Allira Potter doesn't want children.
In August, she and her wife Imogen were married followed by a honeymoon in New Zealand.
But when they returned, the honeymoon bubble was burst.
"I started getting questions from people, they would say 'okay so you're married now, what's happening?'
"We sort of looked at each other and said we're not having kids," she said.
It wasn't a spontaneous decision for the pair, who had discussed their stances when they began dating
"We had that conversation when we first started dating, we both said we didn't want to have kids and we've stuck by that."
"But there are so many people who tell us that we'll change our mind.
"I really wish I could feel what most people feel in terms of having a baby but ... I just don't feel that want."
Allira and her fiancé, Imogen, after their proposal. Source: Instagram / Allira Potter
"I feel like, heterosexual couples forget that it's actually really hard for same sex couples to have kids," she said.
"You have to be in a really privileged position. If you start IVF, you have to find a sperm donor and go through that process, there is such high costs involved."
While many women face societal pressure to have children, Allira said the pressure is compounded for Aboriginal women.
"I think culturally as well there is pressure to have kids. Our families are quite big, there are lots of babies and it builds our communities," she said.
"I felt that pressure a bit, but after my sister had a baby I felt a shift, she's the next generation of our family."
An author, mindset coach, model and speaker, Allira is a public figure, and has over 46,000 followers on Instagram.
Not only did she face comments in her day-to-day interactions, she also faced them online.
"I don't think I realised the concept of a parasocial relationship until we got married! People want to know about our relationship, and about Imogen," she said.
"But I get a lot of messages from women who have had kids. Many who aren't in same sex relationships, and they say the questions and the pressure doesn't stop.
"If you have one or two kids, people ask when you're going to have another one. There's so much pressure on us to procreate."
Women shouldn't put that pressure on themselves and they shouldn't feel guilty for not wanting to have kids.
After relentless comments, messages and interactions about their choice, Allira felt inspired to share a more in-depth post on being child-free.
"I wanted to create a conversation and ask people why they want to have kids, or why they don't want to have kids. I do feel like a lot of women jump into it, because they think that that is what you have to do, but it really isn't," she said.
"A lot of people think one of your greatest achievements is having kids, and it can be. But we should be celebrated for the other amazing things we do."
Happily married with three "fur-babies", Allira hopes her story can inspire more women to feel confident in being child-free and make others think twice before questioning someone's choice.
"People really shouldn't be asking that question to somebody," she said.
"I feel like people don't really understand that it is really hard for queer couples to have kids. We have to go through a really long process ... we're not guaranteed that it's going to work.
"It's just so important to think before you speak, especially when it comes to same sex couples."
