From Solo Cups to Jellybean: My Pregnancy Story

Hi, beautiful people!

Welcome to my very first official post on Mama Made Easy. I thought I’d start by sharing a bit about me and how this whole pregnancy journey began. It’s not glamorous, but it is real, raw, and honest. Quick trigger warning before we dive in: this story includes mentions of abortion.

So, hi! I’m Hannah Elyce, 25 years old, born and raised in Perth, WA, and currently 36 weeks pregnant. Yep, I’m officially a young mum. At the time this all started, I was living in a share house with my partner Ethan and two of our friends, Sam and Andy. On January 26th (Australia Day/Invasion Day), we hosted a little get-together. I was in the kitchen chatting with our mate Jonah when he asked why I wasn’t drinking. I told him it was because of some dodgy liver blood test results. His response? “Oh, I thought maybe you were pregnant.” I laughed it off, but his words stuck with me. My period had been MIA, but that wasn’t unusual for me—so who knew?

The next morning, curiosity got the better of me. Ethan was scrolling on his phone in bed while I grabbed a couple of pregnancy tests from the cupboard—First Response and Clearblue, because why not double-check? I peed in a red Solo cup (yes, very glamorous), dipped both tests, set the timer, and tried not to obsessively stare at them. When the timer went off, I hit record on my phone—because even though we weren’t trying, I always filmed my reactions just in case. And then it happened: two positives. Faint, but definitely there. Shock hit me like a truck. I’ve always wanted to be a mum, but I never thought it would happen so fast—especially considering I’d only had gastric sleeve surgery two months earlier. (For anyone new here: it’s a weight loss surgery where they remove 80% of your stomach. One side effect? Boosted fertility. Clearly!)

I walked into the bedroom and showed Ethan. His immediate reaction: “No f***ing way.” We sat together in silence before I burst into tears—overwhelmed, not sad. Over the next few weeks, we had endless talks filled with tears, love, fear, and a lot of “what ifs.” I wanted to keep the baby; Ethan wasn’t so sure. It wasn’t easy on our relationship.

In mid-February, we went to Brisbane for a pre-booked trip. On Valentine’s Day, after a fun day at Movie World, Ethan took me to Mount Gravatt Lookout, and while walking the trail, he dropped to one knee and proposed with a beautiful oval diamond ring. I said yes, of course. To me, that moment was his way of saying he’d stand by me and this baby no matter what.

When we returned home, we had our first ultrasound at 7 weeks at Beautiful Beginnings. I braced for the worst, but there on the screen was a healthy little baby with a strong heartbeat. She looked just like a jellybean, and that’s been her nickname ever since. Sitting in the car afterwards, I told Ethan straight: “I can’t not have this baby. If you don’t want this, I’ll give the ring back and do it alone.” It was blunt, but it was the truth. After some time, he agreed—we’d figure it out together.

By April, we shared our pregnancy news with family and friends, who were beyond excited. At 14 weeks, we went for a private ultrasound to find out the gender. The sonographer sealed the result in an envelope, which I handed over to the lovely Leanne from Caking Up A Storm. She baked us cupcakes with the answer hidden inside. The next day, Ethan and I sat in a park, bit into our cupcakes, and found out we were having a baby girl. We were thrilled.

Fast forward to July, and pregnancy threw me another curveball: gallbladder attacks. I ended up needing surgery, which was terrifying while pregnant. Thankfully, everything went smoothly, and Jellybean was monitored carefully the whole time.

Then came August, and with it, my baby shower. I went with a “Baby in Bloom” theme—everyone in florals or light colours. Organising it myself was stressful (note to self: never again), but it turned out beautifully thanks to my mum, sister, and a lifesaving local group called Borrow and Share Bunting Library where you can borrow decorations for free. The house was cramped thanks to awful weather, but the love in the room made up for it.

Now here I am in September with just a few weeks to go until Jellybean makes her grand entrance. In the meantime, I sold my old Hyundai Getz, upgraded to a Toyota RAV4 (mum car unlocked), had the car seat installed, and joined The Trimester Club pregnancy support group. The last big task? Packing my hospital bag—and Ethan’s too, because let’s be real, if I left it to him, he’d probably just show up with deodorant and socks. Luckily, I’ve created ultimate hospital bag checklists that you can grab for free under the “Resources” tab here on the blog section.

So there you have it—my not-so-glamorous but very real pregnancy story. If you’ve made it this far, thank you so much for reading my first post. This space is all about keeping things honest, helpful, and maybe a little funny along the way. Welcome to Mama Made Easy—I’m so glad you’re here.

Sending love from me, Ethan (and Jellybean). 💕