Matty J and Laura Byrne are not '100 per cent on the same page' about having more kids.

Matty J (Johnson) and Laura Byrne had been together for nine months when Laura took a pregnancy test.

"I said to Matt, 'I have something to tell you' and he just looked at me and said, 'you're pregnant!' and then burst out laughing," Laura explains to Mia Freedman on this week's episode of No Filter.

"He was so happy, he called his mum straight away."

Laura says that until this joyous moment, she didn't have a clear maternal 'pull' to become a mum, but Matt always knew he wanted to have a family.

"I can't ever remember a time where I wasn't envisioning what I was going to be like as a dad," Matt tells Mia.

"From a young age, I always wanted to have a family. I always wanted to have kids."

Listen: Matty J and Laura talk to Mia about their two girls and whether they are 'done'. The post continues below. 

While their surprise pregnancy discovery was "earlier than they planned", the couple knew they were ready to just "go for it" and embrace parenthood. Sadly, a few weeks later, Laura experienced a miscarriage which devastated them both.

"I felt so, so sad... and there was zero relief. And that was the realisation that we really wanted to be parents. So we just threw caution to the wind, and I was soon pregnant again, this time with little Marlie."

Marlie was born two weeks overdue in June 2019 at the Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney. While the birth was complex and stressful, the family of three soon settled into their new life and Matt and Laura began trying for baby number two.

"Marlie was so easy; she was a great sleeper, and she was a great eater by then," Laura tells Mia of their decision to try again quickly.

"We experienced another miscarriage but then when Marlie was around nine months, I was pregnant again this time with Lola."

Baby Lola was born in February 2021 when Marlie was just 18 months old and the jump from one to two kids was intense. 

"When Marlie was three months old, we took her travelling and I remember thinking, 'Oh, this having kids' thing is easy' Then Lola came along and smacked the stupidity out of us," Laura told Mamamia in an interview from 2021.

"Two kids is hard. Also, people expect you to know what you are doing with your second and because each baby is so different — you don't. Things I thought I had down with Marlie, I did not know what to do with Lola." 

It wasn't just their household that went through a lot of change during this time, there was also a global pandemic to contend with. As the success of Laura's podcast Life, Uncut with Brittany Hockley and jewellery brand ToniMay skyrocketed, work was in short supply for Matt who ended up spending more time at home with his family.

"COVID was great for me, helping me become a more hands on dad," Matt says.

"But then just before Lola was due, I got a call from Channel Seven asking if I would like to do Dancing with the Stars. 

"It was terrible timing, but Laura and I spoke about how it was such an important time for me because I thought it may be my last chance to get work in TV ever again. And I'd also just come off the back of 12 months of doing nothing. Laura was amazing, but it was really bloody hard because I'd wake up and I'd be out the door training for eight hours a day, six days a week and rehearsing at night. Laura did the bulk of being up with the kids and Lola cried A LOT during the night."

As the girls have grown up and work continues to gain momentum for Laura and Matt, who has since started the Two Doting Dads podcast, Mia asks the couple directly whether they are "done" with having more kids.

"Oh, it's a big conversation that we've been having recently," Laura tells Mia.

"It's easy for me to say that I want to have another child because I'm not doing all the stuff Matt's doing, but Matt used to be the one who wanted to have three. I think in the last year especially because we're out of the nappies and the baby phase; we are coming out of the trenches and Matt doesn't necessarily want to go back into the trenches. So we are not 100 per cent on the same page yet. 

"I think I think if we were gonna have three, I would have to make some sacrifices with work and give a bit more."

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A post shared by Laura Byrne 🌹 (@ladyandacat)

As the primary parent, Matt says it surprised him when Laura recently suggested they have a third.

"This is the busiest you've ever been," Matt says to Laura.

"You've been in Bali for a week working so to have you come home after I've had the girls by myself — with help from my mother-in-law — and the first thing you say is 'let's have a third', my knee-jerk reaction is what the f**k do you mean?!"

The pair laugh with Laura admitting that the joy they get from their two girls means they don't feel like they are missing out. But as huge fans of the toddler phase, it seems the couple are undecided about whether a third child is on the cards.

"We get so much out of our two children, they're incredible little humans and there's nothing that I'm missing from them that I need in a third child," Laura tells Mia.

"I think the reason why I would want to have a third is because I can't imagine there being a time when we don't have a toddler — I love age two so much. It's my favourite age that we've experienced so far, it's so funny. 

"They're experiencing the world and the thought that we will not have that soon in our household. I think, well, should we just try for another one? But then where does that stop? 

"We can't just keep adding to keep a two-year-old."

If this has raised any issues for you or if you would like to speak with someone, please contact the Sands Australia 24-hour support line on 1300 072 637. 

Laura Jackel is Mamamia's Senior Lifestyle Family Writer. For links to her articles and to see photos of her outfits and kids, follow her on Instagram and TikTok.

Feature Image: Instagram @matthewdavidjohnson

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