Judd - The Baby Bible

Whether youre a first-time mum or this isnt your first baby rodeo, I am here for you. Because as much as Ive been an accidental mum of sorts, Ive also been lucky enough to surround myself with some of the most brilliant pregnancy and baby experts in Australia, and from them Ive learned so much. Now its time for me to pass on what Ive learned from three pregnancies and four children to you.

Hi, Im Bec.

First up, congratulations! I hear youre having a baby. (Dont worry, nobody spilledyour skin looks amazing and you said no to sushi last night so I just had a hunch.)

Welcome to the Baby Roller-coaster. There are ups. There are downs. Youll probably throw up. You might lose the contents of your purse.

But hang in there.

You probably know by now that I have four kids. Four! I know. Its a lot. Four kids is new car territory. Its say goodbye to overseas holidays land. (Four kids on a plane? Id rather be on that plane with all the snakes, thanks very much.) Its a birthday party every weekend. Its a lot of sleepless nights.

Its full on.

But its also the best thing I ever did.

The funny thing is, I cant quite believe Im a mum of four. One? Sure. Two? No problem. But four kids? Thats... a little much.

I often think of myself as an accidental mum (not least because I did fall pregnant accidentallymore on that later) because I was never particularly maternal. You know that friend who is just desperate to have a baby? The one who cant walk past Cotton On Kids without having a little look? The one who volunteers to hold the baby (literally anyones baby), no matter where you are? The one who picked out their baby names before they even got their period?

Yeah, that was never me.

I love my kids, and I always wanted to have them someday, but people assume that because I have four kids, I must be all about kids. (Ill be honest: Im not super into other kids. If my kids were the only kids I ever interacted with, that would be OK with me.) When I found out I was pregnant with Oscar, my eldest son, my first thought was: Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck . Then: I need a drink . And then: Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck .

When I had Oscar, I honestly felt like I had ruined my life. What had I been thinking, having a child? Babies were so needy. So loud. So oblivious to the fact that their parents need sleep. I felt like Oscar was this little alien, invading our house and our lives. I had no idea how to speak his language, how to negotiate with him. I felt lost and out of control.

And then I got help. And thenalmost overnighteverything changed.

And that, of course, is what youre here for: help. Whether youre a first-time mum or this isnt your first baby rodeo (sidenote: how cute would baby cowboy boots be?), I am here for you. Because as much as Ive been an accidental mum of sorts, Ive also been lucky enough to surround myself with some of the most brilliant pregnancy and baby experts in Australia, and from them Ive learned so much. Now its time for me to pass on what Ive learned from three pregnancies and four children to you.

Over the last six yearsand especially with the recent addition of my twins, Tom and DarcyIve had so many people ask me: How do you do it? My answer is probably the same as anyone elses: Im not really sure, but I do. Sometimes I still feel like Im flying by the seat of my pants... but other days, I feel like Ive got a handle on things. I will always champion love, warmth, good food, routine, asking for help and not being too hard on yourself. (And lets get that mother guilt thing out of the way early: the fact you may even worry that you are not a good enough mother proves that you already are. End of story.)

This book will share with you how I did it: three pregnancies and deliveries and four gorgeous newborn babies. From carrying your baby, delivering it, feeding it and raising it, there are so many ways in which us mums can do things. If the way you mother is done safely, with love, and you and your child are happy, then it is perfectdont let anybody tell you its not.

Believe me, Ive been through it all. From bottle-fed babies to a perfect breastfeeder, from a natural vaginal delivery to an emergency caesarean, from breastfeeding my first baby through the rungs in his cot to get him to sleep, to faultless routine babies who slept all night from six weeks of age, I have experienced almost everything that motherhood could throw at me.