GUEST MUM - SAMANTHA

Please introduce yourself - I'm Samantha Varley. I'm 23, and I live with my husband Harley and our almost 10 month old Boston on the Gold Coast, Australia. Harley and I have known each other since we started high school but didn't start dating untill I was 19. We got engaged two years ago and soon after I fell pregnant with our unexpected but much loved little boy! Who came up with your son's name and how did you and your partner settled with his name? Throughout my pregnancy I kept throwing names out that I loved like River, Nash and Dallas and the only one he ever suggested was Boston. Towards the end of my pregnancy I came across the word Zephyr, I can't remember where actually. It also happened to be the name of one of my favourite bands songs (Zephyr Song, Red Hot Chilli Peppers.) I liked how unique it was and initially wanted it as his first name. Harley was pretty set on Boston though and so we ended up with Boston Zephyr. It wasn't untill the day I gave birth that we actually agreed that that would be his name though, I think after Harley saw me go through labour he wasn't going to argue! Did you have a good or bad pregnancy? I have to say I got pretty lucky with my pregnancy. I did get pretty awful morning sickness in the beginning but as soon as that stopped it was smooth sailing (can't say the same for my labour unfortunately.) I was the most confident I have ever been with my body. I felt like I was glowing and beautiful despite being 15 kilos heavier then I'd ever been on the scales. I dealt with the different aches and pains and constant tiredness/crankiness but still overall I'd say I had a good pregnancy. As soon as I had Boston I wanted to be pregnant again! But after nine months breastfeeding, being a full time working mama with a baby that very rarely sleeps, I've decided to wait a few years before we jump on the baby train again. Did you have any cravings when you were pregnant? I had the most intense craving for eucalyptus lollies! I actually smelt eucalyptus oil while I was at work one afternoon and I couldn't stop thinking about it so as soon as I finished I went out and bought some lollies and immediately became obsessed. I swear I ate an entire gold and black packet of atleast 50 per day. It got to a point where I was buying in bulk every time I went to the iga to make sure I never ran out. My husband still laughs about me crunching on them in the dark after we went to bed everynight. After I had Boston the cravings disappeared completely and I haven't eaten one since. Where were you and what was your first reaction when you found out you were pregnant? I was at home with Harley. I had actually done two tests two weeks earlier that had come up negative. I had known since probably a couple of days before my period was due that I was pregnant. I could feel that something has changed in my body so even when the pregnancy tests told me I was wrong I remember telling Harley "I'm definitely pregnant." Initially I was really unsure if I was ready to have a baby! It hadn't been something we were trying for or planning for in the near future, but I had already started to fall in love with the tiny heartbeat inside my tummy. What are your favourite moments since becoming a mother? It's not really the big things that you would expect that are my favourite moments since we've had Boston. It's more all the tiny things that fill me with so much joy and love I could burst. Everytime I watch my son and his father play together and the way he laughs, when his eyes light up when he sees me after I've been at work all day, the way he stares at me when im feeding him in my arms, and how peaceful his little face is when he sleeps. What has changed the most since becoming a mother?

Absolutely everything has changed. But mostly I guess my freedom, I have always been somebody who did whatever I wanted whenever I wanted to and I can't do that anymore. I have always been about spontaneity and adventures which is limited now that I have a whole human being to look after. I have become a whole new human, my priorities have changed completely and solely surround being an amazing mama to my baby, giving him absolutely everything I can and providing the best type of life for him. What were your first thoughts when you saw your son for the first time? I don't think I really formed a coherent thought. Looking back my feelings were something like a mixture of amazement, shock, the greatest love you will ever feel in your entire life and ANXIETY. Haha. I have never ever loved anything like that tiny little creature I created and it scared the absolute life out of me. Has your lifestyle change drastically after having your son? I was already at a place in my life where I was ready to settle down alot, I started partying and going out very young and I was well and truly over it by 21. So the only thing that has really changed in my lifestyle is that I don't have as much time to look after myself as much, I used to be very high maintenance and don't really have the time to be now that I am a mama. What is your biggest fear as a mother? Everything, I literally worry about every little thing and I actually suffered really badly with anxiety after my baby was born. I became borderline OCD with cleanliness and hygiene as I was so so worried about Boston getting an illness. I avoid all articles about anything bad ever happening to babies because I end up losing sleep over them. What have you learnt since being a mother? To be selfless, I used to be incredibly self absorbed, now my entire life revolves around my little boy. What do you miss the most before becoming a mother?

It sounds stupid but having time to get myself ready before I go somewhere, I barely have time to put on make up anymore and it does my head in!Being able to leave the house in five minutes if you want to, and SLEEP. Oh god do I miss sleep. Do you follow a routine or do you take each day as it comes? I don't follow a routine, Boston has created his own in a way. I know how long he'll generally sleep for and we have a set bedtime routine but everything else in between is pretty much chaos 😂 It has been hard to instill anything too strict because he is in daycare five days a week and has been since five months old because I had to go back to work full-time. I have just dropped down to casual because we can finally afford to and I am looking forward to trying to put a routine in place to give us a little more stability and hopefully to help with some of the sleep issues we have 😭 Any advice for soon to be mothers and already mothers? Do not listen to anybody when the give you their opinions on parenting or tell you how things you are doing should be done, do things the way you feel is right in your self and do what works for your baby. Take time out for yourself and don't feel guilty for it. I truly believe mothers are some of the most hardworking humans in the world and we deserve to be looked after ourselves sometimes.

Instagram - @Samantheve