For most women in the entertainment industry, combining career with motherhood has not been easy. But the show must go on as these amazons try to juggle both. Here, popular singers and actresses talk about how they’ve been coping with the challenge of running a family and keeping a career. Enjoy:

Hope Davies, singer

I cope very well as a musician and mother. It is all about planning. When you plan your life, you don’t over-indulge in something. I make sure I have time for my family. Many things will take you away from your family, just plan your life, and make a conscious effort to be with your family always. Each day must be planned.

Monalisa Chinda, actress

The name of my daughter is Tamar. My career has not suffered in anyway. In fact, I am surprised that I could go back to work as early as I did. This has made me a stronger person because I have been able to combine the two reasonably well.

Becky Orits Wiliki, actress

I have been married to Orits Wiliki for over 15 years and we have two kids. My family is my first priority. It is quite difficult trying to run a family as well as keeping my career as an actress. Just like any other person in any other profession, it has never been easy trying to combine family life and one’s career. However, success is an issue in every one’s life and everyone of us wants to succeed both in marriage and career. Much as we try, we are faced with the challenges of keeping both paths. It is not easy to abandon any of them. You can’t leave your family so also you won’t want to lose focus in your career. You must strive to strike a balance. This is the reason I find it difficult to abandon my family frequently for acting assignment that might take me out for long. Apart from that, perhaps I would have done much better in the movie industry.

Agatha Amata, TV presenter

My son is Orewa and my daughter is Stephanie. My professional life does not and will not affect my personal life because I work for myself and so can make my own time. My children are next to God. The only thing that can take my place of work is my children. If I’m in the middle of a recording and they call to say they need me, I’ll drop the recording. There is no balance there for me; it has to do with priority over that.

Bukky Wright, actress

My first son is Olugbenga Jeremiah, we call him O.J. The second one is Eniola. I thank God for my children who understand what I do and I also thank God for my late mother who was very supportive. The people around me have not allowed me to feel the stress of raising my children, my work and living my personal life. Besides, my children love what I’m doing so they don’t complain or stress me. They know I have their interest at heart. They also know that if I go out in the morning, I always come back for them and that is why they don’t complain. On Sundays, I don’t leave the house at all because I want to be with my children and listen to them talk about the things they experienced in the week, we also use that time to plan what the forthcoming week will be like,

Patricia Uwaje King (Midnight Crew)

My marriage has been beautiful and challenging. The future is promising because I got married to my friend who has been very supportive, and it gives me peace as a woman and singer.

Ireti Osayemi, actress

There is no one that can take care of your kids for you and you can’t do these two things at the same time. You don’t have a choice; you either stay with your kid at home or take him wherever you are going. It has been the grace of God so far. I’ve been able to juggle things together.

Mide Funmi Martins, actress

It takes a lot of stress being a housewife and a public figure because it’s not very easy. Most times you get tired after coming from location, that’s why I’m not always on the screen. I’m always at home because my home is more important. I go to location once in a while. My husband is very comfortable with my kind of job; it’s a matter of understanding. He knows the kind of job we are doing, he is also in the industry as a director and producer.

Wunmi Obe, singer

We have three children. The first one is a girl, her name is Modesayo and she was born in 2000. The second one, Ricardo, is a boy. The last one is Andrew. I guess I’m lucky that I have somebody that is in the same industry with me because he knows how it is. I am sure if I had married someone from another profession, he wouldn’t have taken it easy with me. We move and work together. As a mother, I try as much as possible for my profession not to disturb me. We have two nannies that are always with them. We don’t hang out and any opportunity we get, we spend it with the children.

Foluke Daramola, actress

I have two wonderful kids, Ibukunoluwa and Iretioluwakitan. I try as much as possible not to allow my career affect my home. What I love and cherish most in life are my kids. I’ll never jeopardize them for anything. When it comes to my acting, I always balance it up. When I was single and did not have kids, I was always taking any role. But when I started having kids, I started picking my roles and I just don’t take any jobs. If my kids don’t see me in a week especially my boy, there is a tendency that he will take ill. I try to balance it up and most of the time they gain more of my attention than my profession.

Kenny St. Brown (KSB), singer

I have two kids, Edwina, a girl and Ololade, a boy. Motherhood has not removed anything from my career. For me, motherhood is just an extra demand and ordinarily it would have slowed me down and that is what motherhood does to female artistes. But to me, it doesn’t because even when pregnancy comes, I do not see it as a non-productive period. I used the period to write songs. There is an inspiration that only the experience of motherhood can open you to, so being a mother has not slowed down my career at all. Rather, it has opened me up to a different level of entertainment.