JESSICA MUTCH MCKAY & MARGAUX 'I STRUGGLE WITH MUM GUILT'

The 1 News political editor confesses juggling motherhood and her demanding job has its tough moments

- Wendyl Nissen

When it comes to the daily events that play out in Parliament, Jessica Mutch McKay is confident she has us covered.

But if you ask her how she’s doing being both political editor for 1 News and a doting mother to her gorgeous nearly-four-year-old daughter Margaux, she’s less certain she’s got it all sorted.

“I’m totally a professional and I think that I’m a good mum, but I have my moments – sometimes I can be a great mum and an editor, but I’m not being a great friend, a great wife or a great daughter,” she confesses to Woman’s Day.

Things are easier now Margaux is at an “awesome” daycare, smiles Jessica, 39. “She has great teachers and a little network of besties, which is all sorts of cool, and I’m relishing the time we get to hang out.

“It’s just the best seeing life through her eyes because she has such an amazing imagination. One of my favourite times of day is reading to her before bed, although she’s now got to the age where I can’t skip pages or ad-lib – she remembers!

“Sometimes she watches me on TV and will give the screen a hug or a tickle. It’s very cute. There’s nothing better than coming home to someone who is so delighted to see you and isn’t as invested in the minutiae of politics as I am. It lets me switch off from work and go into mum mode.”

But juggling motherhood and a demanding job that plays out on TV is a “really physical” task, Jessica notes. “I’m constantly trying to think quite deeply on big-picture stuff with little sleep, so there are definitely challenges.