The parenting advice that saves Rebecca Maddern when she finishes work at 2am.

“I just wish someone had told me to keep it simple.”

This is a basic yet important piece of parenting advice that Nine Network award-winning presenter and journalist Rebecca Maddern wished she’d been given before the birth of her daughter Ruby in April 2018.

“A happy and healthy baby is all you need,” she continues. “There are all these wonderful gadgets and stuff, but you don’t need the latest and greatest. If your baby is well-loved and cuddled, you’ll have a happy child and that’s all that matters.”

It’s a parenting sentiment that has served the Australian Ninja Warrior host and her husband Trent Miller well since the arrival of Ruby, with Rebecca saying that she was surprised by how much natural instinct takes over once a newborn is in the mix.

“The most important advice someone did give me came from my midwife who said ‘You actually know more than you think you know, just as a parent’,” the 41-year-old tells Mamamia.

“In so many cases you just have to trust your gut. You know your baby, you’ll know when they are unwell if they are doing something unusual and what they need. It’s mind-boggling how much instinct comes into play especially with a newborn.”

In the days between her TV gigs, which include hosting at the Australian Open for Nine's Wide World of Sports and co-hosting Australian Ninja Warrior, Rebecca is able to enjoy peaceful days with Ruby, which include trips to the park with her new favourite purchase, a family-sized picnic blanket.

However, when she is in the thick of her TV hosting work, the juggle between her professional life and her home life becomes much more intense.

"When I am working the days are much more extreme," she said. "I’ve just come off working on the Australian Open and a lot of my stints were until about 2am, so that is really hard."

"To make it work for us, my husband, who works freelance in the television industry, took off all of January so I could work. I couldn’t get home until 4 o'clock in the morning most days, so I was only getting to sleep then. This meant I couldn't get up to attend to Ruby’s needs at 7am."

Rebecca's advice for parents like herself, whose careers demand they work long and anti-social hours is to cut yourself some slack and remember that other parents feel exactly the way you do.

There is solidarity in knowing that everyone is going through the same juggle and doing the best they can.

"It’s just a massive juggle," Rebecca confirms. "During that period my husband really just took the reins solo and he was the main parent. It was really tough, but you just have to do it. That’s how it is in many families and I am no different. I am so lucky to have a partner who has flexibility with his work and also loves doing it."

For Rebecca, life with Ruby looks very different now than it did 10 months ago, when her and her husband were a little more on the move.

"My husband and I used to travel a lot for work and of course that has somewhat stopped," she says. "So now the fruit bowl is always full and the fridge is always filled with fruit and veggies. We never used to have that because we would always be out."

And around the house, fresh food is a big part of her family life.

"I do a big cook-up once a week of fresh, wholesome food for Ruby," she shares. "Luckily she is an adventurous eater!"

Health and wellness is a passion point for Rebecca, who is an ambassador for Australia's leading probiotics brand, Life-Space Probiotics*.

"To support [Ruby's] general health, I recently started giving her Life-Space Probiotic Powder for Baby, a premium probiotic formula with 10 strains of beneficial bacteria to support a healthy microbiome (the unique ecosystem of trillions of microbes, including bacteria, that we have in our bodies)," she shares.

"And my husband and I are also taking Life-Space Broad Spectrum Probiotic to support digestive health and encourage good bacterial diversity.

Putting Ruby's needs first, both health and development wise, has been a huge adjustment for one of TV's busiest presenters.

"It used to be all about my work, but now I have another human being to consider and she is number one," she says.

"Before Ruby if I was preparing for a big filming event, I would just be engrossed in that. Now I turn up to things and I feel like I haven't prepared properly just because I don’t have the time.

"Not that I don’t do the work, but I can’t dedicate a full week and hours a day to prepare like I used to. Sometimes I feel underprepared, but I think most parents feel like that."

There's no one way to raise a family or balance your personal life with your career, but Rebecca's right when she says we are all doing the best we can.

How do you get by in your household with a baby? Do you have any tips to share? Tell us in the comments section below.

This content is brought to you with thanks by our brand partner, Life-Space.

Always read the label. Follow the directions for use. Rebecca Maddern is a paid ambassador for Life-Space.

* IRI Aztec MarketEdge. Total Probiotics – Australia Pharmacy MAT to 10/02/19”