mums we love: Jess Muller

We are into our sixth #monthofmummyhood! We love celebrating the fun and games of motherhood, and we also love gaining insight into how other mums are doing their thing! You would have likely come across Jess Muller's gorgeous images of her and her son Jackson in Bedhead from their home in sunny Queensland. Expecting a second little boy in the next few weeks, she made some time in her busy life to chat to us about how she is coping this time around, how she makes time for herself and the hardest part about being a mum!

How pregnancy is treating her the second time around

"I thought being pregnant the second time around would be different and it definitely is. It's just a whole different learning experience the first time around. You can rest, relax, and appreciate all of the time with your bump. Whereas second time round I feel like we are all go go go. Everyday life does not change and you just end up a little bit more exhausted. First trimester this time was a bit tough, but we got through it and energy levels are back, which is really exciting because Jackson is at the age where he loves to play and he just wants to be interacting with you all the time. The first trimester I struggled. Not being able to rest has been the hardest part. When you're not feeling very well and you just want to lay on the couch and do absolutely nothing - that doesn't happen. I also have a partner that works away half the time so it made it a lot harder to rest. But it’s ok now, I think I’m used to it!"

Hour of power

"This time around, I'm finding it a lot more difficult to do things for myself, mainly because our day-to-day lives are just so busy and revolve mostly around Jackson. But I've been loving reading. I'm knee deep in a series and absolutely loving it. So that's kind of my wind down at the end of the day. I also really cherish nap hour. Jackson seems to be trying to phase out of the naps, which I'm dreading because I love my nap time hour. It gives me a chance to set up some activities for the afternoon which I love doing. I feel like I'm a creative person and I find immense amount of joy in setting up activities for him. So that's what I do for myself."

It takes a village

“We are really, really lucky and that we have lots of family and friends very close by and I quite heavily rely on my mum. She is an absolute legend. If I need her, she will drop everything just to have Jackson because sometimes you just need somebody to look after your child. And we're also really lucky that Matthew’s family is around as well. So we've got lots of people we can ask for help, and I’m very grateful as it’s going to be very helpful to have an extra set of hands.”

The hardest part about being a mum

“Actually asking for help. That is something I'm going to do differently this time round. I think last time I just tried to slug it out by myself as much as possible, but this time I will be asking for more help so look out everyone.”

How she is prepping for the birth

"I feel like I'm one of those people who's a bit like blase about birth. Like can we just skip the birth part and get to the baby part because the baby part is way more daunting to be honest. Last time I didn't really have a set birth plan. I was home for most of my labour and just ended up in the hospital for two hours. I liked not having a set-in-stone plan because then there's nothing to worry about. It's like extra pressure if things don't go exactly how you've marked it out, so I'm just going to wing it and hope for the best. Hopefully everything goes very smoothly. And I did have a really good birth the first time around and I’m hoping this one will be smooth sailing as well.”

From baby to big bro

"Jackson is very, very excited to have a little brother. He always likes to rub my belly and he gives him cuddles all the time and tells me how much he loves his little brother. So I’m really excited to see them bond and see how he reacts when our little boy is out in the world and not just in my tummy. Hopefully he's going to make a really, really good big brother. He's so sweet so I can't wait to see them together."

Work/life balance 

"I work three days a week - for the next few weeks anyway! I work in an office job so it's not that hard, but it is quite uncomfortable at the moment sitting at a desk all day. The rest of the week I have with Jackson. So we do swimming, try and catch up with friends, spend some time at the beach, do some family things."

The best sleep-deprivation prep

"I don't know if there's like three-years sleep regression or what, but for the last month and a half, Jackson has not been sleeping very well which is kind of preparing me for being awake every few hours when I have a newborn! Hopefully sleep comes back just for the next few weeks so I can catch up before I become completely exhausted again!”

THANK YOU Jess for sharing! We wish you all the best for the rest of your pregnancy and can't wait to meet the newest addition to your family! 

Jackson is wearing the Originals Classic Bucket in Denim and Chambray
Jess is wearing the Originals Ladies Sun Visor in Denim and Chambray