Tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Paulina; I've been living in Australia for 13 years now. My husband & I moved to Canberra 10 years ago from Sydney and started a café in Gowrie. I am a qualified teacher, but I've been a community-based early learning centre director for the past 4 years. I think we are a typical family of three with an additional furry baby - our dog. We love nature, animals and travelling. We are very active people; always on the go. We've passed our love to sports to our child from early age, so now we can enjoy time together in an active way, such as bike riding, skiing, swimming or even ice skating.

What were you doing before babies?

The same thing, just probably going out a bit more.

How did you come to be a mum?

Our journey was stressful, to begin with, but when we decided to go through IVF, I felt like a huge burden was lifted off my shoulders. Our IVF journey was pretty straightforward. We were lucky to have a healthy baby after the first cycle and transfer. The birth was another story, and I am sad that the hospitals/midwives still do not listen to women who obviously know their bodies. I always knew I wanted to go through a caesarean. Even though I tried talking to doctors and midwives, no one would listen to me or respect my decision. So after 10 hours of unsuccessful induction, I ended up with a caesarean anyway. It would have saved time & stress for everyone to just do it in the first place. I know that there is still pushing for a vaginal birth, but in my opinion, women should be given a choice as they know their bodies, mental health and abilities the best.

What has your feeding journey been like?

I absolutely hated breastfeeding and would never do it again. I genuinely believe that any feed is fine and sane; a happy mother is most important for the baby. I know there's been a trend of on request feeding, but for our family routine played an important role and helped us settle into a new situation.

What has sleep been like in your house?

We were one of those lucky people who never struggled with sleepless nights. I always knew that we would never co-sleep or even share a room with the child. Since birth, our daughter has been sleeping in her own room in her own cot. Since she was 6 weeks old, she would typically wake up only once at night. Of course, there were cluster feeding times or sickness, but it would never last longer than a few days at a time.

The hardest bits…

Not having support from family. There are only 3 of us living in Australia, with the rest of the family back in Poland. The saying 'it takes a village…" is definitely the truth, and I wish all parents out there to connect with people around them.

The best bits…

Watching my daughter grow, develop and just discover her own personality. We love that she is an extraordinarily confident and easy-going child who loves crazy adventures and travelling just like us. I love when she comes to our bed in the morning and her little hands gently stroke my hair. I know those moments won't last forever, so I wish to cherish them for now.

How do you make time for yourself?

I love writing. I am a self-published author. Every evening when my daughter goes to sleep, I either read or write. My husband is also highly supportive, and we worked out a system of the night on & night off. Each of us gets an opportunity to have a free evening every second day.

What's next for you and your family?

I am not sure, but being locked in the country took a significant toll on our mental health. We really do crave an adventure, so I think there may be something like that coming up at some point.

If you could talk to your pre baby/kid self, what advice would you give?

Don't buy too many clothes; your baby will never wear them, and you'll end up with boxes of clothes you cannot part with.