Stripped of the usual support systems, parents welcoming babies amid the pandemic have been forced to rethink where they turn for help.
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Megan Duffy gave birth to her daughter Ayla weeks after bushfires petered out and weeks before the coronavirus pandemic sent Australia in to lockdown.
It meant for the first six months of Ayla's life she only knew her parents, who couldn't reach out to friends for support.
"It was quite overwhelming, thinking, what sort of world have I brought a child into," Ms Duffy said.
The early weeks of Ayla's life were spent in lockdown, putting a pin in plans for swimming lessons, play group and mothers' group.
"It was pretty limiting of that normal support when someone might come over so you can have a sleep or a shower or even just go for a walk together without her," Ms Duffy said.
"She's not used to being around people, so even her grandparents who she met before the pandemic hit, they're staying with us at the moment ... she doesn't like being held by other people, she's so used to it being just us."
A stay at the Queen Elizabeth II Family Centre, to help with Ayla's sleeping issues, has been the first chance for the six-month-old to interact with other kids, and for Ms Duffy to share experiences and stories with fellow parents.
QEII nursing and midwifery clinical manager Vanessa Bakker said the communal living centre had to adapt to remain open during lockdown.
She attributed an increase in newborns attending QEII to the transition of maternal and child health first home visits to a phone call and a 15-minute visit early in the pandemic.
"We were seeing more and more [babies] that were only a couple of weeks old, for the breastfeeding support and things you can't necessarily do over the phone or virtually," she said.
Ms Bakker said many parents remained cautious of having visitors and many needed to rethink their support system.
"We're saying it's really important to have a support network and use a support network but at the same time you're going to have to think differently about how to do that," she said.
Relationships Australia chief executive Allison Brooks said parent support classes had to adapt quickly to changing concerns of couples.
"We need to be looking out for people who are vulnerable and that includes new parents," she said.
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Western Sydney University Adjunct Associate Professor in nursing and midwifery Karleen Gribble said the disruption to normal health and well-being support during the early stages had been distressing for new mothers.
"These women were really in a situation where they'd been dropped in the deep end totally and really didn't have much support around them," she said.
Associate Professor Gribble said the "disempowering" situation had led more women to start or restart breastfeeding in a bid to build their immunity.
"A lot of women were placing a greater value on breastfeeding," she said.