We have had the absolute pleasure to get to know Renae Corlet a little bit better as she has shared with us her thoughts on becoming a mum for the first time. Since chatting to her, the little baby boy have arrived and life as a mum has begun. She's loving life and they are both doing great!
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family: Just your average, small town family. I am 24 and my partner is 25, we have been together since high school where I always knew I’d have his babies! 😂 we have experienced so much life together so far and we’re beyond excited for this next, new journey.
Where are you from? How did you end up where you are? We are from little Central Otago in the South Island, born and bred here. We have attempted moving to Australia as 18 year olds but we soon realised we love our home town. It took leaving to realise how good life was here.
What was your reaction when you first found out you were expecting? Definitely in denial. I had manifested a positive pregnancy test all day at work (Valentine’s Day, awww.) although I hadn’t yet missed my period and had zero symptoms, I thought I’d test that day any way and hello, positive! A lot of repeated ‘wait, what the heck’s happening’ that arvo.
How did you tell your family and friends? I had ordered a cute card saying ‘promoted from dog grandparents to human grandparents’ for our parents and had decided to tell everyone else more in the ‘safe zone’. But my darling partner had one too many beers the night we found out ourselves and spilled the beans so instead of a lovely surprise, we found ourselves racing around town the next day to tell everyone before someone else did! (One con to a small town). I was very upset at the time, but thinking of it now, I find it cute that he was just so excited.
How is your pregnancy? Pregnancy has been a lot better than expected. I never really dealt with many physical symptoms although it has definitely been one big moody roller coaster! It has its days, but I try to never dare complain as I know there are so so many women who would dream of being pregnant and potentially have issues and reasons why they can’t be. If I ever have a bad day, I remember that and know to be extra grateful. There’s always someone who has it worse.
When are you due and how do you feel about your birth? I am due on the 28th October but at this stage, I have a c-section scheduled for the week beforehand due to a stubborn little breech baby! I am super chill coming into birth, nothing has scared me or worried me, I’ve felt super confident and open minded heading into the third trimester. Whatever gives us a healthy baby, we are happy. I like to think everything happens for a reason and birth is a big situation that can’t always be planned or controlled. Go with the flow, baby will decide for you
Why do you choose Little Genies products? I found Little Genies super appealing for someone looking into starting their cloth journey. They’re extremely affordable and easy to use, especially when it can all be overwhelming at first! They’re very FTM friendly. Bonus that we like what they stand for too! How many reusable nappies do you have? So far, we have 16 reusable nappies and the addiction truly is really. Ask me again in a few months, I’d hate to think how many I will have by then 😂
What is you #1 tip, to a fellow pregnant friend? Your body changes, like a lot! And that is perfectly normal. You may have down days but remember, you’re growing an actual human! That’s insane. Also, every pregnancy is different, just because someone else had all these symptoms, doesn’t mean you will too. Don’t compare yourself to others and don’t refer to Dr Google!
Tell us your best lifehack: Accept, adapt and move on. Don’t stress about situations you can’t control and go with the flow. My best life hack.
Few tips from fellow mums and dads on becoming a parent for the first time:
We reached out to all of our friends for some hands-on advice. Thank you ALL so much for sharing and being there! xx
Sleep when Baby Sleeps | Trust Your Instincts and don't compare your baby to someone else's | Take all the advice thrown at you with a grain of salt and trust your instincts instead | Listen to your instincts, but never be afraid to ask for help! | Listen to your gut over other people's 'advice'... | Let the house be messy, just rest and soak up the snuggles | We are all just winging it... | Some days will be tough but know that it does get easier | Just go with the flow, chuck the clock out the window | Cloth Nappies! | Trust your instincts | Babies will eventually sleep! They may take forever and may even cry for a long time, but they will sleep. | Take each day as it comes, try not to think in terms of hours/days. Take it slow. | You're both learning, take one day at a time. You will find your groove | Say yes to help | Make time for a shower every day | Don't put too much pressure on yourself | Your are NOT alone! | Buy a Coffee machine | Ask for help | Read Babywise | "This too shall pass" | Don't worry about housework