What were we thinking!
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Information, resources and reassurance for new parents navigating the highs and lows of life with a baby

The birth of a first baby is one of the biggest life transitions an adult will experience. Major life changes are always accompanied by mixed feelings and most parents feel under-equipped for the tasks of infant care and managing a household with a baby.

This website contains information about common experiences in the early months of parenthood and some effective ways of thinking about and managing them.

All information on this website is drawn from up-to-date research and the experiences of many parents of new babies. We hope that you find the site helpful as you learn to live with your first baby.

www.whatwerewethinking.org.au content was developed with funding from the Australian Government and the Jack Brockhoff Foundation. The authors have sole responsibility for the content of the website.

The site content is provided for your information; if you have comments you are welcome to submit them to:

This site is not a substitute for advice from your family doctor or another health professional.

If you feel sad, worried, or irritable most of the time, then it is important to talk to your family doctor.

 

WWWT Blog »

A new reality

I had my first "what were we thinking" moment in the third week. Well, I had my first doubts the week before L was born, when I was feeling smugly prepared for the birth (we took some great childbirth ed classes, 4 sessions spread over a month, which I would recommend for retention; and hired a wonderful doula) but then I realized that I was much less prepared for a newborn!

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It's essential to share the load

As Alberto has discovered, it's essential to share the load of both paid and unpaid work when you have a baby.

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Week 1 - Welcome Evelyn Bartels!

Evelyn arrived six days overdue on Tuesday 6th May 2014 at 11.58pm after almost 24 hours of labour and an emergency caesarean.  She was a healthy 4.365kgs and as the obstetrician said when she pulled her out there wasn’t much chance of her coming out naturally given her size and her position (OP)...

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