By a midwife, maternal and child health nurse and Mum of four
Survive and Enjoy Your Baby
A calm, practical guide to your baby’s first year, written for the Mum who likes to be prepared and is quietly wondering whether she’ll know what to do. Short chapters you can flip to at 2am, safe options to try, and clear pointers for when to see a health professional.
Paperback, posted within Australia.
For the Mum who has prepared for everything, except the baby
Many women spend months preparing for the birth and then come home from hospital with a newborn and very little idea of what happens next. If you are used to being organised and capable, those early weeks can feel unsettling, and that is completely normal (I’ve been there).
This book is for you if:
- You’re pregnant with your first baby and want to feel prepared for life after the birth.
- You’ve just brought your baby home and are wondering whether you’re doing it right.
- You’d like to understand your baby’s cues, tired signs and cries.
- You want safe, evidence-based options, not a rigid method or a one-size-fits-all routine.
- You’re tired of conflicting advice from social media, family and well-meaning strangers.
Mothering and parenting are learned skills, not magical instincts that arrive the moment your baby is born. This book helps you learn it, gently and at your own pace.
Why I wrote this book
When I had my first baby, I thought the maternal instincts would just arrive. They didn’t. My daughter cried a lot, neither of us was getting enough sleep, and my husband and I were taking turns rocking and feeding her to sleep. I didn’t know babies had tired signs, let alone how to read them.
It was my own maternal and child health nurse who helped me. She taught me to understand my baby, and once I could read her cues, I could finally enjoy being her Mum. Before that, I hadn’t wanted more children. I went on to have four.
Years later, as a midwife and maternal and child health nurse, I kept meeting Mums who were blaming themselves because advice from a book or the internet hadn’t worked for their baby. I wanted to give them something better: a practical guide written by someone who is qualified, has been there, and won’t judge them.
I designed Survive and Enjoy Your Baby the way a tired Mum actually reads. Short, summarised chapters you can flip to when you need them, safe options to try, and honest guidance about when it is time to see a health professional.
What you’ll find inside
Thirteen chapters that walk with you from preparing your home through to your baby’s first year and your return to work.
Getting ready
What you actually need for your baby, and what you can happily skip.
Caring for your baby
Bathing, nappies, wrapping and the everyday care that feels daunting at first.
Feeding your baby
Breastfeeding, bottle feeding and mixed feeding, without judgement. Well fed is best.
Starting solids
When and how to introduce solid foods, one calm step at a time.
Crying, sleep and settling
How to read tired signs, understand crying and settle your baby safely.
Play and development
Simple ways to support your baby’s growing brain through everyday interaction.
Out and about
Getting out of the house with a baby, and what to pack so it feels easier.
Your health and wellbeing
Looking after your body, your mind and your relationship in the early months.
Returning to work
Preparing yourself and your baby for the next chapter.
Written by someone who has been there
There are plenty of parenting books written by doctors, and plenty written by Mums who mean well. This one is written by both a qualified health professional and a Mum who remembers those early weeks very clearly.
- Over 20 years as a midwife and maternal and child health nurse
- Master’s degree in Child, Family and Community Nursing
- Mum of four
- Host of the Midwife in Your Pocket podcast
- Worked with 1000’s of families
Everything in this book is safe and evidence-based. You won’t find rigid routines or fear. You’ll find honest, realistic options, so you can make the decisions that are right for your baby and your family.
Questions Mums often ask
Both. It’s ideal to read in the second half of your pregnancy, so you feel prepared before your baby comes home, and then keep it close as a reference through the first year.
It was written with tired parents in mind. Chapters are short and summarised, so you can go straight to the topic you need without reading cover to cover.
No. You’ll find safe, evidence-based options to try, so you can choose what feels right for your baby and your family. There’s no judgement about how you feed your baby.
No, and it isn’t meant to. It helps you understand what’s normal and gives clear guidance on when it’s worth seeing a health professional.
Yes, please contact me and I’ll arrange a special shipping price for multiple copies.
Paperback copies are posted within Australia. [Add your postage cost and usual delivery time.] If you live overseas, the book is available through your favourite online bookstore.
You don’t have to have it all worked out
Every Mum finds her own way, and it takes time. Try to be kind to yourself while you learn. This book is here to give you safe options, a calm voice and the reassurance that what you’re feeling is normal, so you can get to know your baby and actually enjoy these early months.
You are the expert on your own baby. I’m simply here to help you trust that.
Paperback, posted within Australia. Questions? Contact me.
You don’t have to have it all worked out
You don’t have to have it all worked out
Every Mum finds her own way, and it takes time. Try to be kind to yourself while you learn. This book is here to give you safe options, a calm voice and the reassurance that what you’re feeling is normal, so you can get to know your baby and actually enjoy these early months.
You are the expert on your own baby. I’m simply here to help you trust that.
Paperback, posted within Australia. Questions? Contact me.