Fast Confession - model Renata Langmannová: Due to hormones I wept over a girl, we were expecting a boy
For years, the model Renata Langmannová bravely resisted the question of when she'd finally have a baby. Because she had been in a relationship for years, then she got married and still nothing, people stopped asking her questions. Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, she managed to keep it a secret for quite some time, that she was expecting a baby, and last September she finally gave birth to a beautiful little girl, whom she named Meda. And the world began to turn in a completely different direction. Renata is a mother, with everything that comes with it. Nevertheless, she doesn't only indulge in motherhood - due to owning a company, she even worked from the maternity hospital and she's definitely not on a "leave" as we know it. In an interview for LP-Life.com, she talked mostly about her "Mrs. Meda".
Renata, we did our last interview together three years ago. You're finally a mom, how are you feeling?
I feel good. I have a feeling it hasn't changed me in any fundamental way, it's still me. Because I see a lot of women around me who change completely due to motherhood.
In what way do they become different?
They are different, they suddenly deny themselves completely and focus only on the child.
So your way is not to change your life for the sake of the child, but the child has to adapt to you?
I'm trying, of course, it's not easy. I had a bit of a naïve idea that the child would adapt to my lifestyle, but unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. The child needs things such as a regimen and the like, but I try my best so we can do the things we used to do before too.
For instance?
Travelling. We've been away with her three times by now, even in this era. She handled it well, of course, a vacation with a child is not the same as a vacation without a child, let's face it. When we arrive somewhere, it takes her a while to come to terms with the new environment, with everything. It's always harder in the beginning, but the older she gets, I think it'll be much easier for her to adapt. She'll be used to the changes, people, and that's what we're aiming for.
Did you fly on your vacation?
Yes, every time.
Did she take the flight well?
She did. We deliberately chose destinations that are not so far away. It's more about the parents, if they can manage it (laughs).
Yes, but your husband is already a seasoned dad.
Yes, but there's a twenty years difference between the daughters, so he forgot a lot.
How old is Trinity? She is already a woman old enough to marry…
She's great. She is really a grown woman. When I was pregnant last summer, she was here with me for almost two months. Ondra worked a lot and was often away, so she took care of me. I was already in an advanced stage of pregnancy, she massaged my legs and brought me cakes in the evening. That was very nice. She's really precious.
She lives in France, how often does she see her sister?
She flies here as often as she can. Even during these times, she will make time and come, usually once a month or every two months.
That's amazing, adult children are usually not as interested in their younger siblings anymore.
She loves children. She has two more siblings in France from her mother's side. They are already older, time really flies, they're around twelve years old now. So she's really good with children. She was with us on a vacation in Spain. Ondřej and I went to dinner on our own, she looked after her and I wasn't worried for a second, I knew she would take good care of her.
It's great to have such help, even if only occasionally. Especially since your parents are in Moravia.
They are in Moravia. But we see each other far more often than before, because now we have an even bigger reason for it. With small children, the changes are visible every month, every week. I don't want to deny them to see their granddaughter grow up. So I go there quite often, or they come to Prague.
How is Ondřej managing it?
I have to say, sometimes better than me. I'm extremely grateful to him for any help. He's very calm, nothing bothers him. Sometimes I don't know what to do with her anymore and he reassures me that she's just a small baby, that it'll be all fine. He can change her diapers, feed her, bathe her, put her to sleep. I'm very lucky that he's such a great support. I was really clueless at the beginning, and till this day I still am sometimes, but he isn't at all. I admire all mothers who raise a child on their own. It's really hard sometimes. Especially the lack of sleep... and if you don't have anyone to babysit for a while... I can't even imagine.
Before this, everyone in interviews and outside of them, constantly asked you when will you finally have a baby. How did people react to your pregnancy?
I think people were happy for us that we're having a baby.
Or were they saying "finally"?
Exactly, "what have you been waiting for so long"? (laughs)
Because you've been together for a really long time now and without any scandals, cheating or other problems…
Everything is as it should be. She may have chosen it herself to come at this time. In the end, it actually happened quite unexpectedly.
She wasn't planned?
It wasn't extremely planned, we stopped thinking about it for a while already. She actually came on her own.
Why the name Meda?
For a long time, I was sure it would be a boy. I already had a name for a boy, we weren't thinking about a girl at all. Ondřej really wanted to have a boy, so in the end, I was a little disappointed when I learned that it was a girl. I felt like I wasn't fulfilling his wishes, so I cried a bit under the influence of hormones. Now, of course, I see it differently. Afterwards, we started coming up with names for a baby girl. I wrote down a list of names that I liked and that would suit the surname Novotná. I think that was the biggest problem. I liked many of them, but they weren't a good match for this surname.
During the summer, there was a play about Meda Mládková, there were billboards all over Prague with the title Meda. I thought it was a nice, short, unusual name. At the same time, it's not a foreign name, but it's not boring either. So I put it on the list, and in the end, we agreed on two names, one of which was Meda. Then I came to terms with the name and I started calling her Meda already in my tummy. Inside, I already knew she was supposed to be called Meda.
When is her name day?
It's not in the Czech calendar, but it's in the Hungarian one, August 1st.
How did "Mrs. Meda" come about?
It has nothing to do with Meda Mládková. Even when I was at the 3D screening, she looked so pensive, she had a wrinkle between her eyebrows. When she was born, she looked at us as if she knew everything. She had this look of a reincarnated old person. So Mrs. Meda came from that.
When she grows up, you'll see if she's maybe a genius.
Well, we'll see how she turns out... I think she'll be a huge personality. But also what else can come out from the two of us… (laughs).
I think first and foremost you're both workaholics.
That too. Ondřej is probably an even bigger workaholic than me, although I'm crazy as well. But we're both people who want to achieve something in life and we strive for it. We're both quite specific personalities, I don't know what can come out of this union.
You said she took away your figure, but you look great.
Thank you. I know what I looked like before, I see the changes. I still have some extra pounds, but I believe I will shed them again.
What are you doing to lose weight? I know you used to jog and injured your knee in the process.
It's hard to do anything these days. You can't go anywhere, it was cold outside. When we were in Spain, I was excited to go jogging and finally start doing something for my figure. I guess I overdid it, I pushed myself past the pain. Now I have an inflammation in my knee and I can't walk (laughs).
Are you on any special diets?
I think the hormones are still holding onto me, or my body is holding on to the pounds because it stills needs them for the recuperation. I still can't really sleep at night yet and so on, but in time I think it might disappear its own. I tried a box diet for about three weeks, but I didn't lose even ten grams. Do you get it? Not even ten grams! So I'm thinking it's just supposed to be like this and I still need those pounds. But one day maybe they'll go away. (Laughs)
Are collaborations on Instagram still a source of your income?
Partially. But I have my agency CoolSisterz, that's the main activity for me. We mainly do influencers marketing, social media campaigns and PR. We've had some really nice big projects recently, which I'm proud of. For instance, the new campaign for Magnum is coming out these days. I still work with the Tereza Maxová Foundation too, but that's my voluntary charity. Every year we make a new product for my design collection Teribear by Renata, this year we made a drinking bottle. The money from the sales of this bottle goes to the foundation's projects. All of these are some nice things that I enjoy and maybe they can also help someone.
So you didn't take any bigger break from it?
When you have a company, you don't just pause it because you've had a child. I have a partner and friend Lenka Matějková, who took over a lot of duties when I was indisposed. But she can't do everything on her own all the time. I didn't stop working almost at all, I was solving some things from the maternity hospital as well.
Did the pandemic influence your work in any way?
Thank God, no. On the contrary, we had even more work last year than any other year, because many companies switched to online marketing and social media.
And then you got pregnant during all of that.
But I continued working, pregnancy can't really stop you. It just gets worse later with the baby.
Yes, but many women have more difficult pregnancies.
I had it pretty alright, I worked until the last minute.
Do you get offers for photoshoots or interviews as a mother?
Yes, motherhood has opened some new doors for me. It's interesting. I just thought about it recently, it's like having a dog. People who have dogs will suddenly start talking to you. I think it's similar with children, you gain new friends. The children will connect you, different companies will start to be interested in you. Mrs. Meda is already cooperating. I think once she has her own head, she'll tell me I did the right thing. In my opinion, opportunities have to be used, maybe one day she will decide to study in America and she'll need the money.
Are you saving some money for her?
We are.
What about a second child?
I never considered having just one. It occurs to me that only children have a harder time in life. It's a pity. If a woman can have more children and the situation allows it, why not. I would like to, but of course, I don't know what will happen.
What about your girl gang? They are also growing numbers...
Yes. The baby boom of 2020/2021 is intense.
What did meeting with your girlfriends look like five years ago and what does it look like now?
It's crazy! It's difficult to meet up with all the children. Usually, two children are the same age, but at an early age, the difference is obvious every six months. Every child has its own way and its mother just runs around after it. We do see each other with the girls, but mostly in smaller groups. We're looking forward to going somewhere with the children when it's warmer.
It's really nice to have friends around you who are going through the same thing. When you discuss such changes and worries with someone who isn't on the same page, it's terribly boring for that person. When I didn't have children myself, I did like to meet my friends that had kids, but I didn't understand them, their worries. When you have someone to share it with and someone experiences it with you, it's a huge advantage. Almost all of my closest friends are experiencing it with me now. They all have small children now, almost the same age as Meda.
