Kiara Chaplin

Tell us abit about yourself?

Hi, I’m Kiara. I am 24 and from Queanbeyan. I have two older siblings and two younger siblings. When I was 3 my parents had separated and I lived with my father full time. In 2011 I lost my amazing father to his battle with his mental health and in 2017 I lost beautiful mother suddenly to a family hereditary condition.

With so much loss I thought I may fall into the same cycle as my father has, but with the love and support from my fiancé and many others I continue to keep myself from falling into that cycle. I met my fiancé Kial and I’m 2016 and have been together since 2018. We have our beautiful daughter Mackenzie born in Oct 2021.

What were you doing before babies?

Before babies I was working full time in Early Childhood and Education and Care. I spent the weekends either spending quality time with my fiancé or catching up with friends and family. I was also pretty active with going to the gym or going for walks around lakes or up mountains.

How did you become a mum?

In early 2020 Kial and I had discussed we were ready to build our family and start trying for children.

In Oct 2020 we found out we were pregnant, however at our first ultrasound we were told that our baby didn’t have a heartbeat. We then went 2 weeks of blood tests and ultrasounds to confirm, they all told us the same thing however my hormone level was too high to cause my body to miscarry. The doctor then told us our options and what was best for us and my for health physically and mentally. I was then booked in for a dilate and curettage. Loosing our baby was one of the hardest things I’ve been through and it left me scared if I would ever have children.

Then in Feb 2021 we found out we were pregnant, we were over the moon but also very nervous especially when it was time for our first ultrasound, but scans showed our baby was doing well. Our beautiful baby girl was then born in Oct 2021 via emergency C-section filling our hearts with my love and joy.

What has your feeding journey been like?

The first few days in hospital was hard, because Mackenzie was 2 and a half weeks early her mouth was still a little small which made it difficult to latch. My mother in law suggested using a nipple shield, which had made things a little easier and we were successful with feeding but we still did top ups of formula. Around 3 months Mackenzie had started to refuse the breast, each time I would try to feed her she would get very distressed and upset as I felt like I had failed my baby but I also knew that my baby was happy and healthy being formula fed so we then stopped trying to breastfeed.

What has sleep being like in your house.

As a newborn and up until about 12 weeks Mackenzie woke about every 3 hours overnight, it then stretched to about 4-5 hours overnight. At 3 and half months Mackenzie slept her first full night. We sometimes have nights but I expected that.

I do believe we have been pretty lucky in that area.

The hardest bits…

It had personally being hard becoming a parent without my own parents. I always wants to share everything my baby is doing but unfortunately I can’t. My baby will always know about her grandparents, we will talk about then and often show her photos of them.

The best bits….

Being a mum is the best thing in the world. The way my baby looks at me, it makes me feel whole. I love watching her grow and develop her own little personality. I can’t wait to see her grow and flourish into an amazing girl.

How do you make time for you?

I will plan some time where I will make a shopping trip or breakfast with a friend or go to the gym. My fiancé is very supportive and will always check on me. We both understand that we need self care time to be happy and healthy parents.

What’s next for you and your family?

Next for our family is me and Kial getting married and hopefully find our forever home. We also plan to have more children and continue build our family.

A piece of advice for our readers.

Everyone will always give advice and it is great help but remember to do what’s works for you. Also remember as a first time mother you are still learning and try to not to put so much pressure on yourself.