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If you or your child are unwell and need assistance in Queensland, call 13 Health (13 43 25 84). Outside of Queensland? Call Healthdirect on 1800 022 222.

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby's maternal child health nurses are also available on 1800 882 436. For urgent help from police, fire or ambulance services, call triple zero (000).

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Gidget Foundation Australia

Gidget Foundation Australia is a not-for-profit organisation that exists to support the emotional wellbeing of expectant and new parents, to ensure they receive timely, appropriate and specialist care. GFA provides a range of clinical treatment programs including individual psychological consultations via face-to-face or telehealth and a peer support group.

Vision and mission

Vision: A community that values the emotional wellbeing of expectant and new parents by providing specialist care, connection and support.

Mission: Gidget Foundation Australia exists to support the emotional wellbeing of expectant and new parents to ensure they receive timely, appropriate and specialist care.

How Gidget Foundation Australia can help

Gidget Foundation Australia provides clinical treatment programs for expectant and new parents:

Gidget House provides free individual psychological counselling sessions (a maximum of 10 sessions) for expectant and new parents, delivered face-to-face from various locations in NSW, QLD, VIC, TAS and WA.

Start Talking is a national service providing free telehealth psychological counselling services (a maximum of 10 sessions) for expectant and new parents delivered via a video call service.

Gidget Virtual Village is a private, moderated Facebook peer support group, connecting expectant and new parents with Gidget Foundation Australia and each other.

Information lines / help lines

  • Call 1300 851 758 Mon to Fri 9am – 5pm AEST

Recommended links

Last reviewed: March 2024

Information from this partner

Found 26 results

Baby & Infant Death

The sudden, or not so sudden death of a baby or infant can be devastating and overwhelming for their parents and families. Their future has changed forever, yet this unexpected change requires them to somehow cope with a strange new sort of “normal”.

Read more on Gidget Foundation Australia website

Perinatal depression and anxiety explained

Pregnancy and the first year of parenthood (the perinatal period) is a time of significant change in a person’s life. All expectant and new parents, including mums, dads and partners will have some good days and some bad days. Ups and downs are expected and common. However, when difficult days outweigh the good, and those feelings begin to impact their ability to function day to day, an expectant or new parent may be experiencing perinatal depression or anxiety (PNDA).

Read more on Gidget Foundation Australia website

Support for dad

It’s very common to feel overwhelmed and stressed during your partner’s pregnancy or when looking after a new baby. Dads can often find help in spending time with other dads, chatting to friends, relatives or health professionals. Gidget Foundation Australia provides helpful, evidence-based information to support parents during this time.

Read more on Gidget Foundation Australia website

Perinatal Bereavement

Perinatal bereavement is the deeply distressing experience of losing a baby, typically through miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal death. This type of grief has a profound emotional impact on the parents, families, and their support networks, as they navigate the devastating loss of a child during the perinatal period (which includes pregnancy and the immediate postpartum period).

Read more on Gidget Foundation Australia website

Planning for a baby

Planning for a baby is often an exciting and momentous time, whether for a first child or another addition to the family. For first-time parents – both couples and sole parents – thinking about values, expectations and visions for parenthood can be useful, along with discussions about each person’s own childhood experiences.

Read more on Gidget Foundation Australia website

Understanding birth trauma

For many parents, a baby’s birth is a positive and awe-inspiring experience. However, some parents find it traumatic, even if their baby is healthy and well. Going through a birth involves momentous physiological and psychological changes in a rapid time frame.

Read more on Gidget Foundation Australia website

Managing Stress and Prioritising Emotional Wellbeing

New parents navigate a significant life transition, involving changes that are physical, psychological, emotional and financial. Some stress in early parenthood is very normal because it involves so many new experiences and change unlike any other time in a person’s life.

Read more on Gidget Foundation Australia website

First Nations pregnancy and birthing

First Nations health and wellbeing involves the social, emotional, cultural and spiritual wellbeing of each individual and their whole community. Pregnancy and birthing are predominantly considered Women’s Business in many First Nations communities and can be strictly upheld depending on geographical location or how this cultural knowledge has been passed on through generations.

Read more on Gidget Foundation Australia website

Changes to sleep during pregnancy

Although it is recommended that pregnant women get 7-9 hours sleep per night, it’s common for women to experience disrupted sleep patterns at various stages throughout their pregnancy. Studies show that pregnant women experience less sleep, increased wakefulness, and excessive daytime sleepiness, with around 80% of women reporting poor sleep throughout pregnancy.

Read more on Gidget Foundation Australia website

Strategies for managing advice

It is common for a baby’s arrival to trigger an influx of advice from family and peers on everything from sleep to feeding routines. Some of this advice may be welcome and useful. At other times, it may feel overwhelming or confusing. Most advice comes from people who want to help or feel useful. However, if a lot of different advice comes from different sources, new parents sometimes lose track of how they wish to care for their child.

Read more on Gidget Foundation Australia website

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