Words of wisdom from Bec Judd's baby guru.

Mum-of-two Rebecca Judd has had some expert help settling her babies. And now she’s sharing the love, interviewing her favourite midwife for a mini Master-Class.

I would love to introduce you all to my fave midwife and all-time amazing friend Cathryn Curtin.

Affectionately known as Aunty Cath to the Judd family and many other Victorian families, Cath has helped me immensely through 2 pregnancies and into the baby/parenthood journey.

Her advice has been invaluable and her experience in the field makes her one of the best midwives in the country. If you would like to contact Cath, her details are at the end of this post.

Cath, on her career:

I feel extremely fortunate when I look back on my career. I’ve always worked in a field that I love. Helping babies come into the world then helping the mums and dads/partners parent.

This is something I am passionate about, and it’s something that comes naturally to me. It is incredible to be present at a birth. It has always amazed me and I never get tired of seeing new babies born, holding them, helping new mums & dads/partners.

What is your approach to newborn parenting? Is it Feed, Play, Sleep? Is it routine based? Can newborns be put on a routine?

Like building a house, you need to start with basic foundations – and a baby’s routine is the same. The basics must start from the day you arrive home from hospital.

Many “baby routine” phrases are thrown at parents from books and community campaigns, but they lack the correct explanation to parents.

Feed, Play, Sleep (FPS), for example, is good in theory – but in practice it is going to be different for every baby. The problem is that there is more to FPS than just those three simple words.

So when FPS fails, lots parents are left wondering WTF (Why They Fail). In fact it’s not the parents’ fault, it’s how FPS has been inadequately communicated to them. You have to take into account the age of the baby, the weight, the sex. Boys & girls, for example, develop, feed, play and sleep differently.

My first tip to new parents would be to never bath a newborn baby at 6pm, or else you will be up all night with a crying baby.  New parents fall into the trap of thinking that all babies should be bathed at 6pm and then go to bed.

This will happen, in time, but not as a newborn. It takes time (as in weeks) & weight gain (as in lots and lots of milk, until the baby weighs around 7-8kgs).  It is best to bath the newborn baby at 10pm.  I encourage the mums to go to bed at 8-9 o’clock, the dad/partner to give the baby a nice warm and deep bath, dress and wrap the baby using Cath’s Wrap, and give a bottle of formula. Then it’s bed for the baby and the dad too.

Whenever I mention a bottle of formula, I see new parents’ eyes glaze over with anxiety.  There is a fear campaign going on within the hospitals and community about formula. As I say all the time – formula is food made for babies!  I breastfed my son, I promote breastfeeding, and yes it’s the best…BUT if you worked with me for one day you will know the reality is that not everyone can breastfeed, not everyone wants to breastfeed, and not everyone has oodles of milk to successfully breastfeed.

I’m on the side of the mum and I know that all my mums and dads/partners who follow my routines are happy, the baby sleeps, the other parent is involved, and they are all happy!

Any tips for settling newborns?

I find the word “settling” really “unsettling”, as newborn babies are either awake & hungry or fed & asleep.  If they are squirming and crying, they need to be fed.  It is not wind that is keeping them up. We all have wind and it’s a normal body function.  I promise you  - you cannot overfeed a baby BUT you can underfeed – that’s a fact.   There are far too many mums trying to shush, pat and rock a baby when all the baby needs is to be fed.

Remember you will not ‘spoil your child’ if you love and hold your baby close…in addition to feeding him too!  Do not feed your babies by the clock – respond to your baby’s basic needs.

 Any words of advice to new mums who are overwhelmed by the whole experience (i.e. me with Oscar!)?

We are all overwhelmed when we become a mum for the first time…I was too!

My advice – don’t over-think the newborn stage and don’t read thousands of books, as you will end up confused and anxious, or both! It’s all about food.  My mantra is Food Love Warmth – feed the baby, keep the baby close to you, and wrap the baby!

If you can’t breastfeed or if your milk is low, give the baby formula – it’s food made for babies. I want to keep parenting simple, but most importantly, enjoyable.

This post originally appeared here, and is republished, in part, with full permission.

What baby routine secrets have you learned along the way? 

To book an appointment with Cath, go here. To purchase the Midwife Cath Baby Bath Routine book, go here. To book in for her Master Class go  here. And for everything about Cath, go to her website here.

And to see adorable photos of Bec Judd with her kids, CLICK THROUGH the gallery:

Want more? Try:

Rebecca Judd: “Stop mummy bullying. Just stop it.”

9 things to never say to the parents of a newborn.