Elaine Porter has opened up about how she coped during the early weeks of motherhood while her husband, Ireland and Leinster star Andrew Porter, was away on the Lions tour. The couple recently welcomed their baby boy, Max, at the end of May, a hugely emotional moment after enduring two miscarriages last year. Elaine described her son as ‘the biggest blessing’ and introduced him as their ‘perfect baby boy.’ But Andrew’s rugby commitments meant he was away for two months shortly after their little one’s arrival, leaving Elaine to navigate life with a newborn largely on her own. Taking to social media, she explained: ‘Get asked a lot on how I coped with Andrew being away for 2 months with a newborn! Of course my parents were a massive help!’ She also credited Dublin-based doula Laura with being a lifeline: ‘Doula Laura was my saving grace a few days a week, could notttt recommend her more for new mothers, she helped me survive- not sponsored at all in any way she was just amazing and did so much for me during the weeks!’ Elaine’s candid post comes after a turbulent year in the spotlight. Earlier this year, she faced a barrage of online abuse in the aftermath of Antoine Dupont’s Six Nations injury, which saw both Andrew and Tadhg Beirne cleared of wrongdoing. At the time, she revealed she had been targeted with vicious comments- some even directed towards her unborn child. ‘I am not a rugby player, I have nothing to do with rugby but at the same time I thought it was so f*****g unhinged and crazy … it wasn’t just French fans, some of them were Irish people who were commenting,’ she said. Despite the negativity, Elaine has chosen to focus on the joy of motherhood and the overwhelming support she has received. Her latest post highlights not only the challenges of being apart from Andrew during such a pivotal time but also the community and care that helped her through it.