Former The Block contestant Emma Cox built an entire house on national television while pregnant – and now she’s passing on the wisdom to this year’s mum-to-be, Lisa.
Lisa and husband Rosco recently revealed they’re expecting their second child, a sibling for two-year-old son Lando, with the baby due in mid-October – shortly before The Block‘s Auction Day and finale.
The pregnancy came as a complete surprise, with Lisa saying she’d been putting her nausea down to nerves about relocating for filming.
“Pregnancy didn’t cross my mind,” she told New Idea. “I thought, ‘I’m not pregnant am I?’ And then I just kind of forgot about it.”
It wasn’t until a stomach bug swept through the Block sharehouse weeks later that Lisa was prompted to see a doctor – and got the shock of her life.
“The doctor told me I needed antibiotics and some steroids. Then he said, ‘there’s no chance you’re pregnant, are you?'” Lisa recalls. A test confirmed she was roughly seven weeks along.
And host Scotty Cam was the first person she told! “I walked right up to him one day and said, ‘Hey Scotty, guess what? I’m eating for two!'” Lisa says.
Emma reflects on being pregnant on The Block
Emma, who was 22 weeks pregnant when she finished filming last season, has shared her advice for Lisa as she navigates a very similar journey.
Speaking exclusively to Woman’s Day, Emma says the experience of renovating while pregnant is one she’d recommend to anyone in Lisa’s position – even if it comes with its own unique brand of exhaustion.
“I recommend it. I highly recommend it,” Emma says. “I feel like it made my pregnancy go by so fast.”
For Emma, the whirlwind of filming meant the first half of her pregnancy flew by in a blur of tools and deadlines.
“When we finished The Block, I was about 22 weeks pregnant,” she says. “So for those first 22 weeks, I was very focused on building a house on national TV. And I felt like that was half my pregnancy.”
But according to Emma, the one thing Lisa should brace for is a very particular kind of fatigue.
“You’re going to get very tired,” Emma warns. “But the thing is, you’re not sure if you’re pregnancy tired or Block tired.”
Given this is Lisa’s second pregnancy, Emma notes she may have an advantage Emma didn’t have the first time around.
“Lisa’s probably a little bit more aware of what is actually happening with her pregnancy because it’s her second time,” she says.
Emma’s advice for Lisa
Emma’s biggest piece of advice for Lisa and Rosco is to not be afraid to ask for help.
“The production and the whole crew of The Block are extremely supportive,” Emma says. “I would say Lisa and Rosco, definitely reach out to production throughout your time on The Block. If you need to just rest, if you need to take five, if you need to go have a nap, if you need to have any appointments with any midwives, or make phone calls.”
Emma admits that even while deep in the competition, her baby was never far from her mind.
“I still had it in the forefront of my mind – I still needed to make sure I was looking after this baby,” she says. “So lean on The Block production, because they’re there to help you throughout this journey as well as be there for you in the pregnancy journey.”
Coping with public scrutiny during pregnancy
But there’s a flip side to sharing a pregnancy with the nation, Emma warns – one that comes with unwanted opinions and online trolling.
“It’s funny, I feel like having a bubby on national TV does open the floodgates a little bit for a lot of internet trolls, or a lot of people that have opinions about how you should parent,” she says.
Emma recalls one particularly hurtful rumour that circulated online during her own pregnancy.
“I remember one day seeing a whole thread on Facebook… saying that I was going in for a C-section so it would work for The Block auction,” she says. “There was so much hate, so much internet trolling about me – false claims, false comments saying I was doing a C-section because it would fit in with my life, and not thinking of the baby.”
If the same thing happens to Lisa, Emma’s advice is to trust yourself, and tune the noise out.
“You know what’s going on in your life, you know the real story – don’t take on any negative energy from anyone,” Emma says. “That’s what those internet trolls are trying to do, they’re trying to bring you down or make up these false stories. Ignore it, because you don’t need that negative energy in your life.”
Despite the challenges, Emma says the experience is ultimately one she wouldn’t trade – and one Lisa will be able to look back on for years to come.
“There is so much joy, there is so much happiness,” she says. “In 20 years’ time, you’re going to be able to go onto your TV screen, go back and watch this season, and relive this journey, this pregnancy with your little one – and you’re going to be able to say, ‘there’s your mum on TV absolutely killing it, putting together a room in a week, building a whole house in 12 weeks, and you’re in my tummy there.’
“I think it’s pretty bloody incredible, and something not many people will be able to say they did. So make the most of this journey while you are there.”
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