Canberra Labor MP Alicia Payne enjoys the blissful bubble of new motherhood

Elena Patricia Phillips was born at the Canberra Hospital on September 14 and has held her family in her thrall ever since, especially big brother Paul, who is two.

"He's been a very sweet big brother," Ms Payne said.

"He wants to look at her and talk to her and tell he he loves her and he's been beautiful in a way I wouldn't have quite expected."

Ms Payne has leave from Parliament and her committee work until March but will continue to juggle her electorate work with maternity leave.

"My office will be managing a lot of things but keeping in touch with me. I'll be doing a little bit of work the whole time. You've got to continue representing the constituents so that will continue," she said.

With her husband Ben Phillips, an economic and social researcher at the ANU, she has been enjoying this special time with their children. And she has plans to sometimes take Elena with her when she does return to Parliament.

"I won't have a nanny. I'm really lucky my parents help out and my husband is going to have some time off when I go back to work. He's really lucky his employer provides that. This is such a great thing for fathers to have that time with their children, too, and it would be great to see more employers taking up," she said.

"Also the government could do more with the Dad and Partner Pay which currently provides only two weeks to spend with your child when they are born and there's not a high take-up of it. And I think that's mainly because families can't survive with both parents on the minimum wage if they're working and that's not their usual income.

"And it's also maybe a cultural thing where men aren't being encouraged to take time off when their child is born, it's something we can do a lot better on and see a bit more involvement for dads.

"Because everyone who does it says it's wonderful and it just brings a richness into their life which they miss out on if they don't have that time with new babies as well."

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There are many Labor colleagues who have helped to show her the way, the baby coming after her election to Parliament in the 2019 election.

"There are so many people you can talk to about how to manage these things. [Bendigo MP] Lisa Chester's just had a baby also [Kingston MP] Amanda Rishworth and [Hotham MP] Clare O'Neil, I've talked to them," she said.

"We are lucky in Parliament that we can bring our babies into work, it's easier for us to do that in a lot of other jobs. It's sort of a job that never stops which is good and bad because you can be flexible with it."

And there has, luckily, been some sleep.

"She's been a really peaceful baby," Ms Payne said.