Crying is one of the most primal sounds in parenting - and also one of the hardest to sit with. From that first night home to the peak of the witching hours, it can feel like your job is to stop the crying, fix the problem, and prove you've got this. But what if we've misunderstood what crying actually means?

In this episode, Emmy sits down with Genevieve Muir, a social worker, parenting educator, author, and mum of four - to unpack the truth about baby cries. Not just the physical needs like hunger or sleep, but the emotional release, the developmental leaps, and the moments when your baby is simply having a cry because that's how they lower their cortisol.

Together, they explore why crying makes us feel so distressed, what to expect during that brutal 6-8 week peak, why some babies settle better when you put them down and how every child teaches you something completely different.

They also talk about the stuff that actually helps in those early weeks: self-compassion over self-care, tapping out instead of competing over who's more tired or the power of saying no to visitors.

With real talk on parenting styles that don't fit, the myth of the 'good baby,' and why your baby's cortisol drops just hearing your voice - this is a grounding, honest conversation for anyone in the thick of those early days.

You don't need to fix every cry. You just need to keep showing up.