Tell us a bit about yourself?

Hello! My name is Brook McCarroll and I have two crazy kids - Cooper (5) and Ellie (1.5). I live on a 100 acre property just outside of Canberra with my husband where we have cows and love riding motorbikes. I met my husband 14 years ago when we were both working our casual after school jobs in shops across from each other. I work in the government as a procurement specialist and I coach calisthenics in my spare time.

What were you doing before babies?

Before I had my babies I was busy working my but off to save money to renovate our house. My husband and I went on a month long holiday in America where we eloped in Hawaii on the beach. We both definitely got a lot more sleep prior to kids!

How did you come to be a mum?

We both always knew we wanted to have kids. My husband was the sensible one and wanted to make sure we had some savings before starting our family. I was keen to have kids as soon as he was ready. Well I guess you could say I had my son after a little misunderstanding with him. I thought I had told him I was coming off birth control after it was causing some problems however he didn’t realise I was coming off so soon. Our little oopsie resulted in me falling pregnant with our sweet, passionate Cooper.

What has your feeding journey been like?

My feeding journey wasn’t really a positive one. Feeding was extremely painful for me. My milk took a while to come in and when it did I didn’t have great supply. I had to start mix feeding while in hospital due to my supply and Cooper loosing weight. As he was born so little and lost so much weight I had to feed him every 2-3 hours and after breastfeeding, followed by feeding expressed milk, formula top ups, putting Cooper down to sleep, expressing for the next feed then cleaning the pump I was getting no sleep. I made the decision by week 3 that my mental health and being able to function properly to care for my baby was important and that I was going to move to formula only. Cooper thrived! During my birth with Cooper I fractured my tailbone. I was in a lot of pain after birth (and for years later) and struggled moving around to pick up Cooper and sit & feed. So, when I had Ellie I told myself that my struggles with Cooper must have been because of my injury. Unfortunately I experienced the same pain when breastfeeding and had low supply again. I felt like a failure and that it wasn’t fair that I wasn’t getting a proper chance to experience breastfeeding. I look back now and am so proud that I made it to 6 weeks mix feeding Ellie.

What has sleep been like in your house?

I’m really lucky that both of my kids have been great sleepers. They both started sleeping through the night really early. It certainly doesn’t make those early mornings any easier though! I still experience those wrestles nights because of nightmares and teething but I am really thankful.

The hardest bits…

Dealing with tantrums, illness, teething etc. all whilst trying to keep a house clean, work and function off minimal sleep can be hard. It’s so hard reminding yourself in that moment that it will pass. When we decided to try for number 2 Cooper had just hit that great age where he was getting his own food, teethings was over and he was communicating so well. Now we are certainly experiencing all that again with the addition for both kids always competing against each other to be the loudest. The house is crazy and it’s always a mess but I would trade a thing! The best bits make it all worth it.

The best bits…

There are so many! The hugs, kisses and smiles are definitely the best. Cooper is so loving and caring. He always tells me he loves me or that I’m pretty. Ellie is a little more feisty but when her sweet side does come out she gives the biggest cuddles. I love that to them we are their whole world.

How do you make time for yourself?

Making time for yourself can be really hard but so important. I usually just try and communicate well with my husband and tell him that I have something planned so he knows he needs to pick up/drop off or watch the kids. Our family is also amazing and love having the kids if we have something planned or need a break. When I do get time for myself I doesn’t need to be anything fancy. Just being able to go to the shops on my own is nice - you know, without the 101 questions, needing to feed little people every 10 minutes, nappy changes etc

What’s next for you and your family?

Like everyone, after 2 years of being locked down, we would love to travel with the kids. We want to be able to give them the best experiences possible so would really like to buy a new van and get away as much as possible.

A piece of advice for our readers?

Stop worrying about what others think! As mums everyone always has an opinion of us and the way we are doing things. I used to worry about what others thought of me but I have learnt that if someone is going to find something wrong with you, they always are, no matter what you do. So, do what’s right for you and let them have an opinion however don’t let it affect you :)