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Young parents’ journey with ‘miracle baby’

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When Claudia was 21 and Lachlan was 20, they became parents to “little miracle baby” Lorenzo.

 

The couple navigated their unexpected journey with support from Council’s Young Parents Group and are sharing their story to support others going through similar experiences.

 

Claudia had been told she couldn’t get pregnant for medical reasons before she received a positive test.

 

“I was working in a nightclub, Lachlan was working warehouse jobs,” she says. “Once I got pregnant, I stopped working at 36 weeks because my shifts were until 3am.

 

“I was like, everything’s about to change now. Now, we need a nursery, we need a routine, we need to eat healthier and exercise more, and partying and see friends less.”

 

When Lorenzo was born, the three started going to the Young Parents Group, which is for parents under 25 with a baby under 12 months. They would meet on Fridays from 10am to noon.

 

“Going to the group was great because we got to socialise with other parents who had experienced similar things and were going through the same stresses and learning the same skills that we were,” Claudia says.

 

“We were able to help each other out heaps with little tips and tricks on sleeping and getting time to yourself and with developmental progress to see where all the kids were at in certain age groups, making sure they were hitting their milestones correctly.

 

“We made some pretty good friends out of it as well because we’re all very similar; we’re all the same age range and we all still go to playgroup now together.”

 

Lachlan says he felt really welcome as a dad.

 

“Everyone was giving each other reassurance and motivation and creating a bond and friendship through having kids,” he says. “It was definitely a positive change having a family group around — that’s what we call it — and being able to see people gave us a routine with doing something on the exact day.

 

“It definitely made me more confident about being part of a group as they were very welcoming to me, especially being a dad.

 

“There’s positive and honest feedback. There are good ways we do stuff but there might be other strategies to do stuff as well. So, there’s always new questions to be answered for growth.

 

“Even for the older parents that come in, it’s nice to hear about their experience and for them to hear young parents’ experiences, so it’s a nice mix.”

 

Claudia and Lachlan say the group taught them “day-to-day stuff we didn’t know we needed”, including practical support like learning first aid and filling out Centrelink forms.

 

Claudia and Lachlan have a second baby on the way and are confident this time round.

 

“It’s not as scary as what they say and it’s also not as financially stressful as they make it out to be,” Claudia says.

 

“It’s actually super rewarding. It’s honestly the greatest thing that’s happened to me personally in my life.”

 

If you are interested in joining the program or for more information, contact [email protected] or call 9298 8000. 

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