CAITLIN CRISP'S BABY BLISS 'MEET OUR LITTLE BRUISER!'

The Kiwi fashion designer gets real about the messy magic of new motherhood

- Debbie Harrison

Caitlin Crisp laughs as she looks at the carefully curated wardrobe she lovingly pieced together before her baby arrived - tiny linen rompers, hand-stitched knits and woollen tights.

“Nothing fits him!” she laughs. “By two and a half months, he was already in six- to 12-month clothes and he’s in the 92nd percentile for size. Mum and Dad call him Little Bruiser, so unfortunately when I put him in some of those traditional European boys’ clothes, he looked ridiculous - even I had to admit it. He's just such a bonny boy!”

Gorgeous little Charlie is thriving at four months old - and so are his 29-year-old mum and dad Andrew Vincent, 31.

“Charlie is just the most joyful baby,” grins Caitlin. “I think that’s because he’s surrounded by so much love. Andrew is the best dad and talks to him all the time. We've had so much help from both sets of grandparents - there’s always someone in his face, smiling, talking and playing with him. We are all just obsessed!”

Yet his smiley blue eyes and sunny nature are worlds away from his challenging arrival. Caitlin went into labour naturally a day after her due date, labouring for 10 hours before complications called for an emergency Caesarean.

Caitlin recalls, “I'd had an epidural and they'd just put in the hormone drip when his heartbeat dropped suddenly.

I was completely exhausted - I actually fell asleep - and the next thing I knew, there were 12 people in the room and we were heading into theatre.”

Thankfully, Charlie's heartbeat stabilised and Caitlin remained awake for the delivery.

“Hearing him cry for the first time was magic,” she says.

“Andrew was right there beside me and I felt so present for it all. It was one of the most special moments of my life.”