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The First Six Weeks: The Tried-and-Tested Guide that Shows You How to Have a Happy, Healthy Sleeping Baby
Cathryn Curtin has delivered more than 10,000 babies over the last 40 years, so she understands how the first six weeks of a baby's life are vital for establishing habits that help create a healthy, happy routine for your baby and a loving lifelong bond between you and your child. In this practical and easy-to-use guide, Midwife Cath covers all aspects of a newborn's first weeks, from caring for your baby to coping with the sudden emotional and physical changes of new parenthood. By following her brilliant bath, bottle, and bed routine, you'll enjoy a deep sleep for up to five hours in these demanding early weeks while your partner has some precious one-on-one time with your child. These first weeks of a baby's life can be a challenge for any new parent. Midwife Cath's invaluable experience and wisdom will guide you through them as well as help you establish a routine that will ensure a healthier, happier baby and better-rested and more confident parents.
- GenresParentingNonfiction
288 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2016
216 people are currently reading
286 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
January 16, 2021
I liked a lot of things about this book, but there was a lot that I didn’t.
I loved midwife cath’s attitude towards caring for the baby. I love that she talks about babies needing food and love. I love that she advises against feeding and sleeping schedules, and insists that short naps are normal and expected. I love that she emphasised the importance on maternal mental health.
I also like the idea of a 10pm bath time (although I recognise that this is not for everyone)
I love so many things about this book.
BUT
There were a number of things that I didn’t like. For example, midwife Cath insists that every single family feed a bottle of formula every night before bed. I am not against formula feeding, and each family is free to choose to do this if they think it will work, but I find it really strange that this author insists on every single family doing this and that it won’t decrease milk supply (despite almost every other source I have read saying this is not the case).
She is also anti pumping and anti breastfeeding medications, saying that they won’t increase milk supply, even though all the evidence states otherwise.
Most of all, I really felt uncomfortable with the chapter on controlled crying at the end. Controlled crying is generally not recommended in Australia any longer, and I would hate to think that parents feel pressured into doing this with their babies despite it no longer being recommended and it being very distressing for parents and babies.
I was a little disappointed because this book had so, so many great pieces of advice and information and there was so much to love about it, but these points really let me down. It’s still worth a read, but I would recommend other resources for breastfeeding and sleeping. Pinky McKay, for example, is an excellent author with evidence based breastfeeding information.
I loved midwife cath’s attitude towards caring for the baby. I love that she talks about babies needing food and love. I love that she advises against feeding and sleeping schedules, and insists that short naps are normal and expected. I love that she emphasised the importance on maternal mental health.
I also like the idea of a 10pm bath time (although I recognise that this is not for everyone)
I love so many things about this book.
BUT
There were a number of things that I didn’t like. For example, midwife Cath insists that every single family feed a bottle of formula every night before bed. I am not against formula feeding, and each family is free to choose to do this if they think it will work, but I find it really strange that this author insists on every single family doing this and that it won’t decrease milk supply (despite almost every other source I have read saying this is not the case).
She is also anti pumping and anti breastfeeding medications, saying that they won’t increase milk supply, even though all the evidence states otherwise.
Most of all, I really felt uncomfortable with the chapter on controlled crying at the end. Controlled crying is generally not recommended in Australia any longer, and I would hate to think that parents feel pressured into doing this with their babies despite it no longer being recommended and it being very distressing for parents and babies.
I was a little disappointed because this book had so, so many great pieces of advice and information and there was so much to love about it, but these points really let me down. It’s still worth a read, but I would recommend other resources for breastfeeding and sleeping. Pinky McKay, for example, is an excellent author with evidence based breastfeeding information.
December 6, 2018
I would not recommend this book and quite disappointed with many of the statements and comments ‘midwife’ Cath recommends. Several of her suggestions are not evidence based or supported by best practice. As a midwife and expectant mother I’m actually saddened women are reading this book her advice.
December 26, 2017
I would strongly suggest NEVER reading this book...
EVER
EVER
January 12, 2023
Smashed this because it’s a clear concise easy read - was hoping it would give a full example routine but it’s more flexy which is probably for the best - my type a personality just can’t cope 😂 BBB for the win though. This book is like a warm hug to first time parents and will give you a lot more confidence.
Also now they I’ve had a baby can confirm ive revisited & re-read sections of this book multiple times for guidance and it’s been A+. Highly recommend for all parents to be/those starting out
Also now they I’ve had a baby can confirm ive revisited & re-read sections of this book multiple times for guidance and it’s been A+. Highly recommend for all parents to be/those starting out
July 19, 2022
My wife gave me the book
I read the book
I said, well this is cool how about this?
She said, oh no we won’t do that.
I read the book
I said, well this is cool how about this?
She said, oh no we won’t do that.
July 7, 2018
I would not recommend this book.
Although a lot of the advice in here is sensible, I was constantly taken aback by statements that contradict best practice.
The most glaring one to me was her dogmatic insistence that pumping and medications do not increase your milk supply.
I would also take with a grain of salt her statement that replacing a breast feed with formula wont decrease your supply.
That said, her routine would probably save the sanity of many new parents and help stop a lot of misplaced parenting guilt.
Different things work for different families I guess.
Although a lot of the advice in here is sensible, I was constantly taken aback by statements that contradict best practice.
The most glaring one to me was her dogmatic insistence that pumping and medications do not increase your milk supply.
I would also take with a grain of salt her statement that replacing a breast feed with formula wont decrease your supply.
That said, her routine would probably save the sanity of many new parents and help stop a lot of misplaced parenting guilt.
Different things work for different families I guess.
April 9, 2023
I do not recommend this book. It is not evidence based and is ridiculous on so many levels.
Firstly, Cath claims she promotes breastfeeding however she instructs parents to use a combination of formula and breastmilk from birth for the first 6 weeks purely to allow the mother to get more rest while the partner gives the baby a formula feed in the evenings. She also advises that parents of twins formula only. I’m not saying it’s wrong to use formula, some parents need to and some choose to based on their own informed reasons, but experts in the field should be basing their advice on current evidence based recommendations which certainly are not to use formula over breastmilk unless there is good reason. Convenience to allow more sleep for parents doesn’t seem like a reason that could ever outweigh the enormous health benefits for the mum and baby of breastfeeding.
Also, evidence based advice suggests using a combination of formula and breastmilk would surely impact lactation and also could put the baby off the breast. Cath ignores this and incorrectly advised that neither will occur which I believe is false.
I found the introduction by Bec Judd strange. Why is a random celebrity doing an introduction on parenting when surely experts in the field with the relevant qualifications would be better placed? This just seemed incredibly cheap.
I found the suggestions of how to manage the first 6 weeks to be rigid and a one size fits all approach using an approach called ‘BBB’ (bath, bottle, bed) where you bath the baby every evening (which seems needless and potentially damaging to newborn skin), and then give a top up of formula (‘bottle’) before bed.
The comment Cath claims she gives new mums in the super market with a crying baby was incredibly condescending. Cath claimed she says the following to mothers in the supermarket with crying babies:
‘don’t worry, the crying is only worrying you, just keep smiling and get home as soon as you can’.
Who says the mother is embarrassed or self conscious of her baby crying, something that is completely normal and natural to babies? And why should she get home as soon as she can, as though crying is shameful and not okay in public? And ‘keep smiling’? Seriously? It is okay to not be okay and mothers should not have to pretend to have it all together if they don’t. What a completely out of touch statement for anyone to say to a mother let alone a midwife who you’d expect to have more awareness.
The language used is not inclusive and Cath left an authors note to advise readers to mentally make adjustments to the non-inclusive language she uses throughout the book. Clearly she’s unwilling to deviate to use inclusive language, not sure why, and her note just seems lazy and insulting.
Cath promotes the use of pain relief medications and epidurals for in labour. These options are great to have available when needed but I though it seemed wrong to encourage women who are unsure about what their birth will require to preemptively plan to use these methods when their preference may be to try to avoid medications. Who says they won’t be able to achieve birth without drugs? Cath seems to promote these approaches to birth on the basis that it’s a hard time for new mums who should make it as easy as possible for themselves.
Cath also advised readers to not read other resources on child birth as it will only confuse them. Again, how condescending and honestly terrifying if readers are taking her advice on this and using only her advice which is so dangerously wrong!
Cath also provided a list of reasons where it would be appropriate to take your baby to hospital. I’m not sure she had any consideration for the health care system when she wrote this pedantic and over the top list which included things such as ‘is not feeling well’ and ‘is not having a lot of wet nappies’ and ‘is crying uncontrollably and you can not settle him’. Obviously you might need to seek help from medical professionals but going to hospital seemed ridiculous and strange to see a health care professional advocating for clogging up our emergency departments.
This book makes me sad. If you have it chuck it out.
Firstly, Cath claims she promotes breastfeeding however she instructs parents to use a combination of formula and breastmilk from birth for the first 6 weeks purely to allow the mother to get more rest while the partner gives the baby a formula feed in the evenings. She also advises that parents of twins formula only. I’m not saying it’s wrong to use formula, some parents need to and some choose to based on their own informed reasons, but experts in the field should be basing their advice on current evidence based recommendations which certainly are not to use formula over breastmilk unless there is good reason. Convenience to allow more sleep for parents doesn’t seem like a reason that could ever outweigh the enormous health benefits for the mum and baby of breastfeeding.
Also, evidence based advice suggests using a combination of formula and breastmilk would surely impact lactation and also could put the baby off the breast. Cath ignores this and incorrectly advised that neither will occur which I believe is false.
I found the introduction by Bec Judd strange. Why is a random celebrity doing an introduction on parenting when surely experts in the field with the relevant qualifications would be better placed? This just seemed incredibly cheap.
I found the suggestions of how to manage the first 6 weeks to be rigid and a one size fits all approach using an approach called ‘BBB’ (bath, bottle, bed) where you bath the baby every evening (which seems needless and potentially damaging to newborn skin), and then give a top up of formula (‘bottle’) before bed.
The comment Cath claims she gives new mums in the super market with a crying baby was incredibly condescending. Cath claimed she says the following to mothers in the supermarket with crying babies:
‘don’t worry, the crying is only worrying you, just keep smiling and get home as soon as you can’.
Who says the mother is embarrassed or self conscious of her baby crying, something that is completely normal and natural to babies? And why should she get home as soon as she can, as though crying is shameful and not okay in public? And ‘keep smiling’? Seriously? It is okay to not be okay and mothers should not have to pretend to have it all together if they don’t. What a completely out of touch statement for anyone to say to a mother let alone a midwife who you’d expect to have more awareness.
The language used is not inclusive and Cath left an authors note to advise readers to mentally make adjustments to the non-inclusive language she uses throughout the book. Clearly she’s unwilling to deviate to use inclusive language, not sure why, and her note just seems lazy and insulting.
Cath promotes the use of pain relief medications and epidurals for in labour. These options are great to have available when needed but I though it seemed wrong to encourage women who are unsure about what their birth will require to preemptively plan to use these methods when their preference may be to try to avoid medications. Who says they won’t be able to achieve birth without drugs? Cath seems to promote these approaches to birth on the basis that it’s a hard time for new mums who should make it as easy as possible for themselves.
Cath also advised readers to not read other resources on child birth as it will only confuse them. Again, how condescending and honestly terrifying if readers are taking her advice on this and using only her advice which is so dangerously wrong!
Cath also provided a list of reasons where it would be appropriate to take your baby to hospital. I’m not sure she had any consideration for the health care system when she wrote this pedantic and over the top list which included things such as ‘is not feeling well’ and ‘is not having a lot of wet nappies’ and ‘is crying uncontrollably and you can not settle him’. Obviously you might need to seek help from medical professionals but going to hospital seemed ridiculous and strange to see a health care professional advocating for clogging up our emergency departments.
This book makes me sad. If you have it chuck it out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2021
Reading the other reviews for this book - I think people have taken the advice as a personal attack or think that they are being told they have to do what is said in the book. I don’t believe that Cath is saying it’s her way or the highway she is just portraying information from a midwifes perspective and is passing on suggestions to parents - I did not feel she was saying she’s pro formula or pro nipple shields they are again all suggestions.
As a first time mother I read this book whilst I was pregnant and I found the book to be very useful. There were plenty of little bits of information that I stored and used with my baby. Luckily for us the bath, bottle, bed routine works for our daughter/family and it has allowed us a very good sleeping child.
I think with all parenting books you store the little bits of information in your ‘toolbox’ and you find/do what works for you. As one size will not suit all parents/children.
Again, I would recommend this book as I believe it was well written and gave me what I needed from it.
As a first time mother I read this book whilst I was pregnant and I found the book to be very useful. There were plenty of little bits of information that I stored and used with my baby. Luckily for us the bath, bottle, bed routine works for our daughter/family and it has allowed us a very good sleeping child.
I think with all parenting books you store the little bits of information in your ‘toolbox’ and you find/do what works for you. As one size will not suit all parents/children.
Again, I would recommend this book as I believe it was well written and gave me what I needed from it.
October 21, 2019
A semi-useful guide for first time parents. Some of Cath’s advice is to be taken with a grain of salt. She is weirdly pro-formula and anti-pumping (in a pro-breastfeeding context) which is the opposite of all the advice I’ve been given by other medical professionals. Not a big deal though. There’s plenty of other useful advice here.
I think this book is best used in conjunction with other resources. Take what works for you and ignore the rest.
I think this book is best used in conjunction with other resources. Take what works for you and ignore the rest.
August 8, 2020
Un ghid practic pentru mame prin care moașa Cath (din Australia) oferă sfaturi practice spre îngrijirea unui bebeluș. În carte poți afla despre posibile boli sau afecțiuni la mamă și bebe, cât și practici utile care ajută la alăptare, odihnă și creșterea bebelușului.
Singurul punct minus este că în unele părți vorbește despre practici din Australia, care este posibil să nu fie identice în România.
Cartea e bună și pentru tătici, ajutându-i să înțeleagă provocările mamelor și cum le pot ajuta.
Singurul punct minus este că în unele părți vorbește despre practici din Australia, care este posibil să nu fie identice în România.
Cartea e bună și pentru tătici, ajutându-i să înțeleagă provocările mamelor și cum le pot ajuta.
February 20, 2021
There was lots of good advice in here but the first half of the book felt very judgemental. Her stance on anti pumping but pro formula goes against almost every other piece of research I have read.
But definitely was lovely to read a book that heavily encouraged all the lovely baby snuggles!
But definitely was lovely to read a book that heavily encouraged all the lovely baby snuggles!
October 23, 2021
The advice in this book has not lined up with the majority of the advice we've received from our midwives.
She also strongly implies there's only 1 routine, aka hers, that works best. Too preachy for me.
She also strongly implies there's only 1 routine, aka hers, that works best. Too preachy for me.
August 14, 2021
A lot of very old school ideas, also alot of information that is outdated/no longer accurate!
January 27, 2022
Every baby and mother is unique. This book doesn't emphasise that enough and as a result could lead to unhelpful advice.
As a qualified speech and language pathologist I felt the advice given related to tongue ties was rigid and contradicted what numerous lactation consultants also advised us. Every baby, nipple and breast feeding journey is different. Having a tongue tie revision for us was the best decision we could have made for several reasons and I have no regrets. The book advises against tongue tie release but, if I had followed that advice I'd have developed mastitis again and probably would be on formula as my little one couldn't latch properly due to the severe anterior tongue tie.
You cannot put all babies in a text book! There will always be exceptions to the rule and this book is too subjective and cookie cutter for me. Mother's need to use their instinct and be flexible.
As a qualified speech and language pathologist I felt the advice given related to tongue ties was rigid and contradicted what numerous lactation consultants also advised us. Every baby, nipple and breast feeding journey is different. Having a tongue tie revision for us was the best decision we could have made for several reasons and I have no regrets. The book advises against tongue tie release but, if I had followed that advice I'd have developed mastitis again and probably would be on formula as my little one couldn't latch properly due to the severe anterior tongue tie.
You cannot put all babies in a text book! There will always be exceptions to the rule and this book is too subjective and cookie cutter for me. Mother's need to use their instinct and be flexible.
March 23, 2020
I’ve been a fan of midwife Cath on social media throughout my pregnancy but I did not enjoy this book. She is hypocritical and arrogant in her messaging and is weirdly pro formula, epidural, etc. Advice in this book is completely opposite to for example, to the Royal Women’s advice. I got mastitis, twice, partly because of the advice to not massage blocked duct or engorged breasts!
She advices to not follow any other advice but hers, and is strongly against routines recommended by other professionals, however is staunch on her bed bath bottle routine which is to bath baby at 10pm at night and feed baby formula, even if you’re breast feeding.
Still, she has some great advice in the book and plenty of information. Take what works for you only!
She advices to not follow any other advice but hers, and is strongly against routines recommended by other professionals, however is staunch on her bed bath bottle routine which is to bath baby at 10pm at night and feed baby formula, even if you’re breast feeding.
Still, she has some great advice in the book and plenty of information. Take what works for you only!
July 7, 2020
As a new to be parent I found this book very helpful. It gave me a structure that I can now follow. It was especially suited to me as written by an author of the country I live in. Australia. To give a real review I should probably wait until my baby is more than 6 weeks old.
Edit: baby now 6 weeks old. This still one of the better baby books I have read. The main thing is The bath bottle bed routine did it work for us and I do find the advice ‘feed one demand, don’t use routines’ and ‘feed then bath at 9:45pm every night’ at odds with each other. Basically the BBB advice doesn’t work in the real world, but still worth reading the book.
Edit: baby now 6 weeks old. This still one of the better baby books I have read. The main thing is The bath bottle bed routine did it work for us and I do find the advice ‘feed one demand, don’t use routines’ and ‘feed then bath at 9:45pm every night’ at odds with each other. Basically the BBB advice doesn’t work in the real world, but still worth reading the book.
June 13, 2017
3.5 stars. Lots of practical, real life tips on how the hell to handle this misty, magical and mind numbing first six weeks. The absolute best part of this book? The Bath, Bottle, Bed routine. Getting a teeny tiny bub to sleep for several hours sounds amazing. I'll be trying that next time!
July 9, 2022
Câteva idei bune, multe învechite, clar nu aș urma rutina prezentată.
January 24, 2025
I'd recommend this to any parents in their first few weeks with a newborn. It is a great summary of the fundamentals and spoke directly to the changes that we were experiencing at that time. At the time of reading, I had been wishing that I had read it right before my daughter was born but looking back, I think I read it at exactly the right time because I was right in the thick of it! All the advice was highly applicable and really helped at the time. I fully acknowledge though that this book is highly specific and provides a base level of knowledge so would need to be paired with the right reader, at the right time, in order to prove useful.
March 30, 2023
Din păcate conține multe lucruri care (din punct de vedere medical) nu se aplică în țara noastră.
Sunt puține idei cu care sa fiu de acord din această carte. Ușor învechită în teorii și metode în care eu una nu văd deschidere și flexibilitate. Rutina BBS (baie, biberon, somn) sau metoda plânsului controlat mi se par nerealiste și cea din urmă mai ales nepotrivită.
Sunt puține idei cu care sa fiu de acord din această carte. Ușor învechită în teorii și metode în care eu una nu văd deschidere și flexibilitate. Rutina BBS (baie, biberon, somn) sau metoda plânsului controlat mi se par nerealiste și cea din urmă mai ales nepotrivită.
December 15, 2023
A niche read, but if this is your niche it’s very informative and reassuring.
August 16, 2016
This is an informative book, but it is skewed. This midwife really believes in nipple shields, which she presents a lot of compelling arguments for, but she is very against pumping and massaging a swollen milk duct or enlarged breasts. Having gone through some of these things, I received the opposite advice, and for me it worked to do the opposite of what this book suggests.
There is some very sound advice throughout the book, and while I surmised from the title it was mostly about sleeping, that thought was untrue. This book covers your last few weeks of pregnancy, the birth and after. It is a great guide! But like any book or advice you get while pregnant, I would definitely read it, but only retain what is useful to you.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.
There is some very sound advice throughout the book, and while I surmised from the title it was mostly about sleeping, that thought was untrue. This book covers your last few weeks of pregnancy, the birth and after. It is a great guide! But like any book or advice you get while pregnant, I would definitely read it, but only retain what is useful to you.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.
January 10, 2021
Not a fan of this book or the advice. The author comes across as she knows best and any other opinion or method is wrong. Seems overly pro-medication and other western medical interventions. In general comes across quite arrogant and the advice seems very out dated, and at times at odds with best practice. I usually always finish a book, but couldn’t stand to read anymore of this trash about a third of the way through, skimmed to halfway then returned to the library!
June 26, 2017
Some good ideas, some not so. Her wrapping technique was interesting & worked but was difficult to keep up with. The idea of the Dad taking over after 9pm worked well for us until he had to go back to work. Overall the book was helpful & I would recommend reading it in the first week after birth while you're living the weeks the author is taking about.
June 25, 2019
Never consider a baby book as the only source of truth. Always double check and cross-reference book suggestions (eg. formula feeding may decrease milk supply, pumping may increase milk supply etc). If book suggestions work for you - great, if they don’t - don’t stress and try other approaches.
October 1, 2021
Very simple, informative and easy to read.
April 18, 2022
Very helpful in getting new mothers ready for the adventure that is a newborn baby
October 26, 2022
Amazing book
January 24, 2025
I couldn’t in good faith pass this book on to anyone I knew, so I sent it to paper recycling… Here’s why:
A number of my friends swore by this book so I was confident in taking its advice. I’m now 5 years in to my parenting journey (though originally drafted this review when 15 months in) and can honestly say this book hindered more than helped. Now that I know better, I actually can’t believe how bad some of the advice in this book is! Firstly, so much of what she suggests around breastfeeding is NOT evidence based and I would not recommend. Please, if you wish to breastfeed, then take advice from lactation consultants (IBCLC) and legitimate sources like the Australian Breastfeeding Association. Replacing a feed with formula in the early days is not a good idea if you want to build a good milk supply, and from someone who had to use a nipple shield you can’t just slap one on like some magic bandaid - they should be used under the guidance of an IBCLC. The 10pm Bath, Bottle, Bed routine just set us up for sleep issues further down the track. Just bath your baby and put them to bed when you want, ideally 6 or 7pm, and for goodness sake go to bed yourself... don’t stay up until 10pm like we did, so dumb! And some stuff she says is just bizarre, such as ‘burping is overrated’... WTF? If I didn’t burp my baby she’d be crying and desperate to be upright within seconds of being horizontal...
So yeah, there’s some small amounts of wisdom in here (which is why I gave it 2 stars instead of 1 star)... just take a lot of what she says with a pinch of salt and only take on board what works for you. Trust your instincts, not this book.
Good luck!
A number of my friends swore by this book so I was confident in taking its advice. I’m now 5 years in to my parenting journey (though originally drafted this review when 15 months in) and can honestly say this book hindered more than helped. Now that I know better, I actually can’t believe how bad some of the advice in this book is! Firstly, so much of what she suggests around breastfeeding is NOT evidence based and I would not recommend. Please, if you wish to breastfeed, then take advice from lactation consultants (IBCLC) and legitimate sources like the Australian Breastfeeding Association. Replacing a feed with formula in the early days is not a good idea if you want to build a good milk supply, and from someone who had to use a nipple shield you can’t just slap one on like some magic bandaid - they should be used under the guidance of an IBCLC. The 10pm Bath, Bottle, Bed routine just set us up for sleep issues further down the track. Just bath your baby and put them to bed when you want, ideally 6 or 7pm, and for goodness sake go to bed yourself... don’t stay up until 10pm like we did, so dumb! And some stuff she says is just bizarre, such as ‘burping is overrated’... WTF? If I didn’t burp my baby she’d be crying and desperate to be upright within seconds of being horizontal...
So yeah, there’s some small amounts of wisdom in here (which is why I gave it 2 stars instead of 1 star)... just take a lot of what she says with a pinch of salt and only take on board what works for you. Trust your instincts, not this book.
Good luck!
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October 25, 2024Midwife Cath very much has the vibe of reassuring and reassured mother hen midwife. She has been in the industry for decades and knows how things have changed in that time, and definitely has her own preferences and opinions (and to her credit she's very clear about what are her preferences and what is current advice).
One of the early key lessons I've learned with a newborn is that there are soooo many contradictory opinions in there about sleeping, breastfeeding, routine, etc. Especially from one midwife to another. The best advice I received was to listen to lots of it, and just go with your gut about what works for you and your current baby.
When viewed through this lens, this book is useful - it is one very experienced midwife's general advice about the chaotic first six weeks of caring for a newborn baby. Some of the things Cath advises here I don't think would work for us, but others definitely did. The "bath, bottle, bed" routine she recommends absolutely changed our nights with our newborn and for this alone this book was worth our time.
Overall, I think it's one to read and take from it what you feel will work for you.
One of the early key lessons I've learned with a newborn is that there are soooo many contradictory opinions in there about sleeping, breastfeeding, routine, etc. Especially from one midwife to another. The best advice I received was to listen to lots of it, and just go with your gut about what works for you and your current baby.
When viewed through this lens, this book is useful - it is one very experienced midwife's general advice about the chaotic first six weeks of caring for a newborn baby. Some of the things Cath advises here I don't think would work for us, but others definitely did. The "bath, bottle, bed" routine she recommends absolutely changed our nights with our newborn and for this alone this book was worth our time.
Overall, I think it's one to read and take from it what you feel will work for you.
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