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Parent stories and expert advice / Jan O'Connell

Jan O'Connell is an experienced Maternal and Child Health Nurse who has been trained in the What Were We Thinking! program. She has more than two decades of experience with new parents and their babies.

Blogposts by Jan O'Connell

First time parenthood is tiring

As most new mums and dads soon find out, parenthood presents a whole new level of tiredness ...

Settling your baby

The reality is parents will have many sleepless nights with a new baby, however it does get better!

Understanding a crying baby

We all know that babies cry. But what new mums and dads learn early on, it's sometimes hard to decipher why ...

Wrapping as a form of baby settling

They taught you how to 'wrap' your baby in hospital, but what is all the fuss really about?

Blogpost where Jan O'Connell gives expert advice

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 ...

A Whole New Level of Busy!

Throughout my pregnancy everyone told me that having a baby around keeps you busy, but I didn’t comprehend just how busy it would be until Isabelle arrived on the scene. I had a vision of downtime between feeds, time to exercise, to work from home and maybe even learn a language in my spare time… oh how naïve I was!

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 ...

Emerging from the fog

Wow - the last 9 weeks have been the most exhausting and challenging of my life but also the most wonderful and rewarding...

Feeding time at the zoo

I hate to admit it, but I think breastfeeding is the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I don’t mean to show off, but I have a number of wonderful talents. But breastfeeding is hard. After attending the breast feeding information session at the hospital, I was convinced that I would 'nail it', I haven’t...

"Feeling like I need to get some of me back..."

I had always planned to go back to work after the first year, however, I am starting to have strong thoughts/feelings about going back to work early and part-time. I think these thoughts started because I feel like I need to get some of me back, the pre-Abigail me.

Four months into parenthood

After four months with her newborn, Alex has finally settled into her role as a mother ... as well as her role being a new parent blogger!

Holiday or Headache?

My husband and I have just been away on an action packed getaway with friends, family and our 5.5 month old son, William. I noticed some changes to the pre holiday thinking. My mind began running wild with ‘what if’ situations about three weeks before we left...

How will technology affect my new baby?

One of the things that stands out to Alberto most, as he settles into his new role as a father, is how different the world is now to when he was a boy.

Maternity leave musings

Excitedly awaiting the arrival of her first child, Jemma details her maternity leave adventures and anticipates what motherhood has in store ...

My mum

As Alex learns, becoming a parent can give you a newfound appreciation for your own ...

Plan to be unplanned

Day four was ‘go home day’ and feeling confident about our progress so far (milk in, happy feeder, happy sleeper and no mastitis). I was excited that my husband had taken the day off work to drive us home...

Smiles!

At last our little girl smiles! For a split second I saw the sides of her mouth turn upwards and her eyes sparkle with happiness as she kicked in her bouncer chair. I felt an instant sense of elation, like I had won first place in an extreme marathon that had demanded every ounce of my energy since the day Isabelle arrived in the world...

The waiting game...

I am now in my third week of maternity leave and I am not quite sure what to do with myself as my baby has been threatening to arrive since the second trimester...

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...