Siobhan Marshall with beautiful daughters Remy and Roux with husband Millen Baird. Photo / Michelle Hyslop
Outrageous Fortune actress Siobhan Marshall, 38, introduces her adorable daughter Roux and, in her own words, reveals why motherhood has been so different the second time around
When my husband Millen Baird and I had our first child, our beautiful little girl Remy, three years ago while living in the States, I felt really alone. I ended up with a retained placenta and got an infection in my uterus, but they wouldn't even let me see a doctor in person.
I had to deal with it over the phone and pick up some antibiotics from the local pharmacy, but even that didn't fix it. Eventually, it got so bad, I needed surgery – which I had to drive myself to while Mills minded the baby.
Fortunately, things couldn't have been more different when we welcomed baby number two, Roux Violet Colleen Baird, into the world. She arrived safely on June 10, 2021, in Aotearoa, and we couldn't be happier!
Having our little girl born healthy was a relief for us because it was a tricky and exhausting final month of pregnancy. We discovered I had developed late-onset gestational diabetes, so Roux was induced two weeks earlier than her official due date.
This meant not indulging every one of my crazy pregnancy cravings. It was a period of very healthy, well-balanced eating – almost no carbs! – and daily insulin shots, which I'm not a fan of. I really got a taste (or lack of taste!) for what it would be like to live with diabetes every day and, I'll tell you, it was tough forgoing my favourite treats.
However, when little Roux made her grand entrance with no signs of being affected by high glucose, it was all totally worth it. Yay!
Having Roux born in Auckland was such a different and wonderful adventure compared to Remy's arrival in Los Angeles. Our lovely midwife Mary was with us every step of the way during pregnancy and picked up on the diabetes before any tests confirmed it.
We felt so safe being in such good hands. In the States, they don't have midwives
or Plunket, so having that support this time around was amazing.
We stayed at Birthcare Auckland following the birth and were totally looked after. I learnt a lot from the incredible midwives, who told us that we apparently had a very good baby – and they were right!
Roux is a dream child. She's already a funny little character at eight months. She has a great sense of humour and when she smiles, her whole face lights up, which is very contagious.
Remy loves the spotlight, but Roux is happy to just sit there and smile – she's completely in love with her big sister. We all just love her. However, since her arrival, not everything has gone smoothly.
Roux made her premiere appearance not long before Auckland went into lockdown. Remy had just started at daycare and there were a lot of bugs flying around, so we decided to keep her home while Roux was so new to keep any sicknesses at bay.
Unfortunately, somehow Remy still managed to pick up respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and passed it on to wee Roux, who was only three weeks old. My sister's baby, who's only six days older than Roux, also contracted the virus and for a couple of harrowing weeks, we both tried our best to nurse our very sick newborns.
I felt so helpless and scared – heaps of babies in New Zealand were getting really sick. I was worried it would get worse or affect Roux later in life. Then, to make matters worse, my niece got so sick, she was flown by helicopter to hospital, where she stayed for a week. I was so worried for her and my poor sister.
I was so very lucky that during this time, my postnatal midwife was also my very good childhood friend – hi, Sophie! I was calling her at all hours seeking advice for Roux. We were preparing ourselves to have to rush her to hospital at a moment's notice – it was such a stressful time.
Thankfully, Roux managed to pull through without a hospital visit, and now she and my niece are both fully recovered. They're a pair of healthy, cheeky 8-month-olds!
Because Auckland went into lockdown right after Roux was born, it meant no Plunket or visits from family and friends to help with the kids, plus no daycare for our very active 3-year-old, so Mills and I spent the next few months winging it when it came to entertaining Remy and caring for a newborn.
We're pretty proud of ourselves for getting through that time in one piece. Honestly, I don't know how single parents or families with tonnes of kids do it. My cap is off to you – you are incredible!
Lockdown did help us in some ways, though. We managed to get into a pretty good routine and Roux became a great little napper. In some ways, having to stay home in our bubble has helped with Roux's sleep habits. As any new parent knows, sleep is one of the biggest goals – trying to get the baby to have enough, and also getting enough as a new mum and dad!
A lot of it is trial and error, and the goalposts are constantly moving, especially when baby
is brand new, so the simple lockdown life really helped us keep a nice, calm, not-too-sleep-deprived house.
What got us through that tricky time was the promise of eventually getting out of Auckland to see our families in Kerikeri and Taranaki. Christmas was the light at the end of the tunnel!
I'm so grateful New Zealand came up with a plan to allow us all to have a decent summer holiday, which meant our families could finally meet little Roux. We trekked up to Kerikeri to spent time on my mother's beautiful citrus orchard and finally meet my sister's baby, then we flew down to New Plymouth to spend time with Mills' family and frolic around
at his sister's bach. After three months of our very intense lockdown, it felt like a well-deserved holiday. Bliss!
It's so crazy looking back on the past two years. In 2020, Millen, Remy and I returned home from LA after six months of isolating in our apartment due to Covid. When we came back to Aotearoa, I had three goals: To get an acting role on a big production, to direct a short film – and to have another baby!
Right after coming back, I ticked off my first goal. I'm not allowed to announce what the acting role was just yet, but I had an absolute blast … stay tuned!
As for the second, our short film is now finished. We were editing it right up until the day before I was induced. It's currently being sent out on the international short film festival circuit and I'm pretty proud of it, so fingers crossed the festivals like it too. If it gets screened somewhere exciting, Mills and I have already decided we're going – pandemic, schmandemic!
But of all the goals I've achieved, having our beautiful baby Roux has been the cherry on the top! She's an absolute dream come true.
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