For Fight Like a Girl author Clementine Ford, a wailing baby in the audience at one of her speaking events is a welcome sight.
It wasn't that long ago that Ford, a first-time mum to a toddler, was bringing her own newborn along.
Clementine Ford believes negative attitudes to children in public spaces are slowly evolving.
The feminist commentator feels that negative attitudes to children in public spaces are slowly evolving.
"So often women feel like they need to take a crying baby out of a room," Ford says. "When my baby was born, eight weeks after I went on a national book tour, he sat on most of the stages with me and breastfed.
"I have a lot of privilege in being able to do that, but being able to model that did at least feel like you were saying, 'it could be like this'. If you exclude children, then you are generally excluding women."
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Ford appears alongside writer Maxine Beneba Clarke and social researcher Rebecca Huntley today (Sunday, May 20) at The Motherload, a post-Mother's Day discussion about parenting in modern-day Australia.
The event boasts a free creche service for youngsters and babes-in-arms are invited to sit in on the talk.
Ford is particularly looking forward to chatting about the political side of having children such as the economic impact of motherhood, the gender division of labour and the current problems with postnatal care.
"I don't think it will be your typical mums-getting-together-and-talking-about-stuff event," she says. "Mothers have been encouraged and given a space where they can be a lot more honest about what is involved in motherhood, which is great."
The Motherload, 1pm, Sunday May 20, Sydney Opera House, $39, sydneyoperahouse.com.
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