She didn’t find love on Married at First Sight Season 3, but fan favourite Jess Wardop couldn’t be happier with the way life mapped out.
Welcoming her beautiful daughter Stevie Marianna Pappas by emergency caesarean section on New Year’s Eve, the reality star has everything she ever wanted.
Having met Chris Pappas, the man of her dreams, on Tinder, Jess unexpectedly fell pregnant a few months later. While it was a shock to begin with, they were both excited about the prospect of becoming parents.
However Jess, 34, admits she was probably a little naive about what having a newborn really entails. “I had no idea how to put on a nappy,” she laughs. “As a new mum you think everything you are doing is wrong, but for so long I didn’t even know if Stevie liked me. I have spent countless hours on Google trying to work out what I’m doing, or using social media to ask questions, because I honestly have no idea.”
Luckily, they have two midwives in the family who are always around to cuddle little Stevie when Jess needs to catch up on some much-needed sleep. “Chris has been phenomenal. He has changed more nappies than me.
“I couldn’t have asked for anything more. He even goes out and buys me a coffee every morning so I can get through the day and has formed such a beautiful bond with Stevie – it is so lovely to watch.”
And while adorable Stevie is now busy turning her mum’s life upside-down, Jess says she took her time to join them.
“I was overdue and I tried absolutely everything, every old wives’ tale to try and get her out. Raspberry leaf tablets, primrose oil, hand expressing, spicy food, acupuncture, pregnancy yoga, pregnancy massage – and nothing worked,” she says.
Eventually admitted to Nepean Hospital to be induced, Jess says that even with medical intervention her stubborn little girl refused to come out.
“The doctors planned to induce me by using a few different methods and the first one didn’t work, so I was admitted to try it again and to be monitored. They then tried another method which has a 95 per cent success rate and that didn’t work either.
“So after being in hospital for three days, the only option was an emergency C-section.”
Explaining that little Stevie had her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck, Jess says that was the reason she couldn’t make her way out naturally. But with the help of the amazing medical team, there were no complications during the birth.
Now back home in Sydney’s west, she’s looking forward to watching the new season of Married at First Sight in between nappy changes and feeding time.
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