For someone who claims she didn’t have an ounce of maternal instinct until a few weeks ago, fitness guru and first-time mum Lee-Anne Wann can’t help but laugh as she proudly proclaims herself a “mother lion”.
Nestled in her arms is her newborn daughter Alexandria Lynette Cameron, nicknamed Lexi. With a shock of brown hair, her gorgeous blue eyes are squeezed tightly shut in a peaceful slumber for most of our photo shoot.
“I didn’t think I was maternal at all – even at nine months pregnant!” says the 42-year-old Warriors nutritionist as her partner Aidan Cameron, 33, looks on smiling.
“But when she giggles and laughs, I just have this overwhelming feeling. Everything stops when she needs me!”
Lee-Anne admits she and builder, actor and nutritionist Aidan have an unconventional lifestyle. Three weeks after they met in Auckland at a boxing event in 2015, her mum Lynette died at 64 following a battle with melanoma while Lee-Anne was in Montreal. Despite being thousands of kilometres away in Auckland, Aidan was her rock.
Meet Alexandra Lynette Cameron
Born: February 2, 2017
Weight: 3.9kg
Within months of her return, Lee-Anne, aware of her biological clock, was pregnant. But a burgeoning baby bump proved no obstacle to her fitness.
“I exercised as much as I could throughout,” she tells, “even though lunges became more like shuffles towards the end. The day before Lexi was born, I was in the gym. I got some very horrified looks.”
The couple marvel as they recall the birth of their daughter, born via Caesarean section on February 2 at Auckland City Hospital.
“They encourage us ‘older mothers’ to have C-sections, but when I found out how much she weighed [3.9kg], I was glad!” smiles Lee-Anne.
“Holding her for the first time, I was crying,” recalls Aidan. “I was overwhelmed with emotion. It was surreal and beautiful. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
But just 24 hours later, the couple’s parenting was tested when they were forced to rush Lexi to hospital after she became floppy and lethargic.
“Within minutes, we had two nurses, two doctors and a specialist checking her,” recalls Lee-Anne.
“She started to come right. At about 2am, we were allowed to go home. Afterwards, I said to Aidan, ‘Well, we’ve done the dry run now!’”
Since then, Lexi’s gone from strength to strength, having clearly inherited her 1.92m father’s tall genes as well as his reddish-brown hair, blue eyes and dimples.
Character-wise, though, they both agree, she is “sweet but feisty and strong”, like her mum! Among Lexi’s biggest fans is Lee-Anne’s dad Alec, for whom she is named.
“We were going to call her Ava,” tells Lee-Anne, “and then Aidan just said, ‘No, she’s Alexandria.’”
Despite suffering from a terminal liver disease, 70-year-old Alec has been thriving since meeting his new granddaughter.
“Dad loves her,” beams Lee-Anne. “She’s already got him wrapped round her little finger! It was very emotional when he met her.
“It’s still very tough not having my mum here. Motherhood has been such a learning curve and I often think, ‘I would’ve asked Mum this …’ But it’s lovely that this is what Mum always wanted.”
Within four weeks of giving birth, Lee-Anne was back at work, taking Lexi to meet her new sporting family.
“The Warriors do not wait for anybody!” Lee-Anne jokes. “It’s such a family-oriented club, so it’s not weird for me to be there with Lexi.
“Ben Henry was the first to hold her. I said, ‘Take her, Ben – she’s crying!’ He didn’t bat an eyelid. The boys are great because they are all fathers. They’re always giving me advice. She will definitely grow up to be a league fan.”
Despite juggling work and a baby, Lee-Anne, who has suffered from depression in the past, has bounced back – and with her nutritional nous, the pregnancy weight is melting off. She smiles, “The first week, I dropped 11 kilos and I’m probably eating double what I used to.”
Because time is precious, the couple have been having pre-prepared organic meals. Lee-Anne drinks “natural fat burners” apple cider vinegar and sparkling water “by the gallon”, and supplements her diet with almonds, coconut water and bananas, which she says help produce milk for breastfeeding.
She has also started a boot camp for new mums and says doctors are astounded at her blood results.
“Specialists see I’m 42 and this is my first child, then they look at my blood results and say, ‘Oh, my goodness, you’re incredibly healthy!’ I’m really excited about that. It means that what I preach and practise actually works.”
Aidan has retrained in performance nutrition so the pair can both work from home while raising Lexi. “He’s amazing with her,” tells Lee-Anne proudly. “He’s a very hands-on dad.”
And while the couple admit every day as new parents is “overwhelming”, they’re making it fun.
“All our decisions, from who makes the bed to who does the washing up, are made by paper, scissors, rock,” says Lee-Anne. They’ll try for a sibling for Lexi in a year,
“but for now, these two are my life”, Lee-Anne beams.
“I’m glad I waited because I don’t think I’d have had the patience, resilience and knowledge to cope. To be with someone who you’re so tight with, who’s there 100% of the time, is amazing. We get to do it all together as the Big Three. How lucky are we?”
For more from Woman’s Day, visit our Facebook page, and follow us on Instagram.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
