Meet Narelda, Karina and baby Sanna from Sydney. You might know Narelda Jacobs OAM through her work on TV as an Australian journalist, newsreader and television presenter. Narelda and Karina share their journey as rainbow parents in the hope of inspiring others who may be considering starting their own family. We love the many ways rainbow families begin, and this little family did it their way and wrote a book! :) Enjoy.
How did you decide it was the right time to have a baby?
We decided to try and if it worked then it was the right time! We factored in Karina’s age and that fertility would only be decreasing, that Narelda always wanted to be surrounded by lots of children and that our best friend Mitch said yes to being a donor. Mostly we just knew it was an experience we wanted to share with each other.
What path did you take to grow your family, and what helped you through it?
We asked our best friend/chosen family member Mitch to be a donor and to try to get pregnant DIY. We used what’s known as the turkey baster method and lucky for us, it worked!
What was the hardest part of the process, and what was the best part?
We are very lucky that the process of getting pregnant wasn’t that hard. The best part was bringing the three of us even closer.
Were there any unexpected costs when you started your family?
Nothing financially but there were some unexpected personal costs - the toll of pregnancy sickness on quality of life, Karina also had pregnancy asthma despite not having asthma since childhood, and the physical recovery after childbirth which was much longer than expected for a natural birth.
What’s been the most surprising thing about becoming parents?
For Karina, it’s how much she loves it. Our baby Sanna is Narelda’s second child and this time around she made a commitment to take it slow to enjoy every moment.
What do you wish you knew about parenthood before you were in it?
Everyone’s experience is so different but that is also probably one of the most important things to know! Don’t compare with other parents or babies and especially beware of what the algorithm pushes you!
What support has made the biggest difference to you as new parents?
Other people’s time is the best gift you can receive - to have someone hold the baby so you can eat, or get an hour of sleep, or even go to a medical appointment and be able to concentrate!
How have you navigated roles and responsibilities as two mums?
As birthing parent and breastfeeder, Karina is the world’s most qualified expert on all things relating to Sanna. Ensuring Sanna has everything she needs is an all consuming role. Narelda has taken on more of the cooking, cleaning and walking the streets with Sanna while Karina gets some sleep after doing the night feeding.
Have you faced any barriers or awkward moments in services or settings because you’re a two mum family?
Ohhhh yes!!! Boarding planes together has been a big one - the attendants are always expecting the husband to be the third boarding pass.
What does family mean to you now that you’re parents?
Narelda was already a parent to Jade who was 30 years old when Sanna was born and we had a strong sense of family and chosen family but now our family is even bigger as Sanna’s Dadda’s family is ours too. Basically, we are now surrounded by even more loe!
What inspired you to write your book for LGBTQ+ people and what do you hope readers will take away from it?
We had the idea for the book once we were already pregnant. With Narelda being on TV and already a parent of an almost 30-year-old, we knew there’d be some interest in the how and who. We were happy to share but we wanted to do it our way and thought a book could help us own our story, while helping to normalise and celebrate rainbow families and flip the bird to the homophobes!