Tell us a bit about yourself?

I was born and raised in Canberra. I met my husband when I was about 4 in pre-school. We were best mates in the early years of primary school and lost touch. We connected again in our 30’s. It’s been a whirlwind, we started a business together, Salti (@salti.active), moved overseas to Bali and as we just found our feet and new life, then the world stopped. So we came back to Canberra in March 2020. And pulled together an incredible wedding in the middle of the pandemic and became parents to Luna, who will be turning one next week.

What were you doing before babies?

We’re both quite nomadic so when we were in Australia, we were travelling around in our camper van (we parted with our van once we realised our family was growing) and living in Bali, growing our business. We were always chasing the sun!

How did you come to be a mum?

We always knew we wanted a family, so the plan was to get started after the wedding. However I never fully recovered from the wedding hangover, turns out I was 5 weeks pregnant at the wedding. I was a couple of weeks late, but put that down to planning stress. I did a test on the first night of our honeymoon and discovered little Luna was growing. Needless to say, the honeymoon was basically me sleeping the entire time and my husband enjoying everything solo! So I think we need a redo!

What has your feeding journey been like?

It’s been a struggle. I wanted nothing more than to exclusively BF. I intended to nurse until Luna self weaned, even if that was for a few years. After Luna was born, she lost about 13% body weight, so we were put on a relentless feed/pump plan to bring my milk in. Fortunately my husband was a lifesaver and helped with every feed and made sure I ate well, stayed hydrated, baked lactation cookies and encouraged plenty of rest. I took prescription meds under midwife's orders, placenta pills and fenugreek (and smelt horrible), to help my supply. I was able to produce about 10mls a day.

We saw a lactation consultant, Luna had a tongue tie snip and I found out I have insufficient glandular tissue which is what's needed to produce milk. This can happen to small or large breasted women and they don't know a lot about it. This meant that I was never able produce enough milk to feed Luna. However I still nursed for Luna's comfort until she transitioned to a dummy.

We were fortunate enough to have frozen donor milk from my sister in law for a short period which I'll be eternally grateful for. While some people judged our decision for donor milk I would 100% choose donor milk over formula any day.

Once we ran out of donor milk, we stuck to formula. And Luna is thriving, energetic and fast. She’s a super busy baby so we struggle to get her to take her milk feeds (which means a few night feeds!). She’s very specific about how she likes her bottle – we have to play calm music, give her a comforter, take her to her room and remove any distractions. Once she’s had her milk (which is often not a full feed) she’s up and wants to go play again. So it’s a bit of a process.

We switched brands when she was about 6 months because she was refusing it altogether and that made a difference. Even little things like not knowing that different bottle teats have different flows were all lessons for us.

She loves her food though, so solids have been great, but messy!

What has sleep been like in your house?

Luna was sleeping through until about 5 months, but then she started getting particularly busy – learning to crawl, teething, standing, walking etc. so we’re now up about 2 times a night for a feed and practicing her new skills. It doesn’t help that she doesn’t take enough milk through the day. So she generally wakes up and pulls her body towards the door so we know she’s asking for a feed. It’s rare she’ll wake for comfort, so once she has her milk, she’s straight back to sleep.

The best bits…

Seeing Luna experience the world for the first time has been incredible. Watching her gain new skills and her little personality shine through. She started walking at 10 months so she keeps us on our toes. She’s so cheeky and comes up with little games which I just didn’t realised babies did at such a young age. She is obsessed with dancing and being chased so she now runs away and hides. It’s hilarious.

How do you make time for yourself?

It’s been a challenge as I’ve continued to work on my business in between day naps and at nights. I was also teaching floating yoga classes through summer (@jogayogacanberra) and last month I started a third business (@thegoldenhr.club) to help other women who want to learn about business. Luna is now in daycare twice a week which helps with getting things done! My husband and I have had a lot of conversations about making sure I schedule in me time though. So that sometimes looks like a walk, taking myself for a coffee, going to a yoga class or catching up with friends. I’ve been incredibly lucky as almost everyone in my immediate circle has had a baby/is having a baby – and they’re onto their second or third baby. So they have all the advice and support when I need it.

What’s next for you and your family?

We’ll stick around Canberra for a while but I think eventually we’ll chase the sun again. I’d love to be able to travel the world with Luna while she’s young and also give her a sibling (or siblings if my husband will allow it ).

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

I was never sure I’d be ready to have kids, I was partly scared that it would stop me from living my life/chasing my dreams. But it’s been my greatest blessing yet – so it would be to start earlier!

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