAT MOM but you may not have a habit to play with baby yet. Its not so easy! . ✅ Truth: as every habit, it can be developed. Plan these 15-20 min a day for the next 2-3 weeks and you will see, it will come easier to you. ‼️And baby will be ???????? read comments ?? . . . #oneupbaby_parenting #india_ig #indiapicturs #indianphotography #_hoi  #photographersofindia #india_clicks #travelbug_india #bangaloremoms #chennaimoms #kolkatamoms #delhimommyblogger #chennaimommyblogger #punemoms #indianmommyblogger #myhappymoments #myeverydaymagic #momentofmine #littlestoryofmylife #ourmoments #momentslikethis

A post shared by ? Katerina? (@oneupbaby) on May 21, 2019 at 7:49am PDT

Also Read: Hebbar’s Kitchen shares the secret ingredient to social media success…

Weirdest brand brief/request ever

Request to promote a processed cheese mixed with chocolate as a healthy snack for a kid.

If not blogging, you would be?

I do have my main full-time job in advanced analytics and AI – where we also use a lot of knowledge of human behavior and decision making. So all this knowledge is merging for me anyways.

A day in your life….

5 AM waking up for “me” time while the baby is sleeping – run outside while listening to “The Minimalists” podcast. 6:30 walk to the playground and garden with Shannon baby, our best time of the day. Run around, play, watch birds. 9 AM drop Shannon to playschool, get to the office, focus on Artificial Intelligence solutions working with my wonderful smart team.

7 PM home – dinner with husband and Shannon, quiet activities like painting with her, reading, watching cartoons, making my daily post on Instagram – and we are off to sleep around 9 PM. Cuddle and tell stories, fall asleep by 9:30. Most of the fun happens in the morning – we are definitely Morning people as the whole family.

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??New challenge for 14 days with Self-Report! ??SAVE first ? , and read the rules: . Wide Toe-Touch . ?Put legs 2x wider than shoulders (same position every day) . ?Bend over KEEPING BACK STRAIGHT . ?Keep maximum bend position according to each day time (swipe to the left for schedule) . ?While keeping time, contract the core muscles and keep back as straight as possible . ?Try to get lower every time without arching the back . ✅ Your muscles will adjust after 1-2 days and you will start improving flexibility . ✅ Leg muscles become longer . ✅ Increased blood circulation, especially about back of the legs and around leg connection with the torso, where you have lots of nerve endings and major important lymphatic nodes ‼️? . ✅ Soon you will feel really nice “after-taste” in hormonal balance too, this is an important zone for us ladies . ✅ Of course your flexibility and waist shape (especially from the back) will improve so much too. . Who is going to join the challenge, leave any comment below! ✨ SELF-REPORTING – every day after you complete exercise according to schedule, come back here and comment one letter per day of ✨I AM REALLY FLEXY✨ . 14 letters for 14 days of the challenge! For example, Day 1 you comment letter I , day 2 you come back and comment letter A and so on. ?So you will have a motivation not to skip a day, but keep making progress. Especially if others in the comments will be ahead of you! ✨✨✨Every day, one step to more flexibility ! And I will comment my letters here too so you can see how is my progress!! ❤️ . . . #oneupbaby_sport #momfitness #mommyfitness #igfitmoms #postpartumfitness #fitmomma #fitmomsrock #fitmomstrongmom #indianfitness #fitindian #mumbaifitness #fitindians #myindiafitindia #fitnessindia #india_clicks #travelbug_india #bangaloremoms #chennaimoms #kolkatamoms #delhimommyblogger #chennaimommyblogger #punemoms  #sahmlife #motherhoodunited #realmotherhood

A post shared by ? Katerina? (@oneupbaby) on Mar 18, 2019 at 6:00am PDT

Message/tips for upcoming bloggers

Find what unique and valuable information you can share with others. Blog about yourself or your baby ONLY in the context of adding new ideas to others who follow you, not to just showcase the cuteness of your munchkin. This will not get people to follow you, but new ideas will.

Be consistent, a daily post is a must. Show your face in the posts and stories, no matter how tired you are, as people need to know who is behind the camera. It makes it all real and relatable for them.

Be a Maven – a person who cannot help but sharing the new ideas. If this is in your blood, if you are willing to do it for free – you will get followers and succeed. If you start only to get paid, you may not have enough drive to survive through the first difficult times while you are building your tribe.

Your Favorite Influencer

Jenna Kutcher @jennakutcher – such openness about herself, her ups and downs. Lots of new ideas and tips, and always down to earth real and happy. Her podcast the Goal Digger is a great source for beginners in Instagram too. Free tips and advice.

The Future you foresee for your Personal Brand

This year I plan to meet more face-to-face with my followers – during offline Meet-Ups in Gurgaon, Bangalore, and Mumbai. I also plan a series of free webinars for the followers when we can cover interesting topics in-depth, and they have a chance to ask me questions Live. This all will make OneUpBaby closer to my target audience of young parents, and even more aligned with their daily needs.

The Future for me is to become “to-go” source for ethical mindful parenting, sharing all new ideas coming from international sources for Indian parents, in the Indian context.

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