Kate DeAraugo’s face lights up with a huge smile as she gazes at two-year-old Hudson as he fusses over the “sleepy” new baby brother who arrived with a shock of black hair and
a gentle disposition.
“They are chalk and cheese,” she tells Woman’s Day. “They are different babies in every possible way. Hudson came out two weeks late with blond hair, eyes open and was ready to boogie from the minute he arrived.
“Noah is totally different. He’s a sleepy baby, and in the first few weeks there was a lot of sleeping. Hudson hated breastfeeding, and Noah is fine with it. Everything has been totally opposite!”
KATE DEARAUGO’S INSTANT LOVE
Kate, 39, says the biggest problem she and partner, construction site manager Shannon Riseley, 43, have faced since coming home to Bendigo, Victoria, with Noah, has been restraining besotted Hudson’s enthusiasm.
“I wasn’t sure how Hudson would accept his baby brother. It was the unknown, but he probably loved him too much when we first brought him home. He almost killed him with love,” she laughs.
“He just wanted Noah to be his baby. He wanted to feed the baby, hold the baby, touch the baby. Hudson’s still learning the art of sharing, but he wanted to give Noah all his toys – on his face! The first few days were a little bit stressful.”
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Kate spent nine-and-a-half hours in labour after Hudson was medically induced 12 days after his due date, but this time round, because of a small injury she suffered giving birth to Hudson, she chose a caesarean on the advice of her doctor.
“I was expecting the worse, but I feel like I recovered from a caesar way quicker than I thought I would,” shares Kate, who says she was grateful to have chosen to have an assisted C-section.
“It was really cool. I got to help pass him up onto my chest. But still, if I was to choose to have a third – which I have no intention of doing – I would probably choose a natural birth.
“It was painful and hard and all the things a natural birth is, but there’s just something about delivering a baby that way, maybe because it was my first, that was really embedded in my memory in the most beautiful way.”
Kate’s been “incredibly lucky” to have had relatively straightforward pregnancies, but like any mum, she was still filled with doubts and fears about how their lives would change leading up to the birth.
“This time it was about the unknown of adding a baby into my already ‘world of Hudson’. I was really fearful of what adding another baby was going to look like, and just all that unknown stuff,” she says.
“But as soon as he turned up, it all seemed to work out. It felt like it was instantly the new normal. For me, it was instant love, and that’s not every mum’s experience. It’s such a difficult moment to describe. It’s just a whirlwind of emotions.”
LIFE CHANGING
Shannon says he was also immediately lovestruck when he met Noah and cherishes spending time with both his boys, including playing trucks with Hudson and feeding Noah when he’s home from work.
“It’s a lot harder than I thought it would be, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” shares Shannon, who feeds and bathes Noah before reading Hudson a book and putting him to bed. “It’s my favourite time of the day.”
Despite juggling a newborn and an energetic toddler who almost never stops running, Kate has recently launched the third season of her podcast, Why Do I Feel This Way?, which she co-hosts with former Nova producer, Claudia Coy.
The 2005 Australian Idol winner bravely told her own story in the first season two years ago, revealing how her terrible insecurities about body image and anxiety about fame led to drug addiction and almost destroyed her life, before she got clean.
“I’ve also been back doing music, and I love it, and I have a really beautiful relationship with music,” she says.
“But now I do it in a way that brings me a lot of joy and not so much pressure and heartache like it did all those years ago.”
For now, Kate, who will perform in her hometown as part of Pride in Bendigo later this month, is happy to focus on being a mum, and enjoy watching Hudson bond with his baby brother.
“We’re still finding our feet, finding our groove, finding our new normal. I feel good mentally, and we’re all doing pretty good. Hudson and Noah are both still alive and everyone has clothes on and everyone’s getting fed!”
