In her upcoming podcast, Daniella Monet speaks on how she and husband Andrew were “dead set” on a “natural birth plan” - and the turn of events. The couple has been blessed with an adorable baby boy, Gio James, in September. While still relishing the joys of motherhood, she shares the various other ups and downs of being new parents.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Monet addressed the challenges of being a new mother. Like all parents, the first few weeks, with loads of changes, have been quite challenging for them. The Victorian alum, who welcomed her son with husband Andrew Gardner, said, “We thought we knew what we were in for and realized very quickly that there’s just a lot to it.”
Along with sleep deprivation, there’s breastfeeding which Monet recalls, wasn’t as easy as just putting the “baby up to the boob." She has been breastfeeding her baby, and she still is. But, the journey has been a little rough for them because of the two hospital visits, due to breast infections, within two weeks of welcoming their son.
The Nickelodeon alum has shared delightful posts on Instagram, sharing real-life challenges of parenting, starting from Gio peeing on her while changing his diaper to visiting the ER with him when he was diagnosed with a fever.
The couple, who got married at Christmas in 2017, after dating for six years, has decided to shed light on “real” topics in their next podcast, Adulting Like a Mother, Father. They will talk about their “trials and tribulations as grownups” and also about life as new parents, still trying to find their way.
Monet recalls, “A lot of things about parenting and also just being a mom in postpartum blindsided me. I was not someone who wasn't around kids, and I was someone who looked forward to this stage in my life, so to feel like it blindsided me — there's definitely a caveat that isn't being spoken about, and I want to do just that."
Gardner will also discuss his career and his journey into the world of entertainment. He says this podcast, his first project with his wife, is something he is “really excited to dive into.”
Through their podcasts, the new parents are looking forward to learning from their guests on “everything from a sleep trainer to a lactation consultant or fitness experts or people in the food space.”
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The first episode will delve into details of Monet’s labor experience, which she hasn’t revealed yet. She said, “We hired a midwife to go through a water birth, essentially, in a natural-birth facility. But one thing led to another, and I ended up having to go through extreme measures, essentially, to get Gio safely.” She stresses, "there’s really no such thing as a plan, and the real plan should be to just get through it safely and have a healthy, happy baby and healthy, happy mom.”