Edyn Cameron

Tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Edyn Cameron (Milos). I am a daughter, sister, friend, aunty, wife and more recently mother to an almost 6 month old, Charlie!

What were you doing before babies/children?

I have been an accountant for about 9 years  I specialise in tax (no I won’t do your tax return, no you can’t claim that, yes you have to pay that much tax) and have been working at one of the big 4s for almost 6 years! 

Immediately before babies, my husband and I got married, travelled to America for our honeymoon and bought a house - 2023 was a massive year for us. 

How did you come to be a mum?

Before I met my husband (Josh), I wasn’t interested in having children. I was an aunty and absolutely adored that role but never saw myself as a mum (mind you I was 21 at the time lol) but that all changed when I met Josh. Prior to meeting Josh, I has some female health issues which identified an endometriosis diagnosis resulting in two surgeries. At the time I was unphased by what endometriosis could mean for my fertility in the future, however Josh and I were incredibly lucky to fall pregnant quite quickly.

What has your feeding journey been like?

I made a decision during my pregnancy to formula feed Charlie. There were many reasons that lead me to this decision but ultimately, I just didn’t want to breastfeed  Josh was supportive of this decision and even more so since Charlie was born as it’s given him an extra opportunity to bond with him. He took to bottle feeding like a champ - we’ve had some gas and bottle refusal issues however it’s been very positive for us as a family. 

What has sleep been like in your house?

The first rule of baby sleep, don’t talk about baby sleep right? Lol

Night sleep has always been pretty good for us, I had shocking pregnancy insomnia so anything was going to be better than that. It got a bit harder toward the 3.5/4 month mark when I’d have to replace the dummy every 2 hours however it was never too bad. Once we moved Charlie to the cot, we found out he was a tummy sleeper and he’s slept on his belly ever since. 

Day sleep was a different story, I feel like you know sleep is going to be hard but until you live it, you have no idea. I got caught in a very scary cycle of trying to get my new born to settle himself (because that’s what the guides say they should do right?) and just crying my eyes out until josh came home from work because the baby wouldn’t sleep independently. I’d do anything to go back to those days, shake myself and hold my boy for a little longer and a little tigger.  I had two incredible girlfriends pull me up on what was spiralling to be significant postpartum anxiety induced by day sleeps and my mindset completely shifted. Instead of trying to get my baby to sleep independently at 5 weeks, I held him for sleeps because I knew that’s what we both needed to protect our night sleep. 

Holding a baby for 4-5 hours a day for sleep eventually took its toll on me and my relationship with josh. At about 4.5 months, as Charlie was beginning to roll, out of the swaddle and into the cot we worked on getting Charlie to learn to fall asleep independently and I finally understand now when people say “it gets better”, because it did. I still cuddle Charlie every opportunity I get for that last afternoon nap and will for as long as I can. 

The hardest bits…

Aside from the day sleep saga, it was the change in my relationship with Josh. We’d been married for less than a year and I held so much resentment towards him. It’s been a constant challenge trying to prioritise our marriage but it’s something we are aware of and make an effort to work on every single day. 

The best bits…

To be honest, it’s all the best even the shit, it’s still the best but if I could choose a few it would be seeing Josh become a dad, Charlie smiling and laughing, anytime Charlie learns a new skill, seeing how much my son is adored by our friends and family 

How do you make time for yourself?

This one was really tricky initially as I was recovering from a c section however as soon as I was cleared to exercise, I did. I’d go on walks with the dog, reformer Pilates and then a slow return to running. Being able to exercise especially running gives me back a piece of myself I had thought I’d lost in pregnancy and motherhood. 

What’s next for you and your family?

Not much for the next little while. Enjoying our time as a family of three before returning to work in September. 

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

1. Hold your new born for as often as you want for as long as you want 

2. Go with your gut, you know your baby best, you know your self best