Bec Judd is a woman of many talents. She’s a 35-year-old mum-of-four, radio and TV host, and newly published author of The Baby Bible.
But arguably the most appealing thing about her is her refreshing honesty about what it’s like to become a mother.
Judd has frequently spoken with candour about how it feels to carry a baby, what happens to your body afterwards (such as engorged mammary glands), and surviving the chaos of motherhood with her kids Oscar, 6, Billie, 3, and twin boys Tom and Darcy, 1.
This week, she spoke to Mamamia’s parenting podcast This Glorious Mess about something a lot of new mums don’t know: how you can feel about your baby after the delivery.
LISTEN: TV presenter Rebecca Judd shares a very honest piece of advice any new mum needs to hear.
Judd admitted that she felt more overwhelmed than anything else after she gave birth to her first son, Oscar.
“I honestly did find going from zero to one harder than going from two to four because I knew nothing, and as a perfectionist, not knowing what I was doing really rocked me to the core.”
Judd explained that going from a life of freedom as an adult, to one that’s tied to someone who utterly depends on you, can be a challenge.
“Just grieving your old life. From the shock from giving birth, to bringing home your baby, it’s so weird, and strange, it’s like an outer body experience bringing this baby home.”
The mum-of-four noted that one of the hardest parts was thinking she was alone in feeling that way, because no one had prepared her for the possibility.
“No one had told me that. So I’m at home and I’m having these feelings, like, ‘I’m not loving this whole newborn thing.’ ”
But Judd now knows, three more babies later, that feeling that way is not only a natural response to the process, but also, very common.
“I felt like maybe something was wrong, because no one had told me that ‘Hey, it’s alright if it’s crap in the first six weeks, because it gets better.’ ”
It’s something Judd now feels strongly that other first time mums-to-be should be told about.
“So I was really conscious of putting that in the book and educating women that it’s OK if you don’t get all the feels straight away – they will come.”