‘It was very emotional’: Mel Buttle reveals joy over new baby boy

Brisbane comedian Mel Buttle has opened up about being deep in the love bubble after the birth of her new baby boy with her partner of four years.

Becoming a mum is a dream come true for Mel Buttle.

The Brisbane comedian announced the birth of her baby this week after keeping it a secret for months.

Buttle’s partner of four years gave birth to their son, Harry, who is now seven weeks old, on September 13 at Ipswich Hospital via caesarean.

It was an experience the entertainer says she’ll never forget.

“It was super overwhelming going into an operating theatre knowing that within 15 minutes the baby you have been waiting nine months for will be born,” she said.

“It was very emotional. I’ve always wanted to have kids and I would love for him to have a sibling one day.”

The comedian said she’s deep in the love bubble and embracing the newborn rollercoaster.

“If I go out to the shops, I miss him and I look at photos of him and when he’s asleep in the other room, I’m looking at my phone at photos of him.

“He is good, he’s a chilled out baby, very calm and very good … I am the one with anxiety and nerves and am always thinking ‘is he OK?’”

Mel Buttle with her new baby boy at home. Picture: Liam Kidston

Buttle is no stranger to being thrust into tough situations as a stand-up comic but admits motherhood is the most challenging job yet.

“This is the hardest thing I have ever done at the moment,” she said.

“I’m trying to think how I used to think I had a hard life, that was not real, it is the sleep deprivation that is a real challenge and trying not to be grumpy.”

While the couple adjust to life as new parents, the comedian jokes since her partner carried the baby, “it’s only fair I do the night shift.”

“I’m a night owl and I’m probably up from a gig anyway so I don’t mind it, I’ll pop on a show and watch it while he feeds,” she said.

“Obviously I miss sleep. I used to sleep in until 10am as a comedian and now saying that out loud sounds absolutely ridiculous.”

The couple began the process to start their family through IVF in December last year at City Fertility in Brisbane and fell pregnant on their first attempt.

Mel Buttle says motherhood is her biggest challenge. Picture: Liam Kidston

But it didn’t come without its challenges with the pandemic playing havoc with their plans.

“We would have started it a lot earlier but my partner and I were both stuck in New South Wales when the border was shut and we couldn’t go and get to Queensland to see our fertility doctor,” said Buttle.

“The minute we were allowed back, we had to do home quarantine and saw our fertility and by December, my partner was pregnant.”

Buttle said her partner was their preferred choice to carry their child due to her maternity leave entitlements with her work.
Buttle said she’s kept the details of her child’s birth quiet to protect him in the future.

“For his privacy and his discovery of realising where he from, I want that done for him at home with us instead of the internet,” she said. “We’d like to control when and what story is told to him.”

The pair thought they settled on a name before he was born and created an Instagram account for him only to have a change of heart when he entered the world.

“We had two names on the approved list and he didn’t look like the name we had locked in … now we have an Instagram account with the wrong name with a password I can’t remember,” Buttle jokes.

“He was born with ginger hair, it was a surprise, I don’t know what I thought he’d have.

“He looked like our second choice, he’s got my grandad’s names for middle names (he has two) and he’s a Buttle.”

Buttle has seen huge success online with her parody mum videos going viral on TikTok and says her inspiration is easy with her own mum providing plenty of fodder.

“Grandma’s bought him togs for when he’s two,” she laughed.

“I’ve got those ready to go, no togs for current sized years, but when he’s two, we’ll be ready.”

Originally published as ‘It was very emotional’: Mel Buttle reveals joy over new baby boy