Two years after welcoming their beautiful son Fox, Zoe and Benji Marshall are preparing to welcome baby number two.
The NRL Tigers player and his wife will no doubt be thrilled to welcome an addition to their brood, and a little brother or sister for Fox, especially given the difficulties they faced in becoming parents previously.
Sharing a picture of an ultrasound to Instagram, Zoe wrote: “It’s really bloody hard for me to keep a secret. That’s why I’ve hardly been on Instagram or sharing stories because I don’t trust myself that it would just slip out.”
She continued: “It’s time. I’ve been incredibly sick and isolated for the last 11 weeks because of this little monkey. I’m sharing this and so much vital information I learnt from this season on today’s [podcast] episode.
“I look forward to being honest and sharing the good, bad and really ugly bits of this time with you all. Mini marshall due day before my birthday (god help me another Gemini) June 2021.”
In her post, she shared a snippet from her podcast, The Deep, which delves into dealing with trauma and struggles that people often don’t talk about.
In the recording, she talks about how cautious she and Benji had been around this second pregnancy given the complications they’ve had in the past.
She explained that Benji had a lot of anxiety around her announcing they were expecting prematurely, which was completely understandable.
“He’s just been very private in general,” she said.
Zoe and Benji are expecting a second child.
(Instagram)Back in 2017, the pair spoke to Woman’s Day about their difficult road to parenthood.
After suffering severe stage-four endometriosis, Zoe was convinced this was the reason for their struggle
to fall pregnant.
She admitted in her darkest moments, she feared she would never have a child.
“We always knew we wanted a baby, so living with that uncertainty was tough. It was always in the back of my mind,” she told Woman’s Day in 2017.
After years of trying to fall pregnant naturally, Zoe turned to Chinese medical practitioner Dr Shuquan Liu for help.
Six months later, on her 33rd birthday, Zoe received the news she and Benji had been hoping for – she was pregnant.
The pair tried several avenues before Zoe eventually became pregnant.
(Instagram)After the safe arrival of their son, the pair again spoke to Woman’s Day to share the experience.
The 10 hour labour was an ordeal in itself.
“The doctor said the cord was wrapped about the baby’s neck, so I told Zoe she had to push.
It was as if I was giving a talk to the boys on the field,” Benji told us.
“Everyone in the room was making pushing noises to motivate her. Then the doctor said I’d have to grab the baby really tightly, because he’d feel like a wet footy. I squeezed him so hard, he was going nowhere!”
Zoe and Fox’s bond is stronger than anything.
(Instagram)We’re thrilled that the pair will soon welcome another addition to their growing family.
After everything they’ve been through, it certainly seems they’re both more than up to the challenge.
