Teneille O'Brien
Tell us a bit about yourself?
I'm Teneille, a 30-something coffee lover, crafternoon addict, mama to Liam (1) and wife to Jason.
What were you doing before babies?
Working in the public service and my little side hustle writing signs (mostly weddings).
Jase and I have been together for nearly 10 years, so we travelled, got married and bought a house before "settling down" to have babies.
How did you come to be a mum?
Well when two people love each other very much...
It was always something that we wanted and were lucky and got pregnant fairly quickly. Pregnancy was horrible. I was throwing up multiple times a day, all day and lost a lot of weight. I was diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) which is extreme morning sickness.
A few hospital stays, lots of medications and support from my husband and we made it through.
What has your feeding journey been like?
We had planned to mix feed with Jase doing 'bath, bottle and bed' each night and me breast feeding the rest of the time.
It didn't work out quite like that.
Liam had a severe lip and tongue tie which meant he couldn't latch properly and so my milk never really came in. It was a very stressful time and led to a lot of anxiety.
The best thing for my mental health was to switch to fully formula fed. It was a tough decision and I felt a lot of guilt but it has been the best choice.
What has sleep been like in your house?
Liam started out a decent sleeper overnight but a cat napper during the day.
We went through a super rough patch where he would want to party from 1am-4am every day but we seem to have come through the other side (touch wood).
He still wakes once or twice per night but with a cuddle will settle back down pretty quickly.
Sleep training was never something I wanted to do, so we just do what works until it doesn't anymore.
The hardest bits...
Pregnancy and feeding.
The best bits...
Getting a whole lifetime of firsts again. Watching Liam grow and experience everything.
Watching my husband become an amazing dad.
How do you make time for yourself?
It's a bit of a splurge, but I get my lashes done. I found that if I don't schedule (and have to pay) time then it's too easy to cancel.
What's next for you and your family?
Maybe baby number 2, maybe some house renos, maybe some travel.
We don't have any real plans, just enjoying things as they come.
If you could talk to your pre-baby/kid self, what advice would you give?
You will have (almost) endless patience for your child
You can function on far less sleep than you used to
Coffee is a food group
You will always have spit-up on your shoulder
You will never again be on top of the washing
A ten minute shower is soul restoring
Feeding is hard (boob or bottle) for different reasons
You can choose your village but it does take one
Sleepy night time cuddles are the best