What were we thinking! promote confidence and reduce distress in parents with a first baby

Parent stories and expert advice / A new reality

The sisterhood

The sisterhood

Mary-Jane gained more than just a beautiful daughter when she had Iris. After joining her local mother's group, she gained a wonderful new group of friends. A sisterhood.

The sudden interest in you body and baby bump

The sudden interest in you body and baby bump

Ever felt that you were on 'show' while you were pregnant? That your body suddenly belonged to everyone else? You'll be pleased (despite not appreciating) to know it’s a common experience ...

Visiting hours - tales from the tired trenches

Visiting hours - tales from the tired trenches

New parents have to learn new skills. Sometimes, so do their well-meaning friends who come to visit.

What am I grateful for?

What am I grateful for?

Being back at work, traveling is starting to become part of my usual quarterly routine again.  I’m so lucky I have a husband that has the ability to play both the roles of mum and dad while I am away...

What being a first time mum has taught me

What being a first time mum has taught me

As her daughter Lily turns one, Melissa reflects on the first 12 months of parenthood and what having a child has taught her.

What you give up when gaining a baby

What you give up when gaining a baby

Being a first time parent inevitably requires a degree of personal sacrifice. But as John questions, do we fit parenthood in with our former lives or do we fit our lives around being a new parent?

When becoming a new parent is nothing like you'd expected ...

When becoming a new parent is nothing like you'd expected ...

For new mum Bern Morley, Parenting Editor at Mamamia, becoming a new parent wasn't like anything she'd 'seen in the brochures'.

When parenting your newborn doesn't exactly go to 'plan'

When parenting your newborn doesn't exactly go to 'plan'

Business analyst and new mum, Danielle, explores the challenges of being faced with a somewhat 'unpredictable' baby.

When the

When the "breast is best" message isn't helpful

Sometimes the health messages we hear make us feel good, that we are doing the ‘right thing’ for our families. But sometimes health messages can sap our confidence ...

When your baby swaps

When your baby swaps "mamma" for "dadda, dadda!"

Sharing the load is a job for both 'mamma' and 'dadda' with a baby ... especially when another newborn enters the picture.