Tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Shelby Trevillian and I have two daughters, Ollie (3yo) and Bodhi (6months) and a kelpie dog, Smoky (6yo). I have been living in Canberra since 2012. I grew up in Tennessee, USA (yes I love bluegrass and country music!) and moved away to follow the snow for awhile, met a handsome Aussie man (who would later on become my husband) in Park City, Utah ;) Eventually, I ended up in Jindabyne working at Perisher as a snowboard instructor. After that season finished up I moved in with him in Canberra and can honestly say I love it here so much. I am currently on maternity leave enjoying time at home adjusting to integrating more activities with the girls now that lockdown is over. I was teaching yoga and working in reception at a physiotherapist practice before Bodhi was born.

What were you doing before babies?

We were spending lots more time snowboarding in winter and cruising around the south coast in summer. I love boardsports, mostly snowboarding! I went to lots more yoga classes and was going on longer bush walks also spent a lot of time at the climbing gym. My husband and I are pretty social, so hanging out with friends a lot more back then. Also sleeping heaps more that's for sure! I suppose we are doing the same things, but at a different pace. We use our time more wisely, that's for sure! When we got pregnant with Ollie, we started renovating our house which is pretty much finished now. In some ways, having kids has made us more productive and helped us value our time more!

How did you come to be a mum?

One day a switch went off in my brain, when I had gone up to Perisher solo for a snow day trip and thought, "This would be more fun with some little mini shredders!" I always knew we wanted to start a family, but it wasn't until we got to a point where we'd experienced enough of the world and felt called to start sharing all the fun things we do with our own babies.

What has your feeding journey been like?

I read somewhere that if your mother breastfed, you are more likely to do the same thing- which is interesting as my mother lives all the way in Florida! I suppose I was always certain that's how I'd feed my own children as well. I'm very grateful that my breastfeeding journey has been rather effortless. I collected colustrum both pregnancies pretty easily so that helped me prepare a little. I never really put too much thought into it all. With my first, I remember it was pretty painful and messy when my milk came in, and challenging to get her latch established. I reached out to some friends along the way for advice and tried to trust my body. Ollie weaned on her own by around 16 months and I hope to feed Bodhi to that age or further if she needs. I will say night weaning is hard work, right now I'm getting tired of waking up to four times a night to feed Bodhi, so I'm looking forward to when she cuts back because it is exhausting. It's all very emotional and does a lot to your hormones. With Bodhi I notice an extreme bond forming every time she feeds that I didn't really pick up on with Ollie. It's a very special thing that women can do and I know I missed it a bit when Ollie was finished so trying to enjoy this time with Bodhi.

What has sleep been like in your house?

I feel like sleep can be very good for about 3 months, and then goes to crap for about a month when they are going through some teething or some developmental periods. We have recently transitioned Ollie to her bed since we needed the cot for Bodhi and that month was so hard! I have a friend that is a sleep doula back in the states so I have been reaching out to her for extra support during those times! I realise all babies are different and there can be so many factors. I find we have the best results when we go with the flow and try to tune into their needs, but sometimes it does take some research when I feel stumped. Bodhi actually started sleeping through the night at 7 months after we reached out and worked with an amazing sleep consultant who is based in Canberra. The sleep training was pretty intense and exhausting the first 4 nights, but she’s consistently slept 12 hours, also fully night weaned which also peaked her interest in solid foods since we did the training. Highly recommend seeking support if you can’t figure it out yourself and need more sleep. It was so worth it for us :)

The hardest bits…

When their sleep goes to $hit! Haha! I really, really struggle when my sleep gets interrupted. Overall, I reckon the whole process of becoming a mother, Matrescence, is a HUGE change and you have to learn to communicate and ask for help. This was a hard one for me because I'm so independent and a bit of a perfectionist.

The best bits…

Seeing all the new milestones my girls hit and the ways they show affection. Right now I love the giggles and smiles from my baby Bodhi. I'm very proud of how my older daughter is getting interested in skateboarding and bikes and is starting to articulate her feelings.

How do you make time for yourself?

I always remember that when I look after myself, I'm looking after my family. Luckily, my toddler easily sleeps in 'til about 8am so I squeeze in a walk with my dog before hubby goes to work and get in a daily yoga practice...sometimes with Playschool or Bluey helping out in the background. It isn't perfect but for me its a non-negotiable to look after myself so I can be a better mother to my children. I make sure to cut myself some slack here and there. One thing I never skip is a shower at the end of the day.

What’s next for you and your family?

We are about to order a half pipe for the backyard, so hopefully more skateboarding. I hope we can get back to the States to introduce little Bodhi to her American family! I can't wait to teach my own girls to snowboard and take them on heaps more adventures. I hope to foster a connection to nature with the girls too through camping, bushwalks, and gardening.

A piece of advice for our readers?

I always got overwhelmed by not knowing everything at once, but I learned to relax and not put such high expectations on myself all the time. There is just so much information and books on everything, trust that when you need to learn will present itself at the perfect time. You can't possibly have everything figured out, lots of parenting involves learning through experience. And you will make lots of mistakes, and that's okay! Celebrate the wins, and learn from the losses!