Tieri’s Baby Boom

Article from September’s Spring Edition of Tieri News. Read more here.

Sue Hall (or Nurse Sue as we all know her) has been Tieri’s resident midwife, child health and immunisation nurse for over 20 years and has delivered hundreds of babies in that time…including one or two in an ambulance en route to the hospital.

In the midst of Tieri’s baby boom, we asked Nurse Sue to share her wisdom on pregnancy, what partner’s can do to help, and what to expect in those first few weeks…

Top 5 tips to make the last few weeks of pregnancy as comfortable as possible:

1. Knowledge is power, so go to the antenatal classes available at the Tieri Family Unit and Child Health Centre, or ask your hospital. If you understand what birthing is, what to expect, and what options are available, you’re likely to have a more positive experience.

2. Make some meals for the freezer as the first few months will be busy and you need to keep your energy up. Your future self will thank you.

3. Ensure you eat high protein food and not high sugar or high carb foods. Sugar gives you bouts of energy but also periods of exhaustion. Reduce your intake of white bread, potato, pasta and rice. Choose raw nuts, red meat, chia seeds, vegetables, and fruit instead.

4. Exercise does wonders for your mental and physical health so try and get out for a walk every day.

5. Have a pregnancy massage and read a book…it may be a while until this happens again!

How can a partner support the Mum leading up to, during, and post-labour?

Your partner is going through an intense physical and emotional journey. All her energy will be on nurturing your baby and keeping it alive. It’s a full time, exhausting job and she needs your support now more than ever. Rather than huge sweeping gestures, it’s often the small things that can make a big difference:

• Talk to her – what are you excited about? What are you nervous about? What do you think life will look like after this little person comes into your family?

• Get cooking – it doesn’t have to be anything fancy, a steak on the BBQ with a salad or some veg, a simple stir fry, even a sandwich will be welcomed and taste delicious, so long as Mum hasn’t had to cook it herself.

• Keep her hydrated – make sure there’s a glass of water or a cup of tea within reach.

• Give her some space – after growing inside her for the last nine months, your little one will then be attached to Mum almost nonstop. Give her some time out by taking the baby for a walk while Mum has a soothing shower or a soak in the bath.

• Make smart choices – if you can’t do housework, get a house cleaner weekly for the first few months…it’s much more useful than flowers.

What should parents (especially new parents) expect in the first few weeks?

• Your child health nurse will do a home visit once they have been informed that you and your baby are home.

• Babies can feed between six to 10 times in 24 hours, with each feed taking around 30 minutes. Whether breast-feeding or bottlefeeding, that doesn’t leave a lot of time to sleep! So be sure to rest as much as you can whenever the baby sleeps.

• Babies control their temperature through their hands, feet and head, so be sure not to cover all of them. Hospitals are typically cold, but your home is not so dress your baby accordingly. Generally speaking, in one layer more than you – so if you’re just wearing a t-shirt, you might put the baby in a vest and a onesie.

• It can be disconcerting to hear your baby cry, but that’s simply how they communicate. They’re not broken, you don’t have to fix them. They’re just trying to communicate something, typically that they are hungry, tired, have a dirty nappy, are too hot or too cold, or just want a cuddle.

• You can’t spoil a baby with love so I always encourage parents to carry them, they need to hear your heartbeat and it makes them feel safe.

What resources and services are available to parents and their newborns?

• Tieri Family Unit and Child Health Centre – 07 4884 6200

• Emerald Child Health Centre – 07 4987 9740

• Tieri Medical Centre – 07 4984 8386

• 24 hours health advice – 13 Health (13 432584) • Australian Breastfeeding Association – 1800 686 268 • Ambulance – 000

• I also recommend joining a Mums Group or a playgroup like the Tieri Possums Playgroup so you can benefit from the support of others going through the same things you are.