Katy Batterham

Tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Katy. I am a mum of two (Halle & Tommy), a tradie wife and I work as a social worker. I grew up on the northern beaches of Sydney and made the move to Canberra in 2015 for work. I met my now husband on Tinder (he's from Canberra) and we were pregnant and engaged within two years of us being together (when you know, you know). I enjoy the beach, reading (when I can) and going on adventures/making memories with my family.

What were you doing before babies?

I was working full time as a social worker in both government and non-government agencies.

How did you come to be a mum?

I've always wanted to be a mum, I worked with children across my career and when I met my husband I knew he was the one I wanted to have babies with. Luckily he agreed and we decided to have a go and see what happens without really thinking. I was pregnant on the first try and we felt very grateful for this as we acknowledge others journeys to being parents are not so easy. The second time around, it took us about two tries to get pregnant and I had an early chemical pregnancy prior to falling pregnant the second time.

What has your feeding journey been like?

It was really difficult at first and I didn't do a lot of research because I thought it would just happen naturally (famous last words). I tried everything ( pumping, cookies, lactation consultant, medication & mix feeding) to breastfeed but unfortunately it didn't work out for us as my daughter was born with a significant tongue tie (they didn't cut it till she was 2 weeks old) and I had a low supply. We made the decision when she was about 4 months old to exclusively bottle feed and my mental health improved significantly as I watched her grow and develop because she had a full tummy.

My second time around was easier in some ways and harder in others (I was also looking after a 2 year old full time) but I was more relaxed and confident and had done a lot of research and discussed my plan with my midwife. I again intended to breastfeed (and had a plan with my midwife around how I would execute this) but my son was also born with a significant tongue tie (they cut his tongue tie at 5 days old) and we had some birth trauma (as he was born in about 3 hours from start to finish of labour) so me exclusively breastfeeding him didn't work out for us the second time around. Again my supply was low, but I made the decision early on (on day 1) to mix feed as I was concerned about his birth weight (because of my potential low supply) and didn't want to put that additional pressure on my mental health (to breastfeed exclusively again). My son was mix-fed (bottle) from birth to six weeks old and then I made the decision to exclusively bottle feed him.

We had so much support around my feeding journey from mine & my husband's family & I so appreciated all the advice, especially when I'd call in tears because things just weren't working. The advice I got from our family consistently was " fed is best" and I would say to those new mamas- don't feel pressure to breastfeed if it isn't working for you and your baby. You make the decisions and if your baby is full & healthy that's what is important, not a medical professional telling you, you need to breastfeed ( I was told this by a medical professional that I "should be trying harder to breastfeed" my daughter).

What has sleep been like in your house?

Both of my kids have been pretty good sleepers. We have very early risers in our house (around 5:30am every morning) and we haven't had too many sleepless nights (just your "usual" sleep regressions and newborn sleep).

The hardest bits…

The hardest for me was being away from my family. Initially my parents were living in Sydney, however we were lucky and they sold up in 2019 and moved to the south coast so are now only a few hours away. We also have such great support here with my husband's extended family and I am so appreciative of all of the kids' grandparents, aunties and uncles.

I also was diagnosed with postnatal depletion and post natal anxiety when my son was around 11 months old. I am working with a psychologist on an ongoing basis now and feeling positive about the future in managing this ongoing.

The best bits…

The connections I'm continuing to make with the kids. I love spending time with them and just playing and seeing how their little minds grow & develop.

How do you make time for yourself?

I'm not great at making time for myself but this year I was diagnosed with postnatal depletion and anxiety and one of the things I need to focus on is me time and rest time. My husband is great at letting me know when I probably need that "me time" and I am so appreciative of his support.

What’s next for you and your family?

Enjoying my kids and watching them grow up together. My daughter is at big school next year (kindergarten) so making the most of the time I have left with her and watching my son grow and develop his personality (as he's still little to me). It's such an exciting time watching them grow up!

A piece of advice for our readers?

Trust yourself and seek help and advice from people you trust when you need it. It takes a village! Also don't be so hard on yourself Mummas. We are all doing the amazing and we love our kids and that's the most important thing!