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Data from the Australian Institute of Family Studies suggests that the more involved Dads are in hands-on child care, the more satisfied they are in their relationships with their kids.

Biology dictates that the female sex bears the work of pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding. The balance of labour in early infancy is tipped towards the birth parent, while the non-birth parent's primary role is to support the mother-baby unit.

As that baby grows, it is easy to continue with that pattern of mum …

Have you seen that episode of Bluey where the parents get put in ‘dance mode’ which makes them dance in socially awkward situations? At the end of the episode, Bingo (Bluey’s sister) is sad after getting her dad to dance at a time of her mum Chilli’s choosing, not her own. Chilli asks Bingo “sometimes does your outside voice say ‘yes’, even when your inside voice says ‘no’?”. The moral of the story is to listen to and respect our quiet inner voice, not just give an answer that pleases others.

W…

Firstly, if I ever see another "as a busy mum" ad, dosing herself up with painkillers to continue with her day of food prep, day-care drop off, corporate slaying and smiley, even-tempered child-cuddling in the evening, I think I might pierce my fingers through the screen to scratch her perfectly complexioned, dark-circle-free skin. Secondly, if I again see my (male) partner or someone else's on the couch, silent and unmoving under a blanket with “man flu” while their children require attention s…

This question has been cropping up a bit lately, so I thought I'd give you the low down.

Postpartum traditions across over 170 cultures share five key components. Provision of the first four of these (extended rest, warmth, nourishing food, and body work) are reliant upon a bedrock of community support. In times past, the support of our village of sisters, mothers, aunts and grandmothers functioned as a source of immunity for new mothers from exhaustion, overwhelm and long-term physical an…

Through adolescence the child becomes an adult. They grow in physical stature, hormones rewire their brain, they form new relationships and adjust old ones, their identity is forever transformed as they set new goals and take on new roles and responsibilities. In much the same way, through matrescence the pre-child maiden becomes the mother. She grows in emotional scope, hormones rewire her brain to think of safety in terms of "are we safe?" rather than "am I safe?, her identity is transformed, …

When you have a baby, visitors can be a blessing or a curse. Here are some ideas on how to set boundaries around visitors during the time when your needs are just as high as your baby's. This is an area where your partner or support person is vital in enforcing your agreed rules - healing post-birth, feeding a baby and maintaining any kind of adult conversation is hard enough without having to get up the courage to tell your mother-in-law it's getting late and time to leave.

1. Set up a time for…

**[2021 edit - A year later, I see how much more I still have to learn. How many more layers of indoctrination and ancestral actions are alive in me. I pledge to engage in re-education, that is the unlearning and relearning, that is needed to become an ally and accomplice in every sense.]

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I sit here between the shadow of the Watagan mountains and Awaba, which is what Lake Macquarie was called before colonisation, dispossession and genocide. I would like to begin this article by acknowledging…

One of my Mama Mentors recently described herself as a “recovering perfectionist”. Having been a perfectionist in my past academic and professional life, I have tried to sidestep this trait in my mothering. Sometimes it creeps in though, and I think of ways that I could become the “perfect mother”, and truly give my child the absolute best of everything.

Ideas whirl in my head – how to improve myself to live up to (what I think are) my own expectations. So I decided to get to know her, the “per…

Standing. How can something as basic as standing be different pre and post-pregnancy, even in "uncomplicated" pregnancies and deliveries? And how do we not even notice "mum posture" dragging at our bodies?

As pregnancy progresses, uterus and baby get bigger and heavier, and our organs get pushed up higher in our abdomen to make room for them. Our pelvis tips forward to give more space for baby, and we stick our chest out (called rib flaring) so as to not overbalance and give ourselves some spac…

As a self-proclaimed “dog person” it pains me to say this, but there is a lot new mums can learn from cats. These are my top three mama cat wisdoms.

1. Hide away to prep for birth. I don’t recommend actually hiding like those cats that end up with litters of kittens stuck in drains or ceilings, but in a way birthing cats have it right. They take themselves to a secluded, dimly lit place where they feel secure from predators. In doing so they can turn their focus internally and birth without fe…