Mama Muse • Cody Kilgour

April 27, 2023

Mother to Marlow Eve - Australia

"One major change is nourishing my body after bub, I didn’t realise how depleted of nutrients you can be after pregnancy and birth so I will be very much focusing on my diet and supplements using a TCM based approach."

My name is Cody, I have a little girl Marlow Eve who is 20 months and I am currently pregnant with baby number two. Originally from a small town near Byron Bay but moved to Melbourne Australia when I was 35 weeks pregnant with Marlow. We were blessed and very fortunate to fall easily with both pregnancies, Marlow’s pregnancy and birth were relatively straightforward and smooth. This next bub is a wanted surprise you could call it and we are so excited to give Marlow a little sister or brother. I was lucky enough to be able to surf during Marlow's pregnancy up until 25 weeks and I just had my last surf for this pregnancy being 30 weeks.

What did you find challenging about being a new mother?

I admit I had many challenges being a new mum. We honestly had the dream baby, great feeder, barely cried, amazing sleeper, a joy. But unfortunately, due to covid lockdowns and being new to Melbourne with no friends or family in the state, we had no support for the months we were in lockdown and my health and postpartum period suffered causing extreme anxiety which has affected my health. I still believe I’m not 100% better, my health is still not where I’d like it to be. So it wasn’t an easy period for us all but we got through the lockdowns and had a gorgeous little girl who was the light for us at that time.

How were you supported during your postpartum period and what would you change if you could go back in time?

I feel I was very well supported during my postpartum time by my partner Lee and my mum. As mentioned earlier I, unfortunately, didn’t have any support for the first 5 months postpartum. I would change many many things looking back (if Covid restrictions allowed me to) and I have a plan in place for this next baby. One major change is nourishing my body after bub, I didn’t realize how depleted of nutrients you can be after pregnancy and birth so I will be very much focusing on my diet and supplements using a TCM-based approach. I also didn’t realize how lack of support can also affect your health and recovery so I will be having a family member take turns in traveling down to Melbourne during those first crucial couple of months while I recover and heal.

"I also didn’t realise how lack of support can also affect your health and recovery so I will be having a family member take turns in travelling down to Melbourne during those first crucial couple of months while I recover and heal."

List your top 3 essentials for a new mother

Feeding and changing stations around your home with a bottle of water at each one.
Prepared meals in the freezer that will be nourishing and nutritious for recovery.
Newborns don’t need a lot so buy the bare minimum and save the cute clothes etc for when they are a little bigger.

Are there any rituals or practices during your 4th trimester you'd like to share?

My main rituals and practices during my 4th trimester centered around nourishment. I was Lots of cuddles and soaking up the newborn stage that goes oh so fast. But also creating as much of a routine that’s possible with a newborn to create little moments for me where I could meditate, refresh, have a bath, or still enjoy little moments with my husband. For example, I made sure bub had one nap a day at least in her bassinet which got her used to her bassinet and sleeping environment. If Marlow was unsettled I would also put her straight in the pram and either go for a walk or push her around the house rather than rock her for hours. I found rocking for too long strained my back and neck.

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