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.

For Parents »

» Introduction
» 'About Babies' Worksheets
» 'About Mothers & Fathers' Worksheets

For Professionals »

» Background Theory
» Research and Evidence
» Frequently Asked Questions

WWWT Blog »

Getting to know you. Or not.

Who am I? I really can’t tell anymore. I used to be able to talk to anyone, about anything. But now, it’s like I’ve had a lobotomy. The part of my brain that had the social graces to be interested in the lives of strangers has been removed and replaced with, well nothing...

How quickly things have changed

My life has changed so much in the last 3 months and I am loving being a mother but never thought I would be so tired. In my mother’s group there is such a range of experiences, some are having trouble with feeding, others don’t have any family nearby, and one friend is getting sleep, having no trouble with feeding her baby and has her family around.

Time for me

Ari is now 3 months old and we are all doing well. I love watching my partner Dimitri play with Ari, the squeals of laughter from the two of them touches my heart. I use their play time together to catch up on some “me time” by either sitting with my feet up and my favourite book or just having a cup of tea. I love this time to myself and I feel that it regenerates my energy levels.