What were we thinking!
!

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 »

Could postnatal depression be anxiety?

Research Fellow at the Jean Hailes Research Unit, Dr Karen Wynter, joins Penny Johnstone on ABC Melbourne's Babytalk to discuss whether some cases of anxiety could be misdiagnosed as postnatal depression.

read more »

Breast feeding: it's not my favourite sport

We have clocked up three months of the intense sport of breast feeding and, in retrospect, we have fared quite well. Last time, by three months I was beginning to wean: I’d had five rounds of mastitis (with two more to come,) nipple thrush and a life spent eating, feeding and sleeping to keep the energy up to feed the twins had taken its toll...

read more »

I Broke My Baby!

My baby is fine, but I broke my baby.  If there was a reset button to restore Victoria's factory settings I would have hit it last week.  I am a little nervous and apprehensive to explain what happened as I don't want to be judged, or deemed a bad mother. I decided to push on and publish to help another mum in a similar position feel ok about it, so here goes...

read more »

!
 

Copyright ©2026 Monash University. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Advertising Policy | Conflict of Interest Statement