Laura Byrne is convinced she knows her baby’s gender and says Matty J is desperate to find out

With her second child due in January, Laura Byrne is counting down the weeks until she’s and fiancé, Matty J become parents to two little ones.

The couple who met and fell in love on The Bachelor are parents to 18 month old, Marlie-Mae and can’t wait to grow their family.

While the pair haven’t found out the gender of baby number two, Laura is convinced she knows the sex.

“I really, really think it’s a boy,” Laura tells Bounty Parents.

“Last time I didn’t have any vibes but literally from the day that I found out I was pregnant, I was like, ‘This is a boy’, so I will be shocked if it’s a girl. Obviously we would be happy with either as long as the baby is healthy. I always thought I would be a mum of boys and then we had Marlie and she is the absolute best so I would be quite happy to have two girls.”

The Toni May jewellery designer says that it was her decision to not find out the gender and that Matt was desperate to know if he was expecting a son or another girl.

“I’m really big on surprises and I’m the one who didn’t want to find out. We didn’t find out with Marlie either. Matt hates surprises and he wants to know so every time we have an ultrasound appointment he’s like, ‘Just tell me!’ But he still doesn’t know,” says Laura.

“I think Matt would just like to have one of each so he knows what it’s like to be a dad to a boy.”

As for transitioning from one to two kids, Laura says she’s looking forward to it even though the close age gap will be hectic, especially at first.

“I’m really excited. It’s the work-life juggle that I’m a little bit apprehensive about but we’ll make it work. We thrive in chaos so we’ll figure it out. We always wanted to have them close together and I know it’s going to be hard work for the first year but I love that they’re going to be really good friends and will be able to play with each other and they’ll be similar age as there will only be 18 months between them.”

When it comes to the working mum juggle, Laura admits it is really hard.

“It’s definitely the thing that I struggle with the most. I feel like I’m stretched and doing each job ok but really doing any jobs very well. I get a lot of guilt around whether I’m being an attentive enough mum and am I able to give enough of my time to work.”

Like so many other parents, Laura also admits she’s found it tough transitioning Marlie into childcare.

“Marlie has only started daycare in the last three or four months and it has taken me to now to be ok with sending her as I was getting upset. You start to think, ‘Maybe I could have her here at home and just work around her nap’ and trying to figure out other solutions but that’s just not workable as we both have to work. We don’t have the luxury for me to stay at home.”

With Christmas fast approaching, Laura is super organised thanks to the convenience of online shopping.

“Normally I’m not an organised person but the last two years I think shopping online has made it so easy and the ease of it is what has made me so organised. This year I’ve done all my Christmas shopping online. I used to really enjoy going to the shops and enjoy the experience of Christmas shopping but now having a baby and being pregnant and lugging a pram around while try to carry everything, it’s really inconvenient.”

The host of the Life Uncut podcast also recommends hiding gifts at work or a friend’s place until the big day to avoid the surprise being spoiled.

“Getting organised for Christmas and doing all the gift shopping is fun, but it can be also be stressful. We live in a little apartment without a lot of storage space so I always have to think ahead as to where I’m going to hide gifts – because Matt just can’t help himself, he loves to snoop!

“This year, I’ve been using Amazon Hub as a convenient way to have my packages delivered, it also helps to avoid any potential spoilers from the postman arriving at the wrong time as we are both working from home. I’ve well and truly mastered the best hiding spots to keep the magic of the surprise alive,” she says.

According to new research commissioned by Amazon Hub reveals the sneaky habits of Aussies when it comes to gift giving. When it comes to Aussie children, they start seeking out their presents from a young age, with a quarter (25%) of parents saying their children started sneaking a peek at gifts before they were five years old.

It’s hardly surprising therefore, that four in five (78%) parents of children under 13 are concerned about someone finding gifts in their hiding spots

With seven out of ten Australians plan to do some or all of their holiday shopping online this year, Amazon customers who live with parcel or gift ‘peekers’ now have the option of their orders being shipped to an Amazon Hub location convenient to them.