There’s a snuffle in the background that quickly turns into a squall. “I’m so sorry, can I call you back? She never usually wakes twice, it’s just that she has a cold” says Leonie, first time mum to Tess, seven months.

Like many first time mothers, Leonie is getting used to surprises. There are late night feeds, nappy changes, and the shock of realising that the baby in your arms is a fully fledged human being.

Timetables, weekends and holidays all disappear and with them many pre-conceived ideas.

“We actually found that cloth nappies aren’t the environmentally friendly choice many people think they are”, says Leonie, an active environmentalist. “Due to Australia’s water restrictions, washing cloth nappies can be damaging. But there are good alternatives.”

“I still feel evil, but we use disposables,” she laughs.

A graduate in law, Leonie is used to rules. What she’s not used to is breaking them.

“I always had this idea that my baby would fit in with my life” she says.

But while Leonie wanted to stick to a schedule, Tess had other ideas.

For Leonie, as for many women, the change from a full time career to a full time mum, was challenging. There were sacrifices to be made and a whole new skill set to learn.

While many books prepare you for your pregnancy and the birth, not many tell you how to get through the first few months, or about the new feelings you’ll have to adapt to.

“I was 34 before I had Tess. I had a lot of independence, a career that I loved,” she says.

“No one tells you how much changes when you have a baby.”

On maternity leave from her position as a social policy adviser in the office for the status of women, Leonie is focused more than ever on the future.

“Having a baby makes you want a better future. Not just for the environment, but for women too,” she says.

Leonie says becoming a mum has made her much more aware of the dilemmas of working parents.

“Things are so much more black and white when emotions aren’t involved”, says Leonie as she strains to hear if the snuffles in the next room have quietened.

“Now I have Tess, it’s hard to think of putting her in childcare. Children need love and nourishment. Our system isn’t set up to support that yet”.

“Women are initially the primary caregivers. It’s the mother that gets up to feed her baby, soothe her back to sleep.”

But she says there’s nothing stopping dads from stepping up in later years to allow women to re-enter the workforce.

“There’s this idea that women can’t express anything but bliss after having a baby. But (like men) we spend thousands of dollars on education and get shafted because the workplace hasn’t worked (maternity leave) out”.

Tess sniffs in agreement. Leonie laughs in apology and goes to comfort her child.

“In pregnancy, you’re celebrated. Everyone tells you how magical having your baby will be. But what we really need to be talking about is the issues mothers face.”