Tell us a bit about yourself?

Hello! I’m Stephanie. I’m 26 years old. I’m a first time mum to a beautiful baby boy named Spencer, who will be 1 on the 16th of February. I’m originally from Nyngan NSW. I moved to Canberra in 2015 to attend university where I studied a Bachelor of Nursing. My husband Sebastian and I have been together for almost 10 years and married for almost 4 years. And yes all our names start with a S and it was by complete accident! Even our dog’s name starts with a S, Scoota!

What were you doing before babies?

Before having Spencer I was working as a Preoperative Nurse at Canberra Hospital. It’s the most rewarding career I could of asked for. 2020 was an especially tough year working on the frontline of a pandemic while pregnant. Prior to the pandemic Sebastian and I loved to travel our favourite trips were to The Maldives and USA. Sebastian was born in Arizona USA, so our trip to the states was a special one as I finally got to meet his family and we took a big family trip to Disneyland which was magical! We can’t wait to take Spencer over and introduce him to the rest of his family!

How did you come to be a mum?

We found out we were pregnant in June of 2020. We decided we would start trying around March that year and we were so lucky that it happened so soon for us. But we certainly didn’t think we would go through pregnancy in a pandemic. I was thankful that Seb was still able to come along to all of our ultrasounds and that I was able to have two support people during labor which met I could have my mum there with me as well.

Labor was a challenge in itself! I ended up having a 36 hour labor with a postpartum haemorrhage of 2.5 litres so by the end of it I was exhausted but elated to finally meet our baby boy.

What has your feeding journey been like?

Our feeding journey has been a positive one! At the beginning it was challenging I didn’t feel very supported in the hospital but when the MACH Nurses came to visit us at home they so support and helpful tips were a game changer. Having bigger breasts it wasn’t easy to find a comfortable position that worked for both Spencer and I. But as we got further along in our journey the easier it got. I exclusively breastfed Spencer for 6 months until we introduced solids and then we started introducing formula feeds around 8 months when my supply dropped off. I have loved our breastfeeding journey!

What has sleep been like in your house?

Thankfully sleep has been good in our house! We’ve had more good nights than bad but when we have a bad night, oh boy! do we have a bad night!

There was one night recently where Spencer woke at 4am and refused to go back to sleep so I said right let’s start our day, he was back in bed asleep at 5am when he realised that it was still dark and 20 minutes into playing he was knackered! He has never done it again!

The hardest bits…

The hardest part for me was suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) which is severe nausea and vomiting through pregnancy. During the first trimester I was violently ill constantly vomiting, I had to have a stash of vomit bags in my pocket at work for emergencies incase I didn’t make it to the bathroom in time! All I could stomach was toast with some butter and water. I put it down to morning sickness but when it lasted well into my second trimester I knew it had to be something else.

The way I describe HG to someone who hasn’t heard of it is to imagine pregnancy sickness is a spectrum. At one end is morning sickness, it’s a bit annoying but doesn’t impact your ability to live normally and clears up after the first trimester; in the middle is nausea and vomiting in pregnancy which does interfere with your ability to eat, drink, work and look after your family; at the end is HG which is so severe you can’t function normally at all, you’re bed-ridden, dehydrated, losing weight and often need to be hospitalised.

I remember being told that ‘Pregnancy wasn’t an illness’ but when you suffer with HG it certainly feels like an illness. I fought countless doctors to get treatment as I was always brushed aside and seen as overreacting. It wasn’t until I was admitted to hospital for dehydration with a 15kg weight loss in 4 weeks and my mental health taking a massive toll that someone took me seriously!

My husband and I had been so adamant on keeping the gender a surprise but we decided to find out when I struggled to build a connection because there were times when our baby felt like a parasite especially at 3am in the morning with my head in the toilet bowl or the nights I spent asleep next to the toilet. Once we found out the gender and picked his name, I knew I had to stay strong for our boy Spencer.

And I would go back and do it all again to hold my beautiful son in my arms.

The best bits…

The best bits have been every minute and second that I’m blessed with watching my boy grow and learn. There is just something so magical about watching a little one learn and explore this big world!

Adding a little baby to our family has just given so much joy and light to us. I adore watching him with his grandma and great grandma. As well as his grandad and his uncle and aunty. We’ve also been blessed with meeting some beautiful first time mums through a mum’s group and made friendship that will last a lifetime! Becoming a mother has made me a better person and I’m so thankful for that blessing.

How do you make time for you?

I have a very supportive husband and family that allows me to make time for myself whether it’s doing the hobbies I enjoy or just going to the shops without Bub. My mother has been one of my greatest supports by ensuring Hubby and I still go on date nights. She has truly been one of our biggest supports through this journey.

What’s next for you and your family?

We are just enjoying our little family and watching Spencer learn and grow.

We definitely have a very curious little adventurer on our hands so hopefully we will soon be going on family adventures!

A piece of advice for our readers?

Time is a thief! Just enjoy every moment and cherish it! And don’t feel guilty for taking 5000 photos of your little one! Take all the photos and videos to capture this special adventure!