Tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Krystle Keller, I am a Fisheries Scientist working part time as a contractor for the federal government and have a PhD in marine ecology. My husband and I were married in Jervis Bay on the NSW south coast in 2016 and we have two little girls, Arielle is 2.5 years old and Zahlia is 6 months old.

What were you doing before babies?

It feels like a lifetime ago, but before our babies we travelled a lot, went all over Europe and South America, and around Australia. After finishing my PhD in 2016 I went up to Darwin to start my first postdoctoral position at the university up there, straight after getting hitched, while my husband moved to Canberra to start a graduate role with the ACT government. We did long-distance for about 18 months until he left his job to join me in Darwin, just after I fell pregnant with our first. She was born in Darwin in November 2018 and we stayed there for another 16 months before moving to Canberra with new jobs, just before the pandemic hit. Zahlia was born in January this year, and our little family is now complete!

How did you come to be a mum?

I became a mum with the birth of Arielle in 2018 and Zahlia this year, 2021. I think the births alone didn’t make me a mother, but more the experience and journey as a parent bringing them up, since every day I am learning something new. Having two under three has definitely been a big learning curve!

What has your feeding journey been like?

I have been so fortunate to be able to breastfeed both my babies. I breastfed Arielle till she was 14 months old, but it was a difficult start. I was induced with her due to a number of complications after being diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes, and following a series of interventions which led to a difficult birth, she ended up in the special care nursery for almost a week. I also experienced a lot of backpain due to her being born posterior which I’m pretty sure affected my milk supply. Together with learning how to breastfeed, sore nipples, her low birth weight and everything in between, it was tough. We started off by mix breastfeeding and topping up with formula before I could eventually exclusively breastfeed her. I was so determined to breastfeed so kept at it and eventually she put on weight. It was hard but it paid off!

With Zahlia it has been completely different, I had a much easier pregnancy and didn’t have gestational diabetes this time around. I was able to go into labour spontaneously without any interventions, and just with aid of a TENS machine (which was amazing and worth every penny by the way), I had a natural albeit quick, and intense labour which only lasted 1.5 hours…. I barely made it to the hospital before she was born! She latched on straight away following birth and has fed well ever since, I’m so pleased that it has been a much better experience this time around!

What has sleep been like in your house?

Sleep has been pretty much up and down in our house. Arielle is a good sleeper now but as a baby, it took a while before she slept consistently through the night. With her we experienced frequent wake ups due to sleep regressions, teething and sickness. However these days my hubby reads to her every night before she goes to sleep and gets her every morning when she wakes, so we have found that having a routine seems to help a lot. Zahlia wasn’t too bad when she was a newborn but she then went through the four month sleep regression which hit us hard! Co-sleeping has been my saviour in the wee hours of the morning and she is starting to sleep for longer stretches at a time now.

The hardest bits…

The constant feeding, lack of sleep and having a newborn attached to me in the first few months were pretty hard, not to mention the screaming and crying during the witching hour which was anywhere between 5 to 8pm every single night for several months, it felt like it lasted forever! There was also the constant stress of ensuring they would be eating enough to put on weight, and hoping that my milk supply was enough. I don’t have much time to myself these days, and being able to have a shower or go to the bathroom alone is almost impossible!

The best bits…

Well the best bits do outweigh the bad! Seeing that first smile and hearing that giggle for the first time absolutely melts my heart. Seeing my two girls play together, grin and laugh at each other, it is the best. Arielle absolutely adores her little sister and every morning after she wakes up or whenever she comes home from daycare, the first thing she asks is WHERE IS BABY ZAHLIA!! I WANT TO SEE HER!!! It’s so cute. They are both very happy babies and seeing them grow up so fast and learning new things all the time, is so amazing and fun. We have lots of fun together.

How do you make time for you?

Although it’s not easy both working part time and looking after two little ones, and having very little time to myself, I have a very supportive and hands on husband. He does all the cooking (which I don’t particularly enjoy), washes the dishes, bath time and will read stories to our little ones. But I do most of the house cleaning! However when I do get the chance, I go for a run or walk and can take time out if I need to, and he’ll step in. Particularly if I have had a rough night with Zahlia, he will look after both of them so I can have a nap or just have some down time which is so so helpful.

What’s next for you and your family?

We have just bought our first family home and are in the process of moving which is very exciting. But it will mean changing Arielle’s daycare and getting settled into a new community, which might take some time. I am also looking for a more permanent job that will allow me the flexibility to work but also have time off to spend with my girls. I look forward to this next chapter for our family, and hopefully we can travel a bit more when restrictions ease and the borders open again!