Megan Sparke

Tell us a bit about yourself?

I am 33, mum to Archer (3), Frankie (1) and dog mama to Dora who is 6. Brendan and I have been married for 5 years but together for an eternity (we were actually in the same hospital nursery when we were born so I joke that we were meant to be together). We have been living in Canberra for nearly 15 years and it is definitely home now. I have a law degree and work for the ACT Government and have just gone back to work 4 days a week after 14 months of mat leave - a HUGE adjustment for everyone but I am really enjoying being back at work.

What were you doing before babies?

Travelling. Sleeping in. Reading. Exercising. Eating out. Being with friends. I think the thing I miss most is doing absolutely NOTHING! I spend a lot of time trying to remember what I use to do with all my free time.

How did you come to be a mum?

A drunk night in Portugal haha. That resulted in me spending the rest of our Europe trip with my head in the toilet or curled in the foetal position. I remember calling my mum in Iceland begging her to figure out how to get me home. I do not recommend getting pregnant while travelling.

The birth of my son ended up in an emergency c-section as after 10 hours of labour I was still only 2cm dilated and he was becoming distressed. It definitely wasn't the outcome I had hoped for but I was just happy to have a healthy and happy baby at the end of it and was extremely lucky to have an easy physical recovery.

Frankie was meant to be a planned c-section but I went into labour 3 days before my surgery was scheduled. My labour started at 4am and she was born vaginally at 10.30am, I remember screaming for an epidural and them just being like too late we can see her head. It was a really amazing experience but at the end of the day I have too healthy and happy kids which I am most thankful for regardless of how they entered the world.

Both of my babes were born at Queanbeyan hospital and I cannot recommend it highly enough!

What has your feeding journey been like?

So my feeding journey with Archer was pretty horrendous to be honest. My milk never came in following the c-section so I was on medication to try and get my supply up, plus pumping after every feed. After 6 weeks of breastfeeding for 40 minutes, topping up with formula and then pumping, all to be repeated every 3 hours I was barely eating, sleeping and constantly in tears. Luckily my family noticed I wasn't in a good way and got me to a GP, I was diagnosed with PND and started medication. I also made the full time switch to formula. To begin with I felt really guilty over the decision but it ended up being the best decision for all of us.

With Frankie I fed her colostrum for 48 hours and moved straight to formula. It was a decision I do not regret for a moment after my first experience. I think breast feeding is amazing and 100% support women who breastfeed but the best advice I got was that there is nothing in breastmilk that is more important then a mother's mental health and for me I had to put myself first so I could be the best mum for my kids.

What has sleep been like in your house?

I have been very lucky to have two decent sleepers. They are both little snuggle bums though and prefer to sleep with us. It's so funny, before I actually had kids I thought I would never bedshare but now as long as everyone is sleeping I don't care where they are doing it. It's also nice to wake up to their happy little faces. We're upgrading to a king bed soon which should also help haha.

The hardest bits…

For me pregnancy is hellish. All these ideas I had of pre-natal yoga and looking radiant were killed by serious morning sickness that lasted until 20 weeks with both pregnancies. With Frankie I was taking 14 tablets a day just to be able to function at a sub par rate. I also had perinatal depression with Frankie that took me to a pretty dark place. Let's just say pregnancy and me don't mix well.

The best bits…

Archer is now a little chatter box and I love hearing his view on the world and he can also be very funny. Frankies' face when I come home from work absolutely lights up and it makes me feel so loved. I also just love watching them discover the world, everything is new and an adventure for them.

How do you make time for you?

I think because I bottle fed and have a lot of family support I have really been able to manage self care pretty well. My husband loves playing golf and I love going out for dinner with friends so we take it in turns of doing things we like. It's also getting easier as the kids get older. I'm also not above giving Archer the iPad when Frankie is having a nap if I need some downtime.

What’s next for you and your family?

We are about to renovate our house in May which we are very excited about. I have wanted a deck so I can sit and drink coffee (or wine) and watch the kids play for ages. We are also planning a holiday to Tropical North QLD later in the year if Covid allows! As for another baby, never say never.