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"We are so in love." Moana Hope and Isabella Carlstrom welcome their second child.

From a random meeting at a friend's birthday party in Melbourne, Moana Hope and Isabella Carlstrom have gone from strength to strength as a couple. 

The Australian rules footballer/Survivor Australia contestant and model got married in 2019 before welcoming their first child, Svea.

Now, the couple announced they have welcomed their second child over the weekend. 

"Oh how wonderful life is now that you are in the world... We are so in love," Hope wrote on Instagram on Sunday, alongside a photo of the baby's foot. 

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Carlstrom also shared the exciting news on Instagram.

"Thank you for choosing us. I love you my darling," she wrote alongside a photo of her holding her newborn's hand.

The couple, who already share one-year-old Svea, announced they were expecting their second child in December. 

Here's everything we know about their relationship.

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Watch: Before The Bump. Post continues below.


Video via Mamamia.

How Moana Hope and Isabella Carlstrom met.

As with all great romantic relationships, it started with a meet-cute.

Speaking to Mia Freedman on Mamamia’s No Filter podcast, Moana said she met Isabella at a friend’s birthday party in early 2017, and the attraction was immediate.

“I knew straight away it was not going to be anything short-term,” she said.

Isabella told Vogue, she had just come back from living in India for four years when she returned to Melbourne and first met Moana. 

"I went up to her, and the rest is history. It was an instant connection, and we have been inseparable ever since."

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Moana and Isabella's wedding.

Isabella popped the question in October 2018, and despite the unorthodox location - a cemetery to be exact - Moana dubbed it the "perfect" proposal.

"I told her that if she ever wanted to marry me she had to ask my dad… So she asked me to marry her at my dad's tombstone, so he was there when she asked me," she shared in an Instagram post.

"It could never, ever get any more perfect than this…. I said yes. Wedding bells are here."

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Moana and Isabella tied the knot in August 2019, in the garden of a family friend's house in Toorak, Melbourne.

They decided on the winter date, as both their mums were in poor health at the time, Isabella's mum diagnosed with breast cancer. 

"We have never been one for traditions, so we really wanted to steer clear of that. We wanted the wedding to reflect who we are: easy-going, colourful and fun. What mattered most was having the most important people in our lives there to share it with us," Moana told Vogue.

“Mrs and Mrs Carlstrom-Hope,” Moana captioned an Instagram photo of herself and Isabella on the day.

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Image: Lovers Narrative Photography.

Moana and Isabella's family life.

Even before the couple tied the knot, 34-year-old Moana shared on No Filter that she and Isabella were keen to have children in their future. 

"I want to have a family. She also wants a family. I'd love to have three, but I think we'd be blessed to have any kids. I think kids are beautiful," Moana said.

Also in their brood is Moana's younger sister Lavinia (Vinny), who has been diagnosed with Möbius syndrome – a rare congenital neurological disorder that can cause facial paralysis, limb abnormalities and speech issues. At 26, Moana became Vinny’s sole carer.

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Listen to No Filter: Moana Hope Insists She’s Not A Hero. Post continues after audio.


The family all currently live in Melbourne together.

"I'm very fortunate to be in a position where I can look after Vinny. Vinny is my sister and my best friend… I don't see it how everyone else sees it," Moana told Mamamia, adding that Vinny calls both her and Isabella 'mum'.

"It's beautiful that everyone thinks I'm this big, amazing teddy bear, but I'm sure you'd do it for your family, too."

Moana and Isabella welcome their children.

In 2020, the couple announced they were expecting their first child.

In November 2020, Isabella gave birth to their daughter, Svea Hope Carlstrom. 

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"This is our little Queen. Svea has stolen my heart in a way that I can't put into words. She is perfect and I'm completely in love," Moana wrote on Instagram.

The name Svea is of Swedish origin and is said to mean 'Queen of the Sun'.

Moana also thanked the couple’s IVF clinic "for everything you have done to support us".

Sharing her perspective on motherhood, Moana wrote: "Watching my queen grow into the little person she is becoming has been one of the most rewarding experiences I've had. From her first crawl, step and words, it has been bloody exciting."

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Moana had said in the past that she had hopes to experience pregnancy herself, the couple aiming to take turns at carrying their children. 

Speaking with Woman's Day in March 2021, Moana said: "We're going to try and get pregnant towards the end of the next year, which is super exciting. I want a houseful of babies!"

The couple later announced the pregnancy in December on Instagram.

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Moana captioned the post: "I'm pregnant… we're pregnant! In 2022 our little modern family will grow by one tiny human. Building our own little football team!"

She continued: "We are using the same donor as Svea and we are all beyond excited. Not even the morning sickness can damper this mood." Moana also thanked Monash IVF for making their pregnancy a possibility. Unlike Isabella who underwent IVF, Moana has undergone intrauterine insemination, which is a type of artificial insemination.

Fertility specialist at Monash IVF Dr Gareth Weston said to Mamamia, "Neither Mo's pregnancy nor Bella's with Svea would be possible without the generosity of their sperm donor.

"You only have to look at the smiles on the faces of the same-sex couples we help to become parents to appreciate just how life-changing sperm donation really is and why we need more people to donate."

This article was originally published on December 9, 2021, and was updated on June 27, 2022.

Feature Image: Instagram/ @moanahope.

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