By Paola Solis
El Inmobiliario
SANTO DOMINGO.- Iris Espinal, North Zone Commercial Director at Noval Properties, is experiencing one of the most significant stages of her life: the joyful anticipation of her first child, Dante. This accomplished professional, a determined and sensitive woman, has found in her pregnancy a new joy to live by.
Her life changed completely since she found out she was going to be a mother. “In everything! From how I breathe to how I tie my shoes (spoiler: I don’t tie them anymore, I just slip them on),” she tells El Inmobiliario. She also reveals how she has had to prioritize herself and see each day as a new opportunity: “It has forced me to slow down, to listen to my body, to prioritize myself without guilt, and to see each day as an opportunity to build an emotional home for the little one who is on the way.”.
Motherhood, even from pregnancy onwards, is a whirlwind of emotions. Iris doesn't hold back in describing them with clarity and humor: "Joy, fear, overflowing love, anxiety, tenderness, hunger at odd hours, profound gratitude... and yes, also the urge to cry watching diaper commercials. All together and sometimes at the same time!".
For her, perhaps the most powerful thing isn't what she feels, but what she projects. When she imagines her role as a mother, the Noval executive intertwines tenderness with realism: “A mix between the mother hen, the coach mom, and the mom who sometimes says, 'There's dinner tonight, but it's delivery.' I want to be approachable, fun, but also that firm figure who teaches by example. I want to be that present mother I never had.”.
Her greatest wish is to raise Dante with love and freedom. “Free, self-assured, surrounded by love, but without fear of making mistakes. May he know that his home is his refuge, not his prison. And that respect, empathy, and humor are tools for life, not pretty decorations.”.
Knowing that she will soon be responsible for a new life has changed her perspective on the world. “Before, I thought about the future in terms of achievements; now I think about it in terms of legacy,” she confesses. Iris has come to understand that her motherhood won't be perfect, but it will be profoundly human: “I want her to see me as human, not as a hero. I want her to know that Mom gets tired too, but never stops loving.”.
For Iris, motherhood isn't measured by achievements or appearances, but by the values that are cultivated: “Kindness, authenticity, gratitude, respect for others and for oneself. That she understands that her worth lies not in what she achieves, but in how she loves, how she treats others, and how she gets back up when she falls.”.
One of her most vivid memories from this period is deeply emotional: “I will never forget the day Joan and I heard Dante’s heartbeat for the first time. We looked at each other and didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, or run out to buy diapers… It was like hearing a drumbeat that marked the beginning of the greatest adventure of our lives.”.
When asked how she'll balance her career with this new phase, Iris answers honestly: "With help, with the humility to ask for it, and with a more flexible schedule, like my prenatal yoga classes." She understands she can't do it all, and doesn't intend to. "I'll learn to delegate more, to prioritize what really matters, and to remember that sometimes, the greatest success of the day will be a shared nap.".
Thus, amidst work, cravings, dreams, and fears, Iris Espinal begins to write her story as a mother, a memory that already beats strongly from the depths, like a drum announcing the beginning of a new life.
