Jocelyn Reid

Tell us a bit about yourself?

I am 31, wife to Brad to and mum to Logan who will be 3 in February. We live in South Canberra with our golden retriever, Kobe. I am an Account Manager for an IT recruitment company. We have lots of family and friends in Canberra that we get to spend a lot of time with but have been our biggest support during this parenthood journey.

What were you doing before babies?

Working, socialising, little bit of overseas travel. We still do those things, it's just not as spontaneous with a toddler.

How did you come to be a mum?

He is our Honeymoon baby, we were very blessed and fell pregnant right after we got married. Due to some medical issues we thought it wouldn’t be easy for us and decided to be risky; he is our best surprise ever.

What has your feeding journey been like?

Hard, unexpectedly hard. I expected to put him on the boob and away we went, it was not like that for me. Due to my PCOS, traumatic birth and blood loss, breastfeeding didn’t happen for us this time. We tried for 5 weeks – we would breastfeed, do formula top up and then express. I tried medication, teas, cookies, food but unfortunately my milk never came in, I would be lucky to get 20 mls over the whole day, expressing every 3 hours. After 5 weeks, my husband had been back at work and I felt like all my focus was on feeding, by the time we got through the routine it was time to start it again. My mental health was starting to suffer and we decided it was best for Logan and I that we move him to formula only.

I wish there was more information given about it when you are pregnant, I didn’t realise how hard it could be for people and it made me feel terrible that I couldn’t make it work. Now I know it isn’t that easy for everyone, I have friends that have gone through similar. I do want to try again when we have another baby but I know I have to do my research, I want to prepare myself as much as possible before the baby arrives. If it doesn’t work, that’s ok, but I would love to have that experience.

What has sleep been like in your house?

Overall, we have been lucky but it’s has had its moments. In the beginning we co-slept and it worked for us, but as I was due to return to work when he was 6 months we decided to get him settled in his cot. It was a hard few weeks but it was so worth it, he was a great sleeper from 8 months, excluding teething, leaps or sickness. Then in July this year that all changed. We had a couple of nights in hospital due to RSV and that affected him a lot. When we got home we co-slept again, mainly because I was scared to let him out of my sight, but once he was better he didn’t want to return to his cot. Now we have a big boys bed and two weeks in, he is sleeping through again.

The hardest bits…

Breastfeeding, I wanted it to work and I felt like a failure when it didn’t. Also, the toddler tantrums. We know he is frustrated and is trying to let us know what is wrong, but it's hard seeing them frustrated and in turn you can become frustrated and then everyone needs to take a moment.

The best bits…

His smile, his laugh, his personality, everything about him! Every age I say “this is my favourite” and then he changes, learns something new and I think 'nope, this is my favourite age.' I just love watching his personality develop, he is funny, so polite and kind, I am so proud of him and extremely lucky he is mine.

How do you make time for yourself?

My husband is amazing, he really makes sure I get time to myself. Whether it is a long shower, going to pamper myself or visiting friends, he will always be happy to let me have that time to myself.

What’s next for you and your family?

At the moment we are designing an extension for our home, which we hope to start the build early 2022. Then we want another baby, we can’t wait to give Logan a sibling.

A piece of advice for our readers?

Don’t be afraid to ask for help but don’t think you need to listen to all the advice you get. It is your baby and you know what is best for you and your family.