Tell us a bit about yourself?

Hey, I'm Madison Burton (Gibson) and I'm 27. I am the second eldest of 4 children but only by 1 minute, my twin brother just beat me! Along with my twin, I also have a little sister and brother, the four of us are very close. I always dreamed as a little girl that like my mum and dad I would create a family just like them. I married my now Husband Sam in 2022. 

What were you doing before babies/children?

I have been a public servant for 9 years and for the last 5 I have been working on major construction projects for the Commonwealth, with some pretty cool people! I love this job and a part of me can’t wait to get back into it. 

I would go out for breakfast or coffee, drinks regularly with my beautiful friends. 

In 2022, I married my high school sweetheart (kind of) we did part ways briefly for 18 months when we finished school. 

We have travelled around Aus with our dearest and nearest. We purchased and renovated a sweet little cottage. It was a massive project and my husband (Sam) has done an incredible job. Sam owns SPB Projects and I manage some of the books, so that also kept and still keeps me very busy! 

I also come from a very close knit family, I spent a lot of time with my cousins waterskiing, out on the farm, and on camping holidays. They are some of my favourite childhood mems! 

How did you come to be a mum?

I always knew I wanted to be a mum but I always had a feeling it wasn’t going to be easy to get that privilege. 

I always suffered from really heavy painful periods, so when it started to get worse i insisted to my GP that I needed to see a specialist. The first specialist I seen suspected endometriosis, based on a few things and my low AMH (which essentially is my egg count reserve) pretty much summed up that my chances of having my own children were very unlikely. I left that appointment with Sam and broke down in the car park in complete shock, we were 25, we thought we were still ‘young and had plenty of time’. 

We got married, and then I went to see Dr Sarah Broderick, followed her lead and we now have 5 month old fraternal twin girls, Sophia and Isabella. The girls were breach and were delivered by Dr Tan at 37+5 and my delivery was a textbook C-Section, very straightforward and such a surreal emotional experience. I will be forever grateful for Dr Broderick and Dr Tan. 

What has your feeding journey been like?

Being pregnant with twins I had no expectations around what I was going to do. 

When Soph and Is arrived I breastfed them but as time went gone by I had to breastfeed and top them up with formula. I simply just didn’t have the milk supply for two babies. I found this quite challenging to accept in the beginning but at 12 weeks in, it was routine and felt normal. They are now 5 months old and we do two (four in total) feeds a day, the girls love formula but they love breast milk more. 

Luckily Soph and Is both latched quickly and took a bottle instantly. We have been really lucky, it also meant that Sam could spend some time with them. We would swap the girls each feed so we didn’t end up with the same baby all the time. Looking back it probably didn’t matter, but I was so adamant that we both had to connect equally with the girls. 

The biggest challenge for us was wind/colic but overall mixed feeding has been a very positive experience for our family.

What has sleep been like in your house?

In the very early days, some nights we get a 3 hour stretch and other times a 6 hour stretch. 

I am a twin, so my mum had lived the twin mum life. She was very supportive of a routine so she came and stayed with us for 3 nights got us all into a routine which we are guided by still each day! 

It hasn’t been easy, and being awake in the middle of the night with two upset babies does take a toll on your relationship especially when Sam needs to be up and out the house by 5am. I try to remind myself when the nights are hard and the lack of sleep is hard, that it’s not forever this is purely a season.

The hardest bits…

In the early days, I felt like a completely different person which meant it was really hard for Sam. The resentment towards him was real and is probably still there. It’s been really hard with him not home for 12 hours + a day but having your own business comes with these circumstances sometimes. We are working on that and constantly trying to do things to make an effort. I was also envious that he got to go to work some days, I look back now and I wouldn’t swap him for that at all. I am where I want to be, with the girls. 

The best bits…

All of it, it’s the best job in the world. My favourite would be when they look up at me, like I am the only person in the world. It makes everything so worth it. 

Watching them grow and seeing their cheeky personalities develop, I can’t wait to watch them grow up together, into their own little people. 

I also love seeing how much our girls are adored and loved by our friends and family. They are surrounded by so many beautiful people who are such positive role models for them. 

How do you make time for yourself?

This one is really tricky, and I’m still not great at this! My Dad reminds me often that this is important so I am at my best. 

I have learnt to enjoy the small things; showers, putting clothes on the lines, the audiobook in the car and most of all my heart is always very full when we have hung out with my friends or my siblings! The conversations between entertaining kids or the walks around the park. I have been so lucky that if I have felt the tiniest bit lonely or overwhelmed a text to one of them always results in a beautiful catch up. They love my girls like I love them, and I love their kids like I love my girls. 

They say it takes a village and I have the most supportive village. 

What’s next for you and your family?

Not much for the next little while. Maybe a family holiday mostly just enjoying our time as a family of four before returning to work in June. 

I’d love more babies but I think that might be a bit off, I’ll take the time to enjoy Soph and Is for now. 

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

1. Having a baby is the greatest greatest gift however it’s hard. It’s really hard and it’s okay to feel this along with all the love and gratitude. Everything is so relative, one baby or two babies, it all can be hard but it is the most rewarding part of my life and I didn’t think I could give so much love. 

2. Go with your gut, you know your baby best, you know yourself best if you feel off talk to someone or talk to your GP. 

3. Hold your newborn as often as you want and for as long as you want. It’s your baby, you've done the nine months, enjoy every moment it goes so so quickly.