Motherhood is a challenge. A global pandemic is a challenge. A military coup is a challenge. All three together make for an extraordinary story.

Yangon was Milla Chaplin Rae’s adopted home for six wonderful years; she met her husband there, had her baby there and even enjoyed waiting out the pandemic there. But on 1 February 2021, everything changed when Myanmar’s brutal military ousted the elected government, throwing the country into turmoil and the family’s plans to stay there into question. Only two months into motherhood, suddenly Milla wasn’t thinking about nappy changes and sleep patterns, she was wondering if it was safe to go outside. The family’s scramble to find an alternative life to the one they had built in Yangon takes them from Myanmar to India, via Ireland, Jersey and Australia.

Told with honesty, humour and humility, Not Quite To Plan is the story of Milla’s first year as a mother - a year in which she was as reliant on her baby for emotional support as he was on her for survival.

Narrated by the author, Milla Chaplin Rae. Produced and distributed by OfSpin Media Friends.

About the Author

Milla Chaplin Rae grew up in Jersey (UK). After graduating with a degree in Chinese and German, she embarked on a marketing and communications career which would take her to Beijing, New York and London before leading her to Yangon, where she fell in love with both Myanmar and her husband, Dylan.

NOT QUITE TO PLAN marks Milla’s debut as an author and details her extraordinary first year as a mother: a year in which she navigated the global pandemic, the 2021 Myanmar military coup and six months of involuntary separation from her husband - with a newborn baby in tow.

Milla now lives in Mumbai where she splits her time between her family, her work and her writing.

To get in touch with the author and share your thoughts, you can reach out to millachaplinrae@gmail.com or follow her on www.instagram.com/millarae_writes.

If you are having issues accessing the content, please reach out to the OfSpin team at info@ofspin.com.