Say hello to Jes from @theacelife and partner Radley’s newest little love. This Sunshine Coast family welcomed darling little Oka Amethyst into the world earlier this month. Older siblings, Ace & Lux have fallen completely in love with their new little sister and are loving life as a tribe of five. Jes captured some beautiful photos of her daughter in our Bamboo Baby styles and opened up to Children of the Tribe about pregnancy, birth and choosing Oka’s name.
Delivering Oka at home on the day we moved was...
Surprisingly less stressful then it sounds. Our plumber was at our house at 10pm fitting in our shower and the attachment to fill up the birth pool (he also delivered an amazing raw cake his gorgeous wife made that was to be eaten after the birth) We went to bed at 11:30pm to then wake up at 1am from my waters breaking. Which also woke Ace and Lux. Despite the house being half furnished and renovations not being completed, we created a peaceful space surrounded by fairy lights and it was perfect. She was born into the water as the sun rose and we were all asleep in our beds by 9am as if she had been here all along.
This pregnancy was different because...
My older kids no longer napped! I really missed having an afternoon nap this pregnancy. I felt like I was tired all the time, especially in that last month - renovating probably didn’t help!
My number one advice for new mums is...
It sounds cliché but it really does go by in the blink of an eye. Cuddle them a little longer, don’t rush them and don’t sweat on the small stuff. In years to come, these days spent living in a messy house whilst feeling ridiculously tired and stuck sitting on the couch under a sleeping baby, desperately needing to pee, are going to be some of your most magic memories.
We choose her name because...
I really wanted to find another three letter name to go with Ace & Lux. I couldn’t find anything that felt like it fit. One night I had fallen asleep putting my babes to sleep when I woke up to someone in my dream yelling OAK, which was already on our boys list. Lying there I started thinking that the word I heard in my dream was OKA. I looked up the name meaning and found Oka is Japanese for cherry blossom, Lux’s middle name is blossom. Instantly the name Oka felt like it fit, two little blossoms for our family. Her middle name is Amethyst, a favourite crystal of mine.
Watching Oka with her siblings is...
Pure magic. They both adore her and it is really special. Ace actually cut Oka’s cord after she was born which was a really special moment for him. The word gentle is definitely being said a lot in our house at the moment mainly to Lux. She means well though, just needs a little practise expressing her love a little less, less squeezing anyway.
