Fiona Tomlinson
Long before Nadia Lim married now-husband Carlos Bagrie, the Kiwi food star told him that one day they would end up on a farm with three sons. More than a decade on, Nadia’s prediction has come true – she and Carlos are living their dream on a slice of rural paradise in Central Otago with their boys Bodhi, seven, River, four, and Arlo, seven-and-a-half months.
“Believe it or not, I always had a strong feeling I’d end up with three boys,” says Nadia, welcoming us into her lovingly restored farmhouse to introduce her adorable addition Arlo, who was born at home on the farm on February 15.
While Carlos had been sure their third child would be a girl, Nadia says even though they didn’t find out in advance, she was sure all along that Bodhi and River would be getting a little brother, and she couldn’t be happier with her blue-eyed bundle of joy.
“He’s been such a delightful addition to our family,” says Nadia, bouncing her little boy on her knee as she chats at the kitchen table. The 485-hectare farm overlooks Royalburn Station, between Arrowtown and Cardrona, which the My Food Bag co-founders moved to four years ago.
“He has been pretty easy-going right from the start and just slotted in so well,” she enthuses. “The boys now adore him and it feels so right having him here.”
While it’s been a happy time adjusting to three children, Nadia, 37, has had a very difficult few weeks after a terrifying ski accident, which left her with a fractured vertebra. On the day the Weekly visits, Nadia insists she’s doing okay, but it’s clear she’s in pain as she gingerly lowers herself into a chair and winces as she bends down to pick a toy up off the floor.
“I actually feel incredibly lucky it wasn’t worse,” tells Nadia, who was enjoying her second day on the slopes since before becoming pregnant with Arlo. She was making her way down a run on Coronet Peak when she made a sharp turn, resulting in a fall onto icy terrain.
“I heard a distinct ‘crunch’ in my back and knew straight away it was bad. The pain was extreme – I’d rate it almost as painful as childbirth! But I also remember lying there in the snow feeling so relieved because I could wiggle my toes.”
Arlo knows his way round the farm already thanks to walks with his mum.
Fortunately, Carlos, 38, was on hand to help her down the mountain and they went straight to Queenstown Hospital, where an x-ray confirmed a fracture in her T12 vertebrae. She was given strong pain relief and put on bedrest for several days. The mum-of-three was also advised not to pick up her baby for four to six weeks.
“That’s been the hardest part,” says Nadia, who has been relying on Carlos, farm workers and even the postie to help lift Arlo out of his cot after his naps! “He’s getting very used to anyone and everyone picking him up. My mum and sister came down to help too, which was so appreciated.”
While Bodhi and River were born in Auckland, welcoming their first “farm baby” has been a special experience, and the couple has found going from two to three children easier than they’d expected. With Bodhi at school and River at pre-school, Nadia’s had time to really soak in these special first months with Arlo.
“I’ve taken things slower the third time around,” she says. “I’ve had time to enjoy him and that’s been really special. I love strapping him into the front pack and heading outside. He loves watching the sheep and the cows, or feeding the chickens with me.”
His doting mum smiles as she recalls Arlo’s arrival. While his due date was February 20, it was six days earlier, on Valentine’s Day, when Nadia felt the first early signs that her baby might be on its way. With Carlos working late in the fields harvesting barley, she and the boys took an after-dinner picnic to him, sitting down on a blanket to enjoy the late evening sunshine. It was on the walk there that Nadia felt the first twinges of early labour.
“It is literally fields of gold at that time of year and totally stunning,” says Nadia. “I had a feeling the baby wasn’t far off and it felt like such a gorgeous way to spend our last night as a family of four.”
When there were four… Nadia and Carlos with sons Bodhi (left) and River.
The next day, Nadia started having mild contractions and with the boys at school and kindy, she spent most of the day in a birthing pool set up on the front deck. Having experienced fast labours with her first two boys, she was expecting something similar. But when Nadia’s midwife arrived at around 1.30pm, she was surprised to discover she was not as far through labour as she’d thought.
“I was only 3cm dilated, which felt a bit demoralising actually. I thought my third would be even quicker than the first two, but I was wrong on that!”
But by mid-afternoon and still no sign of baby, she arranged for Carlos’ parents and her mum – who were staying nearby – to collect the boys and keep them overnight. Plans for a celebratory dinner were shelved too.
“I was going to roast a couple of chickens for a big family dinner to welcome the new baby, but Carlos and I both realised this baby wasn’t in a hurry,” tells Nadia, who used breathing techniques to get her through the pain.
By the evening, things were finally ramping up, and Nadia got out of the pool and went to her bedroom to prepare to deliver her baby. At 9.29pm, after almost 11 hours of labour, their 3.86kg baby was born into Carlos’ hands, just as the sun set behind the hills in the west.
“Our bedroom window faces west and the sun was starting to go down just as I was going into the pushing stage. It was a beautiful sunset and he was born literally minutes after the sun had dropped behind the hills. Nothing compares to that moment when you meet your baby for the first time,” says Nadia. “It’s pure elation. He was so calm and so perfect, I thought he was just beautiful.”
While the couple named their first son Bodhi together, Nadia chose River’s name, which meant this time it was Carlos’ turn. Together they’d made a shortlist, but Carlos had the final choice, choosing Arlo Fox. Arlo means “between two hills”, which felt particularly apt given the couple’s farm sits between the Remarkables and Coronet Peak, and Fox is simply a name they both like.
“As soon as he was born, I said to Carlos, ‘What’s its name?’ because I didn’t know yet if it was a boy or a girl. He had the funniest kind of surprised look on his face as he handed him up to me and uttered ‘Arlo’. I think he was shocked because he’d been so convinced we were having a girl. I just burst out laughing.”
Nadia says one of the most memorable moments of Arlo’s arrival was when his brothers arrived home the next morning to meet the baby they’d named “Snowball” when he was in his mum’s tummy. And ever since they’ve been besotted.
“I have loved the bigger age gap,” says Nadia. “There’s been no jealousy and they’re both so helpful. If I’m trying to cook dinner and Arlo is a bit grumpy, I’ll ask the boys to entertain him, and they’ll go and sing to him and do silly faces and dances. Arlo just loves it.”
One of the nicest things about having a third child is just how much more relaxed you are as a mum, says Nadia. “There’s none of that ‘unknown’ like the first time around and even if you’re having a rough patch with sleep or teething or whatever, you know it’ll eventually pass, which makes things that much easier.”
“They’re the luckiest kids in the world!” Big brothers Bodhi and River showing Arlo their favourite haunts.
Although fracturing her back has certainly thrown a spanner in the works, Nadia admits having to slow down isn’t always a bad thing for someone like her, who packs a lot into life. She’s relied on My Food Bag ready-made meals to feed the family while she can’t stand for long periods of time to cook, and has adjusted to a quieter life of pottering around the house and resting when Arlo sleeps.
With the business recently turning 10, Nadia continues to be a proud ambassador for My Food Bag.
“In the last few months, we started getting a few My Food Bags again and it’s made life that bit easier,” tells Nadia. “It’s good to experience first-hand how much the meals can help out busy Kiwi families, and that makes me super-proud.”
Nadia still has to pinch herself when she thinks back over her journey from MasterChef NZ winner in 2011 to business owner-turned-farmer and mum-of-three. Raising her children on the land is something she’ll never take for granted.
“Every day, it never ceases to amaze me how beautiful this part of the world is. I watch my kids growing up here and think, ‘They’re the luckiest kids in the world.'”
So, with all this space to run around on, does this mean Nadia will be planning baby number four anytime soon? “My heart says yes, but my brain says no. I think we’ll just wait and see.”
