Jana Kramer: ‘Motherhood Has Changed My Life for the Best’

Like most moms, Jana Kramer has a lot on her plate, but she’s managed to learn the art of balancing work and family. When she’s not on tour or on set, she’s most likely spending time with her 15-month-old daughter, Jolie Rae.

“Motherhood has changed my life for the best,” she tells Yahoo Celebrity. “I’ve always wanted to be a mother. I love acting, I love singing, but I always felt like something was missing. I never really knew what my purpose was, and I honestly didn’t figure out that purpose until I had Jolie.” (In case you’re wondering, Jolie means “pretty one” in French.)

Every day is a journey for the One Tree Hill alum, and she uses social media to share her many experiences with fans. During her pregnancy, Kramer suffered from a severe case of morning sickness and, unfortunately, hers didn’t go away after the first trimester. Kramer struggled with it until the day she went into labor.

“It was about the six-week mark when I was like, ‘Oh, here it is.’ For me, it was all-day sickness — from morning to afternoon to night, and I wish I didn’t let it go on for so long,” she explains.

Kramer says she couldn’t even get through performances onstage and had to cancel shows. “Finally, I went to my doctor and I was like, OK, this is now affecting my lifestyle. I’ve tried everything. I’ve tried the ginger pops. I’ve tried changing my diet. I’ve tried changing my lifestyle. Nothing is working. That’s when she suggested Diclegis.”

The 33-year-old actress and singer is now making it her mission to help other expectant moms. On May 9, Jana will be live-tweeting with fans and moms about dealing with morning sickness.

Through it all, Kramer is loving life as Jolie’s mom. “I don’t like spending any more than two days apart from her,” she reveals. I think that has been the biggest challenge is just trying to do everything that I love and making sure that she’s there with me.”

And the two already have an undeniable bond. “My favorite part about being a mom is just knowing I’m her mom,” smiles Kramer. “She’s my little girl.”

In other entertainment news, Kelly Ripa got inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame:

Read more from Yahoo Celebrity:

• Emma Watson Wins First Genderless Acting Award at MTV Movie & TV Awards

• Gwyneth Paltrow’s Boyfriend Gushes About Her #LegsforDays

• Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn Spoof Oscars Blunder During MTV Movie & TV Awards