Two Doting Dads with Matty J & Ash - Best Of 2025: Ryan Jon, Wholesome Sarah and Jessie Stephens plus more!

Episode Date: January 11, 2026

Taylah Montoya - How Taylah found out she was having Twins Wholesome Sarah - How Sarah's struggle with breastfeeding led to a dramatic turn of events.   Reggie Bird - Recalls being run over by an old man on a mobility scooter Jessie Stephens - Shares feelings of depression during pregnancy and how it's important to seek help.  Ryan Jon – How his biological mother gave him the gift of a big life. Buy our book, which is now available in-store! https://www.penguin.com.au/books/two-doting-dads-9781761346552  If you need a shoulder to cry on:  Two Doting Dads Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/639833491568735/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTwoDotingDads  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twodotingdads/  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@twodotingdads  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to Two-Oating Dads. It is Maddie J here. And I'm Ash. And this is a podcast that is all about parenting. It is the good. It is the bad. And the relatable. Now, this may surprise you, but we do not give advice. But what we do do is give best of episodes for your delight. Yes. And those guests may or may not give you advice.

And in this episode, we have Taylor Montoya, who is hilarious. Oh, she got twins. They're twinsies. She does. Married to the NRL player. Marcello. Marcelo. Oh, boy. Great.

That's an outstanding name. Isn't it? Compare that to Matt Johnson. Ugh. Oh, Ash Wicks. I've never felt so. It's got no oomph. I don't mind Ash Wix.

It's got no oomph. It's like a pointy. It's actually my stage name. Ash Wicks. No one knows my real name. Ash Wicks. Anyway, Jess said, let's make these short. We also have Sarah Pound.

You may know her as wholesome Sarah. She gives amazing recipes on social media. It has like millions, trillions, billions. Billions, they say. But she, in addition to being a very good chef, she also opens up about her breastfeeding struggles. And my favorite, Reggie! Yeah, your little jungle mate, Reggie.

If she was a laugh, I love how she got run over by someone on a mobility scooter. How dare you? It's a great story. Laugh at someone else's pain. She laughed with me. I know. I mean, she's laughing, so we're like, we're allowed to. She's got to, whenever I see someone in a mobility scooter, I send it to Reg.

Look out! Was this the guy? He looks guilty if you ask me. We finished this episode off with Jesse Stevens. We talk about postpartum depression. So if you or anyone you know are struggling, we'll leave some useful resources in the show notes of this episode. Matt.

Let's get into it. I told my mum I was pregnant. I was like, well, I'm going for the first scan at six weeks because my HCG is really high. So they're kind of worried. And she was like, okay, cool, didn't say anything. The day before the scan, some people knock. at my door and I'm like, I don't answer doors, especially my husband's not home. I just, no one comes to see me. So I'm like sitting, like watching the telly for 10 minutes and these

people are knocking, knocking, knocking. And I'm like, oh my God, they're persistent. And I open the door. Literally. Literally. I get a phone call when someone knocks on our door and I'm not home. I bring you a someone at the door. I'm like, yeah. What am I going to do about it? Answer it. That's exactly like me. So yeah, finally open the door and to my mom and dad. So they had surprised me to be with me. Oh, you're like, go away. I'm not interested. Get the fuck back on that place.

So they'd surprise me to come to the scam with me just in case. Oh, beautiful. Yeah. And then so we went to the scan and my dad was like, I'll wait outside. I was like, that's a great idea because this early on they'll go internal. So you wait outside. And so me and mom in the chair and they went over the stomach at first and she's like, oh, great news.

Like there's the heartbeat. And I was like, oh my God. unreal because I never got to experience that the first time. So I was like, amazing. I'm on like cloud nine. My mom's crying. She's like, wow, a miracle. It is.

It's amazing hearing that heartbeat. Yeah. And so early on too, because at six weeks, I was not, I thought it would just be like adult like the first time. And then so she was like, but I just want to take a closer look, you know, given your history. So. Yeah. What is it?

Literally. So she's like, go empty your bladder and come back in. And then immediately like my mom's body language sunk. I sunk. and then I come back and then get on the table and then she like goes internally and she's like, okay, yep. So I just want to confirm there's the heartbeat.

So we're all good there. And I was like, unreal. And she's like, but I just want to draw your attention to this area. And I was like, yeah. And like, I don't know what I'm looking at. Yeah, yeah. And then she's like, so heartbeat one.

And then you'll just see there's another heartbeat here. And literally, before I could say anything, my mom's like, FAA! What? Like, she's like, you like, you're like New Zealand. What are you do? I'm like, holy shit, Sue, come to fuck down.

My bloody wound. And I was like, what do you mean? And she's like, you're having twins, honey? And I was like, oh, man. What? And the lady doing the skin was a twin mom herself. So I was like, that is like destiny. Wow.

Because I said to her without thinking, I'm going to need a bigger fucking car. And she's like, no, honey, I had twins in a yaris. You'll leave my time. And I was like, what the fuck? And then so, like, from that moment on, she was able to tell me they were identical twins. I don't know how, but she could see there was only one placenta.

So that confirms it's identical. That's the question I had about twins. Yeah. So one placenta, but you can have two if they're not identical. Yeah, so fraternal is two placentas. Like each baby gets their own placenta, which is a luxury. And then in my case, there was one placenta, two sacks. So the way she said to me was they're in the same house, own bedroom, same bathroom.

I was like, okay. I get. That makes total sense. I guess. It's great. We're doing now. So from that point on, like, my mom's just a mess. Like, a combination of happy tears and like, what the fuck.

Yeah. And then we walk out of the room and my dad looks at me and he sees my mom's face. He's like a ghost bawling her eyes out. So he's like, oh my God. Like, what's happened? I was like, I'm having twins. And he's like, fuck you, Taylor. You never take anything seriously.

Like, we have a very dark humour in our family. And I was like, dad, I'm having twins. twins and he's like, I can't take you seriously, he's such a bullshit. I thought you were fully bullshit. Oh, God. And then he looks up my mom and she's like, she's having fucking twins. And he's like, is this in the waiting room? The Kiwi

medical practice is like, yes. And everyone's looking at me in New Zealand as well. People are very, it's a beautiful place. In the New Zealand medical practice there's three Aussies going off their hands. Literally, literally, fuck me, fuck that. And like, everyone's like, oh, okay. So yeah, and then,

like the ride home, I was like, Tamar, we're going to have to FaceTime Marcello. Like, I can't keep this from him. Yeah. They had just lost. So he was in a really crazy meeting, like with the coach and all that. And they were kind of, I think, getting like. The review. Yeah.

And then so he ran out and he didn't look very happy. And I was like, he was like, how did it all go? And I was like, yeah, fine. And he's like, oh, cool. And I was like, yeah, so we're having twins. And he was like, you're fucking kidding. And I was like, no, we're having twins. He's like, oh.

I'm going to have to fucking start playing origin. Yeah, we're going to leave us a money mask. We're going to make some forward. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But then so, yeah, and kind of just from that point on, because they were identical twins, I got the rundown straight away, fortnightly scans from pretty much six weeks to full term.

I'm conscious of the fact that you should never, like, want to rush through any phase of parenting because once it's fucking gone, it's gone forever. Shut up. But I do recall someone holding a newborn and being like, you could just stare at them for hours. And I was like, pretty? Yeah, yeah.

What are you looking at? What did you find the hardest thing about the newborn phase? Definitely breastfeeding with all three. Hated it, felt the pressure, wasn't good at it. Just hated it. It didn't come easy to me. I'm going to be really stupid here. Okay.

When you say you weren't good at it, what do you mean by that? Well, I got blocked ducks really easily. So it just, it didn't, I always thought, and again, this was, you know, nine years ago, before I had my first baby, I was like, I will be so, like, I'll just be fine with breastfeeding. I'm a chilled person. It will just come naturally to me. I know what I'm like. I don't get too anxious over things.

It'll be fine. And it just was the total opposite. And it was also lack of information that, you know, now I've got three. younger sisters. And so I'll sort of say to them, which I used to be like, oh, don't need to know a thing. I'll just roll into it. But I think with Lil, if I had have known more about breastfeeding, I got very sick. So had my status three or four times, which is quite common.

Yeah. But then the fourth. That's a block of the. It's pretty much. It's an infection that either. It can get bad. It can get really bad, which for me it did. But it can either just be a local sort of infection that you get a really sore boob and it's

inflamed and whatever you have antibiotics. and it calms down, or you can get full fever and whatever. But in my case, it went a bit beyond that, and it turned into an abscess, so, which is just like a big infection. Wow. And so, yeah, which I just didn't know any of this, and I feel like if I had have known, anyway, went to the GP because I had this very red boob, like, was, I didn't feel well, I was in bed.

And so they're like, how old was your? She was five weeks old. Wow. So really little. And then went to the GP and they're like, oh, that's not great. but then they told me to, which was just, oh, they told me to go to a physio to get ultrasound to break down. Anyway, so when it did that, and at this point,

Go see a dentist. Totally, it was just really, when I look back on, I'm like, that was so screwed up how they told me to do that. It was bright, red, inflamed, big. And they've said, you know, and even the woman who ultrasounded, it was like, it looks quite infected, so go home and rest. Anyway, that night went to emergency, so they drained it and just locally, you know, stuck some needles in

and then took out this whole lot of infested. puss. And then they said you should feel relief. They were great. You should feel relief. Go home tonight and rest. Anyway, that night, it got worse and was like a golf ball, went back into emergency and then had to have breast surgery the next morning. Holy shit. Yeah. And so all of this was just a bit of like a, okay, all right, I'll just go with it. And, you know, Lil was five weeks old. And when they're that little, they're still feeding every two to three hours. They're so dependent on you. So then, yeah. had the surgery.

It was so funny. I remember because Tom, my husband stayed home with Lil that night. And I think that's probably, I can't remember if we'd introduce formula for a feed already. But anyway, I went to the emergency with my sister and we sat to, which was fine,

but we had to stay in the emergency section the whole night. And we just had this non-a who was next to us in a shared bed that was farting all night. And so Lise and I was sharing this tiny, my sister and I was sharing this tiny single bed. And I was just like, fuck, like I have to have this breast surgery in the morning. But we'll laugh me.

This woman that was just like coughing and splattering and farting. Oh, no. So that was actually kind of nice because it kind of, you know, made it a bit humorous. It could be a really dumb question. Oh, I can't ask it. Go on. Spit it out. Yeah, go.

No dumb questions, although there are. If you're infected on this side, can you still feed on this side? Yes. Totally great question. And do you know what's even, I'll go one step further, which I hate, still hate the arrogant surgeon that did my breast. have an issue with surgeons. Anyway, they are assholes. They are assholes generally, generally. We're not going to attack the medical professionals anymore. I'm not going to say generally.

Are they rural? Are they rural surgeons? Because we hate them the most. No, this was in a city. But he, no, I just, sometimes I'm like, oh, you just don't, you haven't put yourself in the woman's shoes of five-week-old baby, first-time mom, the stress this would have. So I had the surgery, which was quite full on. I had this packing that went really deep because the infection was, like deep behind my nipples. Jesus. So he came in to do like his check, you know, a day or two later. I can't remember.

And he was like, yeah, so it all went well, you know, you should be fine. But you should be able to keep feeding out of that boob. And I was like, oh, okay, yeah. So here's me, this hormonal, like, new mom that's just wanting to do the best for a child. So I keep trying to feed. I had milk coming out the wound at the top of my breast. Oh, my fucking God. And, yeah.

I was not prepared for this. I just ate. I'm sorry. The surgeon's like, hey. Yeah, yeah, you'll be fine. Keep feeding breast is best. All he sees his money. He's like, I'm going to do that again.

Wow. I know, so I persisted until it nearly broke me. And then my husband, my mom, my mother-in-law, and my maternal nurse, which God-lover, were all like, stop. An intervention. Yeah, you need to stop. And I'm like, like, oh, like this nutcase of,

but, you know, I think a lot of women out there will understand the pressure that you feel to breastfeed. It's really messed up. Yeah. What do you, when you're not able to do something that you think would have been so natural, what does that do to your mindset? What kind of place you in? I just think, again, it was so long ago now, but at the time, I just felt really like, it wasn't like, because I'm not usually a person that's like, I've failed as a mother,

but like it sort of, it really did sort of play with. your mindset of, well, this isn't how it's meant to be. Like, why can't I do a simple thing like feeding my own baby? Like, I just don't understand. Was it like a sense of failure? Yeah. And then also, you know, to try and persist. And this happened with both, because I had mastitis with my second. It didn't go to an abscess, thank God. But then with my, with my third a year ago, I didn't have any mastitis, but I hated breastfeeding anyway. So I made just my own choice to stop breastfeeding. but even in that so you know having children over eight years I'm 37 or whatever and even when like I said to my husband I can't do this any more work so stressful like the breastfeeding I don't enjoy it it takes so long and he was like well you know what why don't why don't you change over to formula and I was like oh I just I can't like and anyway we made the decision why I made the decision to do it so he was helping me wean off it even when my body could still make the milk even though I'd made the decision I'd be like maybe maybe I should just go back to feeding maybe I should start pumping again to you to get my supply up and he was like, says, you know that our babies are fine.

Our previous two have been fine. I know, but I just, and then as soon as your body can't make it, fine. Like love formula. It's the best. It's really screwed up how it just plays with your mind. And do you think like there was, do you think there's external pressure for mums to have to breastfeed, do you think? I think so.

But it's so funny you say that because I've never been one to give a shit about what other people think, in some senses. But with that, I was always, I didn't think I cared, but maybe, you know, just from societal norms and cultural norms for so long. Just subconscious. Maybe I do think that, you know, because I'd find myself justifying it to people.

If they're like, oh, you know, are you feeding? Are you breastfeeding? I'd be like, oh, no, formula feeding. But I had an abscess. It's like, I had an asshole surgeon who got me open. He was smoking during the surgery. It was weird. Hey Reg, we know going to the supermarket is one of the hardest moments with young kids.

Yes. And it must be even harder when you've got limited vision. Were there any scenarios in the supermarket where it was particularly challenging? Oh, yes. I got ran over by this old man on a big mobility scooter. You made me down. I'm trying not to laugh. I'm so sorry.

He's the old bugger. You made me down, yeah. So I was walking to the 12 items or less aisle with my sour cream. And then next I was walking with my cane. So I always use my cane when I go, you know, into crowded places or the shops. Just to let people know, you know, I can't see very well. And then he came down on my right hand side and just ran me down. He ran me down.

And I then he reversed back and ran over me again. Oh my God. Yeah. screaming at me, he's going near as blind as I am, yelling at me. And I'm laying on the floor. He yelled at you. And all I could see was my sour cream on the floor. And then I looked up, all these people were looking at me and they were staring at me.

I was trying to bloody ring me. Who's that? Hang up. Oh, sorry. Yeah, so he ran you over, then reversed back over here and then yelled at you. Yes. And then all these people were just staring at me. And then this lady come and help me.

And all I could see was her face. I was looking at her face. And she helped me up. And she helped me go to the counter to pay for my sour cream. And the lady who works here, she said, are you okay, Reggie? Because I'm a regular down at Woolies. And I said, no, this man just ran me down. And she goes, what, in here?

And I said, yeah, in here. And I went and sat outside. I rang Mia because I was just with Mia and we had lunch. And Mia come over to help me. and told her what happened. And then she goes, Mom, is that him? And she saw him coming out of Woolies.

And I said, chase him. I said, chase him. It's a hit and run. It's a hit that he's just left. Yeah. So she took a photo of his number plate on his scooter. And then I, after Woolies, they said, after I sitting outside and the Woolies lady,

she said, do you want to look at the footage, Reg? And I said, yes, I do. Oh, no. I said, look, I'll come back tomorrow. I went back the next day because I was so shook up. And I went back the next day to look at the footage. And she said, sorry, it's against our legal rights to show you the footage. She's like, what footage?

Yeah. Yeah. So she said, you need to see the police if you want to get the footage. So then I had to go to the police with Roslyn. She took me and we got the footage. Because I just wanted to see what happened, you know. Do you have the footage? Yeah, well, I've got the.

the footage. I'd love to be able to... Yeah, show you. One day will release the footage of me getting mowed down in Woolies. I want to see that, so... Long story about me going to the supermarket, but yes, it is hard going to the supermarket.

I've now got a favour of bloody mobility scooters. I see them driving down the road sometimes and like on the footpath. I don't know what's scary. The kids on scooters or the old people on their mobility scooters. I'll never be able to look at one the same.

Just be careful. I will be careful. I can't believe with the audacity to run you over, reverse back over the top of you, and then yell at you and then run. The audacity. Yes. I'd say the second I felt pregnant, I just did not feel like myself. I felt really weird.

I felt foggy. I felt anxious. I couldn't see the future. And then it got worse and worse. And I think that there were also environmental factors. I was working too hard in that I felt as though my life ended when that baby came out. I thought, you'll never work again. You've got till that date to do everything you've ever wanted to do in your career.

So I was finishing a book. I was writing an episode of a television show. I was recording five podcasts, six podcasts a week. I was going to Melbourne every week for the project. It was out of control. We did two episodes a week. We're exhausted flat out. I look back and go, I was flying at 36 weeks pregnant to Melbourne for a day.

You're not meant to be flying. Yeah, exactly right. Like you were not meant to be flying anymore. And wondering why my body was just, and I got married, moved house, all of those things while pregnant. And I just tried to fit too much in. And it completely burnt out. And I was, oh, it was like I was. underwater. I was in a dream. I couldn't feel anything. I was totally numb.

Were you communicating this to Luke or anybody else? Yeah, he ended up actually contacting my obstetrician and midwife and just being like, we can you sedate her? We do something about this problem in the house. And they were fantastic. And I saw a really good psychiatrist who, that was the other thing, is that from about six months, I didn't sleep. And not like I had sore hips, like I didn't sleep. It would be four days and I'd be like, that's the fourth night of no sleep. What was it that was stopping you from sleeping, do you think? It was pregnancy and somnia, it was hormonal.

So it was like my brain could not switch off. And I started hallucinating. I would like get up and be like, I can't drive to work. It's like I've had, I'm drunk. Like I can't even stand up right. So that was awful. And the second the baby came out, I could sleep. Like I slept better in the point.

post-partum period than I had in four or five months. Before we talk about birth, when you saw the psychologist, you're still pregnant. Yeah. Was there any advice or was anything that you opened up about? Yeah. He said, and I thought this was really helpful, that the rates of people acknowledging they're not feeling right in pregnancy and addressing it, and then them avoiding postnatal depression are really high.

Like as in, it's the best thing you can do. Flag it as early as you can. Even if in the first trimester, you're like, oh, I'm not feeling like myself. I'm feeling really anxious. And a lot of people say I cried every day during pregnancy. Like, go and speak to something about that. Because a lot of women, I would assume, early on in their pregnancy, would just think, okay, this is just part of it, right?

Instead of going, okay, there's actually something not right. Yes. And then what often happens is that they're actually signs that can then lead to postnatal depression. And if it's untreated, then you can wake up a year later and go, I just lost a year with my baby. Yeah. Like, because I just felt like shit. And none of that, that cloud.

It was like a cloud and exciting, like exciting, amazing things would happen. And it was like I just couldn't, I couldn't touch it. I couldn't access it. I could have won the lottery and I would have been like, can't master a feeling about that. You just felt like you couldn't connect with anything. Yeah, yeah, really like, and I thought, right. Did that help?

Did you lighten your workload? Did that help at all? No, I didn't. It would have, though. Good idea. You should be a psychologist. No, what helped was. was increasing the dosage of medication was definitely good.

And he gave me sleeping aids because the issue is that they are very reluctant to give you anything that will help you sleep in case it impacts the baby. But good psychiatrists, you know, have all the research and they know what's worth it because, yeah, it's not safe to have a pregnant woman walking around who hasn't slept. It's like not good for anyone. So he was, he was fantastic and really prepared me for that. What's it like growing up for yourself? Like what's your perception of being put up for adoption?

Did that weigh on you in a heavy way or was it just the norm and it didn't really? No, because my birth mum wrote a letter that was like, dear Ryan, when you're old enough to understand sort of thing. And she was from like a really rough area. It was one of eight kids and the eight kids shared like three single beds like it was and rough and rough area drugs, crime. And she was like adamant that she wasn't going to like pass that on. to the next generation.

So she was actually 28 when she gave birth to me. And I grew up just assuming probably, like, it's probably terrible to say, but I just like assume she was like 17 or, you know. Yeah, yeah. But now she was 28 and she was going to night school and she was like, I'm going to better myself. And if I have a family,

they're not going to be born into this community. They're not going to have the childhood I had. And she was just so adamant that like, no, my child, I don't want the life that I had for my child. So she gets accidentally pregnant and she's just like, this is the kind of stuff people from here do. They get accidentally pregnant and they were going to change the world. And well, no, we just struggle on and that just happens again and again.

And she was just so determined that that was not going to be the case. And so she was also living in a sharehouse. And she was just more than others just like a child needs two parents. And she didn't know my birth father. And like, are they sort of that one time? And she was like, well, this is not for the family. me. And I think also by the time she realized, like you're when you're trying, you're kind of checking regularly. She didn't know she was pregnant until way into it. And I think it was like past

the point of no return. Yeah. And so she was like, well, this kid's going to have to be born. I don't want them growing up in the. And so I always go, oh, you've done me this huge favor. So it wasn't like, how could you do this to me? I was always like, thank you for doing that for me. And so I was never like, never once was like, what the fuck. And it was like to the opposite. like she felt a bit guilty afterwards and a lot of birth moms feel guilt. And the only reason I ever wanted to meet her really was just go like, you don't need to feel guilty. Like all good.

I've like hit the jackpot over here with my family. Like I hope you go and marry someone, have a family of your own and kind of forget about me in the nicest way possible. Do you remember when you got that letter? Yeah, well, again, I was in the drawer always. Yeah, okay. But I wasn't old enough to read it. And I'm not actually very good at reading still.

So it actually took me through a few more years than anyway. But I've still got it. It's like a yellow booklet and it's got a little ribbon. It's like, dear Ryan. It's called Ryan's story. And they kind of said, yeah, you know, my brothers are this tall. And we back for Collingwood and all this stuff. And kind of had to do it.

Yeah. And it was pretty nice. And then she kind of explained like the circumstances. And I think when you kind of hear that side of the story, you kind of go, oh, like it's actually quite selfless. It's not like she couldn't be bothered or she did the cooling off period and decided not to. But the final, like, not that we need any evidence, but like in terms of being selfless, I actually had surgery when I was three days old on my hip.

That hip's no good, man. Yeah, the hip's no good. I wonder it's the same one. Like a hernia or something. Is that a hip, hernia or something? I don't know. But I came out of the surgery and they're like, oh, like the baby's going to be fine. But like he's going to be sore.

and so he just like needs lots of hugs and cuddles from his family. And the nurse is like, well, he doesn't have family yet. So she actually, my birth mother Julie, came back to the hospital. Like after doing the traumatic, like leaving, she like came back and just like sat in the chair for two days just to like kind of hold me while I was a bit sore and tender. And so you're going to go, oh, like she cared and she was doing the right thing. And there's no like animal.

Like you can't be angry at something. No, for sure. That's amazing. We hope you enjoy this episode and, you know, I go to bed at night time with one thought on my mind and that thought is, gosh, please, we've had a love of God. Where's Ash? I hope these listeners enjoy this episode. And I just don't know.

There's no way of answering that question unless you leave a review on Spotify. We get lots of reviews on Spotify. Actually, we get a lot more on Spotify than we do Apple Podcasts. But maybe, maybe just maybe. If you haven't left us a review, we would love just a couple of little words. A couple of kind words. Or you can join us on socials, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. Shall we get out of here?

Let's get out of here because we need to go back to our holiday. We are currently in Jamaica. Oh, Jamaica me crazy. Eman. Eman. Beaka. Okay. All right.

Two Doting Dance podcast acknowledges the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia and the connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their elders, past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today. This episode was recorded on Gatigal Land.