Jess Andric
Tell us a bit about yourself?
I am a wife, the eldest of three girls, I adore quality time with friends and family, yoga and travelling and have now become one proud mama to the most delicious little boy, Dominic.
What were you doing before babies?
I have always been driven and passionate about my career, working on exciting digital products and creating a loving home with my husband. Before Dominic, we would spend weekends with friends and family, often out for dinners and drinks and would roll out of bed to have a lazy Sunday brunch with my husband. Since having Dominic, I was adamant I wanted to have many social outings as it keeps me sane and hubby and I are working on a date night schedule with lockdown lifting.
How did you come to be a mum?
I always imagined being a mum, at 30 I felt like I had achieved everything I'd set out to before starting a family. It sounds very traditional, but I wanted to have the wedding of my dreams, travel to exciting places, and have our own home before we turned our focus to babies. We were so very fortunate to become pregnant very quickly, which I am forever grateful for. We found out we were pregnant on the 22nd of June 2020 and it was one of the happiest moments of my life.
What has your feeding journey been like?
A journey.. In hospital I had what seemed like everyone, helping me as I manoeuvred my very little boy around and tried to make it as effortless as it had all appeared on shows, in advertising, etc. Reality was harder, however I have been lucky enough to exclusively BF for the first months, then incorporated formula to help with weight gain and give me some downtime. It was a great decision for us.
What has sleep been like in your house?
Most nights are awesome, as a 4month old our little one waking twice a night, at 1am and 4am, but the teething stage caused some havoc! We transitioned to his nursery from bassinet in our room and somehow it just worked so well and being 8 months he now sleeps through with one dream feed, which my husband does so I am much more rested these days.
The hardest bits…
Gestational diabetes at 20weeks, where I had to inject insulin for fasting levels overnight, was a challenge but I adapted pretty well, his sugars were perfect at birth and mine have returned to normal so we're happy. Similarly, being excited to put down the needles after birth I actually had a six week course of clexane, thankfully my husband helped with this. Sleep deprivation is absolutely horrible. You can never prepare for the lack of sleep, we thought we knew what we were in for in the beginning and boy, we were wrong!
Finding any 'you' time is tricky, but with Dominic reaching 8 months I had made it our goal to leave the house everyday since he was about 2.5months and it made me feel more relaxed having a routine.
I have great support through family, some wonderful friends who have recently become mothers and joined a spectacular mothers group who I see weekly.
The best bits…
Every single smile, giggle, belly laugh. He is progressing so quickly and every milestone or new achievement is an amazing thing to witness as a mother. Being your child's everything. While that can be extremely overwhelming in the early days, it is also the biggest reward. Seeing my son with my grandparents (his great-grandparents) is a huge highlight and I feel so incredibly fortunate to have that opportunity.
The way I can soothe him, like no one else can. Through terrible singing, strange rocking positions and knowing what makes him happy. Also cannot wait for my favourite holiday of all, Christmas when we will have a 10month old under the tree! I've already started a list of presents and traditions to share with our boy.
How do you make time for you?
My husband really encourages and is supportive of me having 'my time'. We have become stronger from this experience and really work as a team. Prior to the lockdown, I would usually go out to dinner on a Friday or Saturday with friends, I also take advantage of some 'me time' by doing yoga during nap time.
What’s next for you and your family?
I'm off until March 2022 and I am so glad I've been able to take this first year. We are also in the process of building a house, so the year ahead will be wild and exciting!