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Five years on from her stint on Love Island, Jessica Hayes seems to have finally found her happily ever after.
Not only is she more loved-up than ever with fiancé Dan Lawry, and enjoying being mum to their 17-month-old son Presley, she has some truly exciting news to share. Jess exclusively reveals to new magazine she is four months pregnant with her second child.
In the interview, the 27-year-old opens up about her shock at falling pregnant during the pandemic and how she’s nervous about coping with two babies under the age of three.
“I was considering going to the doctor when the pandemic started and getting contraception and obviously this happened,” Jess explains.
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“At first it was a bit like, 'Oh my God, Presley’s only 17 months, can we do this?' But we were over the moon.”
Jessica, who lives in Oxfordshire with builder Dan, says it’s been tricky coping with childcare alone during the pandemic, but the baby is a bit of good news to cherish.
“It feels strange at the moment, so it’s definitely something to look forward to and get excited about,” she adds.
And although she’s a little nervous about how Presley will cope with a baby brother or sister, Jessica says she’d be open to having more children in the future, too…
Congratulations, Jess! It’s such lovely news to be able to share in these dark times. How far along are you?
I’m four months now. I actually found out really late. I was near enough three months when I found out, so it’s quite new. It’s great, though, as I feel like I’ve done nearly half [of the pregnancy] now.
Were you trying for another baby?
No, it was completely unexpected! I’ve always said I wanted a big family. I’ve always had visions of being in a house with everyone round the table. We were like, “Definitely, when Presley’s three,” so obviously it wasn’t planned, but we’re over the moon regardless. I’m still quite young and it’s nice to get it done early.
How did you find out?
It was early October. I was feeling really sick for a while and I was thinking, “There’s something wrong with me, I don’t know what it is.” But when you’ve got a child already, you just brush it off and put yourself to the back of the pile. I just felt sick and unwell, and I hadn’t had a, you know [a period]. So I got two tests. Dan was over the moon.
Was Dan there when you were doing the tests?
He was at work. I found out and thought, “How am I going to keep this a secret all day?” But I had to do it face to face. I didn’t want to tell him over the phone.
How did he react?
He got quite emotional. He went out and bought me flowers and it was really lovely.
When are you due?
Early May. Presley’s birthday is in June, so having two summer babies will be great.
Have you told your family and friends?
We told them a couple of weeks ago. This time round it was quite nice to keep it to myself for a while. Everyone was really happy. I wanted to wait to see people face to face, but it was a bit like, “When are we going to see people?” So we did tell a couple of people over FaceTime.
Did anyone joke about having two under three?
Dan’s nan, bless her. She’s in her nineties and she was being brutally honest like older people can be. She sent me the funniest message, like, “Lovely news, it’s a little bit soon, but maybe if you have a girl you can shut the shop.” I was like, “Oh my God, are you serious?” If that was Dan’s mum I would have ripped her head off, but I thought, “No, it’s fine.”
Will you find out the sex?
I’m still undecided. I’m rubbish with secrets and I’m really impatient, so part of me wants to find out. But then part of me thinks how nice it would be to have a surprise, so I’m going to wait until we can have a gathering and then maybe we’ll see. I think it would be nice to have a bit of a reveal party!
Did you do that when you were expecting Presley?
Yeah, we did, and it was amazing, it was so lovely. Baby showers are usually a month before, so we’d probably be looking at March this time. It makes me sad, too, as I want to be able to make the most of my time I’ve got with Presley on my own now, just us two. I get quite emotional and upset because with things being shut he can’t experience things, like going to soft play or holidays.
Have you told Presley he’s going to be a big brother?
We’ve said little things and we’ve shown him the scan picture and I’ve told him about it being his little brother or sister, but he doesn’t understand. I’ve got a cousin who is only five months old. Presley is quite boisterous and heavy handed, but actually he surprised me when he’s been around other babies – he’s always really gentle. So I’m sure it will be fine. I’m really nervous, but they’ll thank me in the long run when they’re close in age.
What do you think he’ll be like when the baby arrives?
He’s still going to be too young to get it. There’s bound to be times when he’s going to be jealous. I breastfed him for quite a while and I worry that when he sees me doing that he’ll kick off. I do worry about the jealousy, but I try not to think of the negatives.
It will be challenging having two young children, but it’ll be worth it in 10 years’ time…
I just keep telling myself that when he’s four and the other one is two, they’ll be at nursery and school, and this is the time to enjoy. It might be stressful and it might be hard, but you never get these days back. It’s the most special time of your life. They’ll be 16 and telling me to leave them alone before I know it!
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Ha. Do you have any preference over whether you have a girl or boy next?
I had in my mind that one of each would be ideal. I think one of each and then I can stop there. But then I’m really warming to the idea of two boys as well, so it doesn’t bother me.
How have you found your pregnancy so far?
I’ve had really bad headaches and I’ve definitely felt worse this time round. My pregnancy with Presley was so smooth and I didn’t feel bad at all, but this time round I’ve struggled a bit. You get so tired, but you can’t just go and nap because you’re chasing after a toddler and there’s no chance to lie down. It’s harder.
Is your bump noticeable?
I’m 100% showing – there’s no breathing it in! The second time round they say you show quicker.
Are you glowing?
I’m definitely not glowing yet – I’m waiting for that bit. I guess the only good thing has been the boobs! My skin has been terrible.
Has Dan been able to go to appointments with you?
Luckily, where we are, we’re allowed one person at a scan. So that’s not been too bad as I know in some areas they’ve not been able to, which I think is horrendous. Midwife appointments have been fine. Some stuff has been over the phone. It’s just very weird. I think about the amount of people who have put stuff off and not been seen [by doctors]. I couldn’t imagine having to give birth on my own. That would be horrific.
How have you been coping with Presley at home during the pandemic?
It has been really hard. Definitely at the start when it was super strict, I really struggled because Dan carried on working as normal and my work has been super busy this year as well. Considering we’ve been in lockdown it has been a good year for that for me. It’s impossible to work sometimes when you can’t have childcare. Not having the support from
my family, I found it very hard. It was really tough at the start.
How has Presley been coping?
I’m hoping he’s not noticed too much. He’s so good with people. I’ve always had him around people from such a young age, but I think he’s doing OK. If anything, he prefers it when it’s not just me and him – he loves the attention. He loves to socialise, so fingers crossed
that won’t change.
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What’s he like now?
Presley’s wild, bless him. He walks, he chats away. He’s so clever, he dances and he loves music. He’s just the best thing ever. He’s obsessed with Bill Withers. When he was a little baby we used to put Ain’t No Sunshine on and it was like his lullaby – he would just fall asleep to it. I feel like he’s an old soul.
Are you excited to see Dan with a newborn again?
He’s a really good dad. At the start it was quite daunting, but
as Presley’s got older Dan’s got so much closer to him and I think that will just continue. When boys get older they can do stuff with their dad.
If you have a girl, she would be his little princess…
I would love to see what he’s like with a daughter. Everyone says dads just change. They feel more protective.
Do you think a second baby will have an effect on your relationship?
It’s going to be very hard. I do say to him, “You’re going to have to have Presley a lot.” He’s pretty hands-on anyway, but when Presley was little I did all the nights, because I was feeding. Dan is going to have to get up this time. I’m going to make him do the nights, because it’s going to be full-on with two.
Do you still make time for just the two of you?
We always try. When Presley was a little baby I used to be really protective and not want people looking after him, but we always try. It’s so important to still have date nights and time to yourself because you just get so lost as parents.
We’re nearing the end of the year. Do you have any hopes for 2021?
It would be nice for coronavirus to go away, for a start! But just to try to enjoy the time we’ve got as a three. A holiday would be great, but I’m not even going to think that’s going to be possible. We’ll definitely be moving. We’ve got big ideas to buy a house and renovate and make something amazing. Our dream home.
Tell us more about that…
With another baby we need a bit more room, so just the dream home. Dan’s in the building industry so he could build a house. We want to do
that as a thing – renovate and sell properties.
Will you stay in the same area?
We’ll probably stay where we are now in Oxfordshire. It’s close to London and has good schools. It’s expensive, but it’s nice.
You said you want a big family. Could that mean more babies in the future?
I would love a big family. I think after this one, I’d definitely stop there for a little bit. Get the house and do the renovating and focus on that, and then maybe… If I have two boys I’ll probably
be desperate for a girl, so I’ll probably end up having three.
So there’s potential for more!
My dream is the big house and a lovely family. I can’t wait for that.
It’s been five years since you were on Love Island. Looking back, do you have fond memories?
I’m so glad I did it, because it gave me the opportunities that I’ve had over the past few years and life has been great. I don’t regret it – it was one of the best times of my life.
Do you keep in contact with anyone from the show?
I’m still in touch with Hannah Elizabeth and Cally Jane Beech, and I’ve spoken to Josh Ritchie. We all chat and talk about meeting up. Usually we’d be out at events and everyone mingles and it’s lovely. I’ve missed that. Hopefully that can come back next year!
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