Polly Markus has packed a lot into her 36 years. She’s worked as a chef on superyachts, earning a living while travelling the world. She’s also been a hotshot real estate agent and in recent years, a much-loved cook and best-selling author.
But as she prepares to welcome her first child next month, she says this might be her most exciting adventure yet.
“I’ve had a pretty fun life for the past 30-something years,” shares Polly.
“I’m really excited for the next phase of my life – to have someone else to grow and nurture, and to see this little girl, who is half me and half Matt. “A good friend told me you can achieve all these different things, but having a child gives you a sense of purpose thatyou could never understand until you’ve done it.”
A surprise on Waiheke Island
Although Polly and her boyfriend Matthew Gordon had loosely decided it was time to have kids, she admits discovering that she was actually pregnant was a bit of a surprise.
At the start of last year, Polly came off her contraception, but not long after, she decided she still wasn’t quite ready for a baby. She started using an app to track her cycle so she wouldn’t fall pregnant. Over the new year, Polly and Matt were on a romantic getaway to Auckland’s Waiheke Island when she began to feel exhausted.
“I was really tired, which is not like me,” she recalls.
“I thought, ‘Surely I can’t be pregnant?’ I did a test just to be sure and it was a bit of a shock. We hadn’t been actively focusing on it and I assumed it was going to take a long time. I guess my app was a bit out of whack!”
After the initial shock and excitement, it didn’t take long for the worry to creep in. Even now, Polly admits she has found it hard to shake the anxiety that comes with the constant change.
Balancing worry and wonder
“Until you’re 20 weeks, you feel slightly concerned – it’s so unknown,” she muses.
“Even now, I’m like, ‘Is she moving enough? What’s going on?’”
Thankfully, the joy of pregnancy has far outweighed the anxiety.
“I didn’t think I would enjoy being pregnant as much as I have,” she smiles.
“I’m so obsessed and in love with this baby that I’m growing that I’ve never even met. She exists but she doesn’t and I find it fascinating this attachment that I already feel.”
Grief amid the joy
Amidst the excitement of her growing family, there is also the painful reminder of those who won’t be there to share in the happiness. She lost her beloved dad Les to cancer in 2016 and says her longing for more time with him has only deepened as she imagines what he would have been like as a grandfather.
“I lost my dad when I was 26, so I was still really young,” laments Polly.
“As you get older, you want to spend more time with your parents. It feels huge not having him here for these milestones. “I always remember my sister saying after she had her first child, that she felt this wave of sadness that he wasn’t there because he would have been such a lovely grandad. “It’s something I think about a lot, especially when I look at people with their grandparents and how special that relationship is.”
As someone who now makes their living off social media, her impending arrival has made her think about her online footprint in a new light Though her popular online platform has always been focused on recipes and travel, Polly has always happily shared snapshots of her life on her personal page.
A new chapter for creativity
“Social media is such an interesting and strange place,” she admits.
“It’s incredible, but I do think a lot about how much I want to share.”
As Polly prepares to step into motherhood, she’s not letting go of the creativity and authenticity that have always defined her work. Instead, she’s curious to see how her passions might evolve alongside her new role.
“I’m not an expert on anything to do with babies,” she says.
“So I would hate to start telling people what to do. But who knows? Maybe I could start writing baby cookbooks!”
