Moana Hope has just celebrated her daughter Svea’s first birthday and can’t wait to give her the best present of all; a little brother or sister.
Chatting to Now To Love over the phone, the former AFLW legend and Survivor star shares her plans to fall pregnant and admits she can’t wait to experience all the ups and downs of carrying a child.
“From what I’m told, pregnancy is like a roller coaster of an experience,” Moana, 33, says.
“I’m trying to carry the second one, which is going to be exciting! I know at the same time, watching Belle go through it was one experience, but doing it yourself is completely different.”
Moana with daughter Svea, who just turned one.
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Her model wife Isabella Carlstrom carried their daughter Svea after the couple conceived her through IVF, and though Moana was by her side through it all she can’t wait to experience pregnancy firsthand.
But there’s one thing Moana will definitely be avoiding as she works towards falling pregnant herself: Google.
“If you start Google-ing. You get lost in that hole,” she laughs.
As the self-appointed “safety mum” in the family – “Isabella is more the daredevil,” she tells us – Moana knows she’ll be doing everything in her power to have a healthy, safe pregnancy.
Though she knows the experience is different for every woman, Moana feels lucky to have Isabella at her side on the journey, though there’s a bit of pressure there too.
“Belle set the bar pretty high with Svea, you know. I have to produce something good!” she laughs.
She’ll also be putting plenty of energy into keeping herself fit and healthy while she’s pregnant, revealing that she plans to keep up her training regime – with some mum-to-be modifications, of course.
Moana will also be prioritizing eating healthy, though she tells us she’d never say no to a Grill’d burger, and staying hydrated, something she says is easy to forget in the madness of motherhood.
Her role as an Ambassador for Hydralyte means she’ll have products like their new Hot Hydration Drink to keep her going and Moana has seen how helpful the drinks can be firsthand, both for herself and wife Isabella.
“The reason why I first got on onto Hydralyte was because I was constantly having headaches when I trained,” she says.
Moana says wife Isabella set a high bar with their first child.
(Instagram)“I already drank two, three litres of water a day, but nothing was helping. I ended up just having a Hydralyte in the morning when I felt like I was waking up with a headache and it was a massive game changer for me.”
And when breastfeeding Svea left her dehydrated and exhausted, Hydralyte was the easiest way to get the new mum back in action.
It’s a new mum hack Moana plans to use when she welcomes their second child – she just has to get pregnant first!
“We’re in the middle of trying at the moment, so fingers crossed. It’s quite the process and we’re doing it with Monash IVF, so we have the same donor [as they did with Svea],” Moana reveals.
“But I’ll be blessed to be pregnant and to be able to have a little one. I’m really excited about it.”
Someone who is just as excited about Moana’s growing family is her sister, Vinny.
The 26-year-old was born with the neurological disorder Möbius syndrome and Moana has worked hard to make sure Vinny is an equal part of her family with Isabella.
“We’re making a massive mindful effort to make sure that Vinny is incorporated in every way possible,” Moana says.
She will live with the pair when they move into their new home, which is currently being renovated, and has taken to the role of “big sister” to Moana’s daughter.
Vinny already helps with nappy changes and a whole host of other baby duties, and she couldn’t be more excited about Moana and Isabella’s plans to have another child.
Moana has been Vinny’s biggest supporter from day one.
(Supplied)“She keeps asking us every day, ‘Are you pregnant yet? Are you pregnant yet? Have you got a baby yet?’,” Moana chuckles.
“If I could be pregnant anytime soon to cheer her up, I think that would be amazing.”
It’s also been important to Moana to make sure Vinny knows that she’ll always be a part of their family, no matter how many kids come into the picture.
She’s been Vinny’s biggest fan and carer for decades now and wants her to be able to experience everything life has to offer, from being part of a big family to nights out at the pub.
“I’ve never treated her any different. I take care of her because she needs that help, but… she’s an adult and she deserves to be treated just like anyone else,” Moana says.
Moana wants her sister to experience everything life has to offer.
(Supplied)Wife Isabella feels the same and has been totally on board with making Vinny a central part of their family, something Moana adores.
She gushes: “Belle’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. She’s pretty amazing, just such a good person and an amazing mum.”
Of course, Moana is also ready for her wife to make plenty of jokes at her expense when she is the one going through pregnancy and childbirth.
“She’s probably going to have a lot of ‘I told you so’ moments!”
We spoke to Moana as Hydralyte’s newest product, Hot Hydration, has become available on shelves and online. Think Hydralyte meets herbal tea, it’s available in Berry Fusion and Lemon Ginger.
