EXCLUSIVE: Tayla Broad on the meaning behind her daughter’s name and her hospital bag essentials
“For so long I felt alone and like my body was letting Samara down.”
Earlier this year, former reality star Tayla Broad (née Damir) and her husband, AFL star Nathan Broad, welcomed their first child, daughter Samara Margot.
It has been a busy few years for the loved-up couple. Tayla, who rose to fame on the 2018 series of Love Island, met Nathan in 2019. After three years of dating, the couple tied the knot in October 2022 in a stunning ceremony held in the Gold Coast hinterland.
In August 2023, the pair became first-time parents. On social media, the 26yo new mum has been open and honest about the highs and lows of her parenthood journey.
Shortly after Samara’s arrival, Tayla shared a post on new motherhood, writing: “It’s been rewarding, challenging, confronting, hard, tiring, magical and emotional.” And doesn’t that just sum up mum life perfectly?
In an exclusive interview with Bounty Parents, Tayla, who is working with Australian baby and kids brand b.box, spoke honestly about her pregnancy and learning to love her changing body, the breastfeeding challenge that’s not talked about enough, her advice for new mums, and so much more.
Congratulations on the arrival of Samara. In one sentence, how would you describe new motherhood?
Overwhelming in the best possible way, with joy, purpose, happiness fear, responsibility and unconditional love.
Your daughter’s name is beautiful. How did you and Nathan decide on Samara?
The name Samara is my middle name. It’s a mix between both my grandmother’s names. I have always loved the symbolism of that and thankfully, Nathan did too.
What were the top five things you packed in your hospital bag for you?
My absolute musts when it comes to packing are…
- Adult diapers – you’ll thank me later.
- Slippers – you won’t want to walk about the hospital in shoes, or touch the carpet with your bare feet so slippers are the go.
- Pressure point comb (the teeth of the comb can put pressure onto specific acupressure points) – to help distract you during contractions. Not everyone likes or knows about these but I swear by them.
- Perineal bottle (these help cleanse the area and relieve postpartum discomfort) – a life saver after birth and the weeks to follow.
- TENS machine – to distract the mind from pain. You can also hire these.
- Oh and lollies!
What items did you pack but didn’t use?
A nice outfit to leave the hospital. Haha! I literally wore trackies to go home. Samara looked gorgeous in her outfit.
What did you wish you had packed?
Extra pillow slips as they will get dirty during and after birth.
What were the best things you packed for Samara?
- Sleep suit – zips all the way. And two way zips at that. No one has time for those teeny tiny buttons!
- Swaddles – there are some absolutely gorgeous ones available. Samara was the cutest little baby burrito.
- Cute outfit to leave the hospital in – need to capture those memories.
- Beanie – even in summer! Newborns need beanies.
- Film camera to take photos of her – some of my favourite photos that went straight on display in our house.
Do you have any tips when it comes to organising your hospital bag?
I used packing cubes and it made it really easy to know where everything was. I packed a separate bag for Samara and myself so it was organised. I wrote lists leading up to her due date and ticked it all off as I packed it.
While pregnant, you shared to Instagram: “The first few months were hard. My body changed, my hormones sky rocketed, my body hurt and the nauseousness was out of this world.” Did you have any remedies to help with pregnancy sickness?
In those early weeks of pregnancy I truly survived off Jatz crackers, sour worms and Zooper Doopers. The best way to keep my nausea at a bearable level was to just constantly snack on crackers. Nathan used to laugh because in the middle of the night he would wake up to what sounded like a rat in the corner nibbling on food, to find it was just me eating whilst half asleep.
What was your whole pregnancy experience like?
My pregnancy was an incredible experience. Yes, I felt nauseous in the first few weeks and was riddled with fear until we hit 12 weeks, but never once did I take the experience for granted. Being someone who suffers from Endometriosis I knew how lucky I was to be pregnant and carry my child.
Once I hit my second trimester and the nauseousness went away, I loved every second of it. Feeling Samara’s kicks, movements and hiccups are some of my favourite memories. I loved getting to see the scans and appreciating the changes in my body.
Being someone who suffered from body dysmorphia it was a real eye opener to how ungrateful and nasty I had been to my body in the past. The nine months of pregnancy helped me develop a love for my body and as a woman.
Tell us about your decision to find out the gender. Did you and Nathan always know you’d find out?
Nathan and I are planners so we always knew we would find out the gender. Plus, I hate surprises so I would have gone insane without confirmation that we were having a girl.
Can you describe your reaction when you found out you were expecting a girl?
We both started laughing nervously. Me from realising my karma would soon be coming back to bite me. Nathan from realising he was about to be a girl dad after being so sure that I was carrying a boy. At the end of the day, we didn’t care what we were having as long as that little baby was healthy.
You shared on Instagram: “Breastfeeding is a full time job and I’m struggling to enjoy it and I think people should talk about this more.” Firstly, thank you for sharing. Why is it important for women to talk more about the challenges of breastfeeding?
For so long people preached ‘breast is best’ so we all started believing it. However, this isn’t true. In fact the saying should be ‘fed is best, regardless of how it’s done’. No one can prepare you for how hard breastfeeding is, especially in those early weeks. I was lucky that Samara latched straight away and loved to feed but that didn’t mean I found it easy.
I went from never having boobs to all of a sudden feeling like my only use was for my boobs. I couldn’t enjoy my child like everyone else because she could always smell my milk. I felt like I had taken on a full-time job and had no idea what I was doing. My milk supply was drowning her. The poor thing had colic so couldn’t pass gas at the best of times, let alone when my milk was quite literally exploding into her mouth and down her face.
I had never heard anyone talk about the struggles of oversupply. For so long I felt alone and like my body was letting Samara down. It wasn’t until I shared my experience that I realised this was far from true. It was way more common than I thought and I was able to connect with incredible mothers who not only gave me advice but gave me a safe space to ask questions. It was because of this that I continued to push on and I now have a much better relationship with breastfeeding. It’s important to speak out about the challenges, as well as the beauty of breastfeeding, so first time mothers can feel less alone, supported and not judged.
I was able to finally let go of any expectation I felt society had put on me in those early weeks and make a decision to continue breastfeeding until I’m ready to stop. If that’s tomorrow, next week or next year it won’t matter what anyone else says because I know my child and my body and can confidently say I know what’s best for us.
I don’t take the opportunity to breastfeed for granted, I love looking down and seeing Samara staring back up at me with her baby blue eyes. I love when she places her hand right over my heart and I love the quiet moments I get with her throughout the busy days. However, there is something special to be found in all moments with your child, so if you are unable to breastfeed, find that same joy in your own unique moments.
What challenges have you’ve faced as a new mum – it’s not easy! How are you?
I am really well thank you. It sounds cliché but I know I’m a great mother and this was always part of my journey.
Although I love being a mum there were definitely times when I felt like it was all becoming too much. Samara had colic early on and Nathan was playing football away when it first kicked in. I felt alone and like she hated me for a few weeks.
My milk supply, as mentioned, was drowning her and she would turn purple from screaming and no matter what I did I couldn’t help relieve the pain she felt. Once Samara was diagnosed with colic, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. I realised it wasn’t my fault, there was something actually going on to cause her this much discomfort.
One of my closest girlfriends gave me some great advice that I held onto in those early days, ‘the best and worst thing about babies is nothing lasts long and everything is a phase’.
She was right, she often is. I didn’t want to take anything for granted after that and knew that if we worked as a team we would get through the hard things and miss the easy things.
I have an incredibly hands-on, loving and helpful husband who has made our journey a breeze. If it wasn’t for him sitting with me during every night time feed, rocking her to sleep so I could have time to myself, doing every nappy change and continuing to keep our household in high spirits, I don’t know if I would be able to speak so fondly of parenthood. He is the glue that keeps our family together and for that I am grateful.
How have you been managing sleep deprivation?
I am extremely blessed to own a Snoo which has had Samara sleeping a full eight hours every night from eight weeks onwards. I sometimes feel as though I should tell other mothers a lie and say she wakes during the night so I feel less guilty, but she truly is an angel and I am going to own that.
How do you balance self-care with motherhood?
My husband helps with this. He always encourages me to go for a walk without Samara, go to a Pilates class or suggests I have a bath and take time for myself. When he isn’t around, I make sure I am looking after myself by cooking nourishing meals, going out into the fresh air or taking Samara along for a coffee outside of the house.
What advice or encouragement would you give to other expectant mums?
I want expecting mums to know that they are never alone and that there is this unspoken community of mothers just waiting and wanting to help you with your journey so ask, embrace and trust.
How has your relationship with Nathan changed since the arrival of Samara?
I didn’t think I could fall in love with that man anymore than I already was until I saw how he is with his daughter and with me. We are a team. Luckily for me the only thing that changed was our love for one another grew stronger.
