Q&A with new mum Kate

Feeding and Sleeping! The two biggest hurdles any new parent has to overcome.

Neither are easy and both are essential so it can easily become overwhelming.

My beautiful friend Kate recently stayed at Tresillian with her baby boy Finley. Kate loved her stay and the support she received and wants to shout it from the rooftops!

Aussie mums should know about Tresillian.
Tresillian has facilities located in NSW, ACT and VIC however operates a  national help line. It’s an amazing free resource available to support any new parents.
 

Q. Why did you first reach out to Tresillians? 

 I was referred to Tresillian by my child health nurse. We had a very tricky feeding journey with 2 stays in hospital (one due to my little man losing too much weight and the other due to severe mastitis) and I just couldn’t find a rhythm or routine that I trusted around feeding, which had a knock on impact on sleeping too. 

Q. Where there any costs involved?  

It’s 100% covered by Medicare which is amazing!! I started with the day care service, which involved 1/2 day at the unit with a dedicated nurse observing feeds, play and sleep and then offering support and advise. I was then supposed to have a follow up session at home, but Covid put a stop to that, so I was invited onto the residential stay program instead! I spent 3 nights & 4 days on-site with nurses round the clock supporting me. Your partners can stay too for a small fee but my hubby had to work so I stayed alone but he visited every day. You get all your meals as well as the accommodation and care, it’s really exceptional and I can’t believe it’s all funded. 

Q. How do you feel about your experience? 

So grateful!!!! They helped me experiment with our feeding and sleeping in a very safe space. We managed to spread our feeds out from 7 to 6 feeds and increase Finn’s sleep from approx 8 hours to 12 hours a day! The nurses are so lovely, kind and supportive. You are encouraged to do everything yourself with their guidance so that you learn the skills. I even got support with counselling which continued after the stay.

Q. What's one of the biggest tips you learnt? 

If bub sleeps better, they feed better!!! And if they’re well fed, they play better then they sleep better! It’s all connected!

Q. How are you and Finley doing now? 

We’ve taken on board the learnings but adapted them to suit our lifestyle. You’re very much in a bubble at the residential stay, so you do need to adapt a bit once you get home. For example, I didn’t want to limit myself to all naps being at home in a darkened, quiet room etc, but we’ve created sleep associations so he can sleep out & about too! It doesn’t work every time though haha! But our feeds are much better and I have more active alert time with him now for play & fun! The feed, play, sleep routine and knowing the approx wake windows are so helpful! I track all of Finn’s activity, which is what the nurses do on-site, as it helps me plan & read his cues better, but that might not suit everyone. It works for me! 

Tresillians offers a national Parent's help line - 1300 272 736 open 7am - 11pm 7 days a week.