Hello All

I am new to this forum and are looking forwards to chatting to you all over the next few months as we all make our move to Oz.

My husband and I are moving to Perth (Mandurah) as my husband has a job there. Some of my family (grandparents and auntie and uncle with cousins) live in Perth as well.

I am currently pregnant with our first baby and our little one is due in Jan 2010. We were planning on moving to Oz in about May 2010, meaning the baby will be about 3 / 4 months old. Does this seem reasonable, or are we trying to move too soon? We don't want to keep the employer hanging on too long, but equally we don't want to move too early as it is our first baby and need to get used to having a little one before leaving our comfort zone.

Any advice on moving with a newborn?

Thanks

Victoria x

Hi Victoria and welcome to the site

I'm not moving with a new baby, in fact my baby factory has closed ....however living here and going through the experience of emigrating means I know what's to come

Moving to Aus with a small bub is really down to what you feel you can cope with and perhaps how you will feel at the time. When you move here your whole world will be upside down [pardon the expression] and there will be lots of practical things to do like looking for a home, setting up utilities, Tax file numbers, internet set up, finding where things are, getting used to cultural differences etc, etc...so it's pretty hard going. However it is also exciting at the same time. We also under estimate how hard it is without the back up of family and mates from our "old life" in UK however you have family in Perth so at least you're not all on your own which is a good thing.

Sounds like you will at least be better supported than most who land here with no one and added to that your OH will at least have a job which is great. So really it's all about how chilled out you will feel and your own coping mechanism.

There's no right or wrong, more what's best for you mate

Thanks

I guess we don't know how we will feel until the little one arrives.

Thanks for your advice and support

Victoria x

Exactly right mate. Don't have too many great expectations as everywhere has its faults and don't try do too much with a new bub.

You'll be right

We emigrated when our firstborn was 15wks - same as you are planning to do.

It is all do-able. Like all new parents you will, no doubt, be at 6s and 7s, but also like all new parents, you'll struggle through!

Here's my advice (some general, some more specific):

1.) Buy or library-borrow two books. Gina Ford's "New Contented Little Baby Book" and Cockrell/O'Neill/Stone "Baby-proofing Your Marriage".
The Gine I would start reading now, before Baby comes - I found her advice invaluable, but I have to say not particularly well-written...... if you can get to grips with it before the sleepless nights start, so much the better. Write out the routines and stick them on the fridge.

2.) How are you going to feed baby on the plane? Even if you are easily breast-feeding, it may be wise to have some formula-and-bottle back-ups..... you don't want to be stuck in mid-air with a hungry baby because breasts don't work or something else unexpected.
If you take bottles, fill them at home with your own sterilised water (just add formula at time of consumption). You may have to drink some at Security, but you can do this without the teat actually touching your lips.

3.) Likewise with nappies and wipes - take enough to last you through an unexpected delay or something.

4.) Ask your Aussie relatives to buy nappies, wipes, formula ready for you. (again, even if you usually breast-feed, having some formula available will allow others to see to baby while you get over jet-lag).

5.) What will baby sleep in when you get here? Again, ask the relatives to buy a cot, travel cot, something.

6.) Immunisations - airports and the recycled air and over-used loos in planes must surely be some of the most unhygienic things in the world. Get a hold of your GPs immunisation schedule and try to plan your flight for after the main ones (i.e., no sense missing one by a couple of days, right?)

7.) Keep a detailed record of check-ups and immunisations. The immunisation schedule is slightly different here, so good records will help your new Aus GP figure out what's what.

8.) From your OP I think you are UK citizens on some kind of working visa, but in case not, or for others reading this..... if you are entitled to Aus benefits and baby arrives here within 13wks of birth, you will get 'the Baby Bonus' - $5,000!!! (How pissed off was I!!)


That's all I can think of - feel free to PM me if you've any other questions - I will try to help!

- 22B

no no no, step away from the Gina Ford book. The best advice for travelling with a baby that young is breastfeed on demand. Don't worry about control crying, etc etc. All that will happen is that the baby will be upset with the move and you will be upset with disrupted routines. If you are breastfeeding you can do it on the plane to settle bub, in Oz whenever baby is upset, etc. It is like the miracle drug for all occasions.

Sorry, personal gripe but Gina Ford is not a baby expert IMHO.

Sorry to pick you up again, but breasts do not suddenly stop working because you are in a plane. If you are breastfeeding and suddenly introduce formula mid flight it is a recipe for disaster. Formula as a back up will not be required.

Erm, actually they can stop working because of the air-pressure build-up. Or Mum's stress.

Surely better to have formula as an emergency back-up than nothing at all?
(And you don't have to introduce it for the first time on the plane....... Dad could be doing the last night feed with a bottle for a few weels prior to flying)

And no-one said anything about not feeding on demand or about controlled crying. From this comment it would seem that you haven't read Gina yourself?


Gina certainly seems to be either loved or hated. It is up to each parent to try her advice and decide for his/herself. That's why I suggested the library.

I would like to back up Mika's posts. I never followed Gina 'bloody' Ford as I like to call her and both of mine are fine. We travelled here with my son when he was nearly 8 months so a bit older than you are planning but feeding on demand was great. Gina Ford is very prescriptive and I've had friends who have had major stress outs cos they have erred from her routine. At 3/4 months you still go with the flow - helps you to be more relaxed.

Boobs will be fine on the plane and they really are a godsend when travelling! (that sounds very wrong now I've typed it!) I kept breastfeeding until we got to Australia just so I didn't have to worry about bottles and formula. I had backup - a carton and disposable bottle but it just added unneeded weight to my bag cos it wasn't used!

My friend travelled to NZ with her daughter when she was just 5 months and she said it was easy as the baby still slept lots (went in a bassinet) and fed lots and that was that! The only thing with the bassinets that can get tedious is that during turbulence you have to pick up Bubs and hold them for safety reasons (as was evidenced on that Qantas flight this week - half the injuries were children).

Until you have your first baby you really have no idea how it will feel and what you can cope with - eg my friend was going to go to Australia on a holiday when the baby was 8 weeks - but Bubs was born at 29 weeks in the end and they are now in Devon on hols at 6 months and she says that is an adventure!

Go easy, enjoy your new family and go when you are ready. By all means read Gina Ford, Tracey Hogg et al but do what you are comfortable with. It really is a wonderful time and over very quickly!!

Hope your pregnancy goes well and good luck!

Add me to the list of boobs on demand mothers - started flying with mine at 12 weeks and the only advice - apart from travel VERY light and use a baby sling (ditch the pram) is to take a large mug with you. Airlines serve cups of tea in tiddly little cups and when you are bf and thirsty in the middle of the night flight they just dont touch the sides

Travel with a baby is a doddle. It gets harder when they hit toddlerhood and then eases off when they are about 3 and a half. All airlines have bassinettes for babies and the baby has no idea that it should do anything other than sleep!

As for being in a strange land with a new baby - you have to be incredibly selfish and self sufficient (you will be guilted to high heaven from the olds). You wont have that natural support network around you to baby sit and keep you company or even be there to offer advice when you are undecided about what to do.

We moved to Sydney in Dec 08 with our 4-5 month old baby. We found that with family here it made it so much easier as we had somewhere to stay straight away and also someone we knew to babysit when going out to look for cars/houses etc.

Also freecycle.org is really great for baby stuff. I managed to get a cot, high chair, stair gates, baby bath and a lot of clothes for my baby before we even arrived. My relatives picked it all up for me before we arrived so when we got here we had the basics. The lady on freecycle has also become one of my friends now and her daughter is 7 months older than mine (even funnier, turned out she was an expat too, albeit an Aussie Pingponger). You'll also need to consider what you need to get here for the baby and what you're going to bring along with you.

I did a mixture of breastfeeding and bottlefeeding on the flight. If you're formula feeding then bring along a supply of extra formula in your suitcase for when you get here - they won't necessarily have the same brand here and you might need a bit of time to transition between types.

I'm not sure about your visa situation, but also make sure that your baby will be covered in your visa, if not you will need to apply for a child visa (which you can't do till he/she is born). We were the latter and our baby's took about 2 months to arrive.

In terms of baby adjusting to the move - they're really easy. Apart from the jetlag and going from mid Winter to mid Summer as long as we were there, she was clean and fed, and she had some familiar toy/blanket she seemed to be oblivious.

The other thing I found invaluable was to find out the local Early Childhood Health Centre in the area you will be living nearer the time you move. They will tell you about the checks/vaccinations and how to get your "blue book" etc as well as the services available in your area.

HTH, Gracie

I'd say give yourself time to recover and for baby to get its first immunisations if you're having them. Any time after 6 weeks should be OK and I'm inclined to think that getting used to baby and a new country together could be a good thing. There's nothing like a new baby to help you make friends - there are often mother/baby play groups etc to join and they will help you find your feet in a new country with a baby. Babies go through all sorts of stages - you may have it settled into a routine and then it starts teething/gets colic/gets ill and it all turns to custard. This is an ongoing fact of life, so I don't think there'll ever be a right time. Don't let the job go, because your OH having a job will be one major thing you don't need to stress about when you arrive and will make the transition much easier for you. I didn't realise you could get the baby bonus if the baby was born in UK, but that also would seem a good reason for moving earlier than you intend.

you seem to be quite misinformed about breastfeeding. Introducing formula would be the best way to reduce supply and have issues on the plane. Just one bottle at night is enough to do this.

Oh dear. Yes, I hold my hands up to not having read all the leaflets and such like. But luckily my son survived (which I suppose was the point, after all) and is an uber-healthy 2yr old, so I guess my disobedience to the Breast Police went unpunished. Phew!

We have one of Gina Ford's books (can't remember which one). My wife breast feeds (generally on demand) but we also have a scheduled bottle feed once a day, which I take care of myself.

Some good suggestions in this thread, so thanks for that. Can anyone recommend an airline? JAL looks best for baby-friendly service, but not for flight routes (we need to go from Birmingham to Adelaide).