New research from Monash University suggests Australian midwives may one day provide contraception during postnatal home visits—a move that could make life easier for new parents. The study, published in Women and Birth, explored midwives’ views on offering services such as the contraceptive implant (Implanon NXT) in...
Kylie Ladd contemplates her son’s gentle nature and wonders how he will cope with the harshness of life. A Boyhood Shaped by Indiana Jones Yesterday I taught my nine-year-old son about the Nazis. It wasn’t planned, and it certainly wasn’t well executed, but I had no warning...
Facing The Mirror: Nicole Ryan is momentarily overwhelmed by the mediocrity of motherhood. Mirror Moments and Midlife Questions Is this what a midlife crisis feels like? At 37 years old? Is this considered midlife? If 40 is the new 30, then I’m still in my prime. But...
Joanne Fedler finds the fiction of the tooth fairy hard to sustain. The First Tooth: Easy Magic The thing about lies is that they are very difficult to keep under control. They are very difficult to keep under control. They say that the best thing to do when...
Kylie Ladd recalls the unplanned and rather fortuitous ways in which her children became toilet trained. Forget the Books—Toilet Training Doesn’t Always Go to Plan When it comes to toilet-training, less is definitely more. That is, the less time and effort you have to spend on it...
For many new parents, the biggest challenge of breastfeeding isn’t the latch—it’s the not knowing. New Aussie Invention Tracks Milk Intake in Real Time A Monash University engineer and mum has created a smart device that removes the guesswork, measuring how much milk a baby drinks in...
Sometimes it’s best not to inject yourself into someone else’s experience of parenting, writes Megan Blandford. “You’re So Lucky”: When Parental Jealousy Creeps In “My daughter threw her first tantrum the other day.” I looked over, stunned. “Her first tantrum? At the age of two? Gosh, you’re lucky,”...
Navigating the first few months after giving birth can be overwhelming, but The Fourth Trimester by Amelia Lamont, offers new parents a much-needed blend of practical advice and heartfelt reassurance, writes Victoria Baker. Amelia Lamont’s The Fourth Trimester is a realistic, informative and compassionate guide to the first...
Chryss Cada’s dreams end up being a little more accurate than science. When birth plans meet real life Childbirth instructors suggest you write up a ‘birth plan’ – but they should call it a ‘birth best guess’. About a month before I was due to have my baby,...
In Australia, the donor egg industry is heavily regulated, but in countries like the US, it can feel more like online shopping. Here’s what you need to know, report Anna E. Hartman and Dr Erica Coslor Starting a family is an exciting and scary decision at...
