'He's absolutely stolen our hearts': Helping babies this Red Nose Day
Former Queanbeyan actor Mike Smith believes his life is more simple and he is "more chilled'' since becoming a father for the first time, at the age of 46.
The actor, whose credits include Winners and Losers and All Saints, and wife Jillian, also a performer, welcomed son Parker, five months ago; the family now living in Melbourne.
Years earlier, Mike had thought he might never be a father, putting his career first and simply not meeting the right person. That all changed when he met Jillian in a stage production of Billy Elliott in Melbourne 2008, the couple marrying in 2012. Last year, they finally found the time in their busy, nomadic acting careers to have their first child.
"It really has made an enormous difference with me,'' Mike said.
"It's changed my perspective on the world and I'm just so blessed to have him. I think through age, I don't sweat the small stuff, but even more so with him. The focus and energy needs to go towards him and my little family.''
A singer, dancer and actor, Jillian, 36, was just finishing a season of Singin' in the Rain in Japan when they started to try for a baby.
"We've always wanted children but being a performer it's not like a normal job where you can get pregnant and keep working,'' she said.
"I finished a contract and fell pregnant pretty much straight away, it was perfect.''
And Jillian, like Mike, is smitten with her little boy.
"Priorities change. He is our main focus but we're still living our lives. We're both still working,'' she said.
"But you do find this shift where you've got this other little person in your life. He's absolutely stolen our hearts and we would do absolutely anything for him.''
And part of that overwhelming desire to do the best for their child is making sure he is sleeping safely, the couple happily lending their support to Red Nose Day, on June 29. They are reflecting the efforts that many first-time parents to make to sure every time they put their little boy down to sleep he is in the safest environment possible.
Mike said their first port-of-call was their community nurse but also two of his sisters, both nurses, and online resources from Red Nose, the charity working to eradicate SIDS. The family has no history of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome but it is something parents of newborns cannot help but consider.
"You find yourself checking on them every 15 minutes or so,'' Jillian said, from their home in Cheltenham.
"The midwives, the nurses, all the people who spoke to us when I was pregnant and after Parker was born, it was very important, the SIDS factor. They made sure we were educated and had a sound knowledge of what was safe and what wasn't safe.''
Mike said trusted sources of information such as Red Nose and the community nurse helped to put their mind at ease.
"I think we visited the nurse initially every two weeks and she would ask us questions like, 'Sleeping arrangements - whereabouts? How large is the cot or bassinet? What's the temperature in the room? You're not placing toys in the bassinet are you?' All those sorts of things. We obviously were aware of these things way before he was born but they are very vigilant about asking you these questions and make sure you're not cutting corners.''
Now in its 30th year, Red Nose Day highlights the devastating reality that each year in Australia more than 3200 babies and children die suddenly and unexpectedly – with causes including stillbirth, SIDS and fatal sleep accidents.
Red Nose chief executive officer Theron Vassiliou said Red Nose Day was about working towards zero deaths. Red Nose conducts 40 safe sleeping education workshops in Canberra each year. These are offered free of charge to parents and grandparents.
“Red Nose Day helps us fund support services along with research into the causes and prevention of the
sudden death of babies during pregnancy, birth, infancy and childhood. We also educate parents, carers and
health professionals on how to reduce the risk of SIDS and fatal sleeping accidents,” Mr Vassiliou said.
Mike, a former Queanbeyan High School student, returns to his old stomping ground with a new production of Hotel Sorrento at The Q from July 18 to 21. The Hit Productions stage show also plays at various venues around Victoria over the coming weeks.
And while Mike says he has been "a bit of a late bloomer when it comes to daddy-ship'', he and Jillian may not stop at one child
"Initially, our thoughts were we just wanted to have one and give him or her everything. But now I've been pregnant and we have a little one, we have chatted about potentially having another one. But a bit too early [to talk about],'' Jillian said, with a laugh.
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