From the moment you discover you’re pregnant, decision-making begins in earnest. Your birth plan, a baby name and even brands of nappies needs to be determined. But one choice that is not often discussed is whether you will be keeping your newborn in seclusion until after their six-week needles.

Melanie*, a mum of two from the northern suburbs of Brisbane, made the decision to keep her firstborn daughter cloistered away from the general public because of a perceived lack of antenatal services and she feared her daughter might contract an illness (having been born in winter). It proved to be so effective that Melanie was set to do the same for baby number two – except the universe had other plans.

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