Mothers need proper screening after birth, writes Phyllis Ohene-Agyei A growing number of women experience high blood sugar levels during pregnancy which typically resolve after birth. Known as gestational diabetes, this is the most common metabolic disorder in pregnancy and affects one in seven women worldwide and...
Women don’t have a ‘surge’ in fertility before menopause – but surprise pregnancies can happen, even after 45, writes Karin Hammarberg We occasionally see media reports about celebrities in their mid-40s having surprise pregnancies. You might also hear stories like these from friends or relatives or...
After enduring the uncertainties of how to respond to her son’s illness, it is another family’s plight that provides a lasting lesson to Cathy Watson. It’s a strange, twilight zone, the Emergency Department at night. It is full of interrupted lives and children in dressing gowns,...
Business owner and single mother Kate Heussler talks about how vital financial planning is, as she prepared to became a solo mother. Pregnancy: Preparing for the Unexpected Money conversations matter If you have a partner, discussing finances before pregnancy is essential—covering expenses, parental leave, emergency savings, shared domestic...
Hannah Dahlen, Hazel Keedle and Lilian Peters give the answers to a common question about what is a ‘vaginal birth after caesarean’ or VBAC? A vaginal birth after caesarean (known as a VBAC) is when a woman who has had a caesarean has a vaginal birth...
Katharine Clifton has a less-than-enthusiastic response to her daughter being assessed as gifted. Almost six months ago, my daughter was diagnosed as gifted. It came about when she performed well beyond expectations in a vocabulary test at her three-and-a-half-year check-up and the maternal health nurse suggested...
Her youngest child’s first day at school has an unexpected effect on Helen McKinnon. I thought I had been waiting for this day for the past seven years. My youngest trotted off to her first day of school. (At least I think it was her –...
The legacy of Kate King’s grandmother looms large over her family. My grandma died this year. I always considered myself very lucky to have my maternal grandmother in my life for so long, and now she isn’t. I was there when she suffered heart failure, and...
Sarah Pietrzak is caught unawares when she is forced to confront an old, but lasting, family tragedy. I was instantly transported to my childhood when I entered the room. My team member was practising resuscitation on the baby mannequin, under the eye of an assessor. But...
Doctors says concerns about being able to have children are becoming more common as people start their families later in life and awareness increases about the impact conditions such as endometriosis can have on fertility. In response to these concerns and strong demand from women wanting...
