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

Parent stories and expert advice / Your needs

5 months in...

5 months in...

I have felt so many emotions over the past five months.  My life is completely different.  I want it to feel the same but it will never be again and why? It's because of my beautiful baby girl Lily...

Allowing grandparents to bond with your baby

Allowing grandparents to bond with your baby

For Amy, not only does she gain a break when her mother looks after her daughter, she also gets to witness a loving bond grow ...

Am I the only one who experienced newborn parenting neurosis?!

Am I the only one who experienced newborn parenting neurosis?!

New mums learn to expect heightened emotions during pregnancy, but after the baby is born and the hormones are released, what happens when you still feel neurotic?

And just like that‚ you're a dad

And just like that‚ you're a dad

No one can prepare you for becoming a father. I fell completely in love with Victoria as soon as she was born but to say that I felt overwhelmed would be a major understatement...

A simple way new mums can reduce their anxiety

A simple way new mums can reduce their anxiety

Parenting expert Dr Heather Rowe examines how fear-based health messages targeting those with a new baby can cause unnecessary anxiety in new mums.

A suspiciously spammy message for new parents

A suspiciously spammy message for new parents

When it comes to parenting, author Kaz Cooke points out that "one person’s brilliant life-hack is always somebody else’s bonkers piece of melon wrapped in passive-aggressive ham." 

Being a mum & still being me

Being a mum & still being me

You say hello to a new future when you become a mum, but as Poppy learns, that doesn't mean saying goodbye entirely to  the 'you' of the past ...

Breast feeding: it's not my favourite sport

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...

Challenging and changing the language of parenting

Challenging and changing the language of parenting

We use all words, phrases and ideas to describe newborns, parenting and motherhood. Jane Fisher explores whether these are helpful ...

Could postnatal depression be anxiety?

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.