Most babies born to mothers with COVID-19 were separated after birth resulting in low breastfeeding and skin-to-skin contact rates during the height of the pandemic, according to a new global study. Research at a Glance: A Murdoch Children’s Research Institute-led global study has found most...
Newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy improves chances of walking and quality of life A study by the Sydney Children's Hospital Network (SCHN) and UNSW (Sydney) researchers shows that early diagnosis means early treatment. Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a childhood-onset motor neuron disease. Left untreated, it...
Here’s why that won’t necessarily work, writes Mischa Bongers It’s commonly understood that having a baby can be a primary cause of later pelvic floor problems, such as bladder leakage. While giving birth can be a very special and joyful time, it can sometimes be difficult...
Alice Osborne was determined to breastfeed her newborn son, but both he, and a wayward truck, had other plans. “I’d much rather have a happy mum who can put all her energy into enjoying my company and loving me,” concluded William, my three-month-old son, in a...
Women are often told their fertility ‘falls off a cliff’ at 35, but is that right? Asks Karin Hammarberg It’s a fact women’s fertility declines as they age. But the common description of fertility decline after age 35 as a “cliff” is more anxiety-provoking than factual. If...
Labour induction rates have significantly increased over the past decade, from 25 to 35 per cent in Australia alone. Melbourne researchers have found that one of two common methods to induce labour is safer for babies, although both were as safe for the mother and neither...
From nausea to constipation and farting, Vincent Ho and Kate Levett look at what's going on in a mums gut after baby's birth It’s two weeks after the birth of your healthy bub and you notice your gut isn’t feeling quite right. Maybe you feel a bit...
Nishadi Withanage, Jessica Botfield and Danielle Mazza show optimising health before pregnancy can improve health outcomes for both the mother and her newborn. However, not everyone is aware of the need for good health before pregnancy – they generally start thinking about this during pregnancy. Modifiable risk...
Researchers Violet Kieu and Kate Stern remind you that you should discuss fertility first! Not all Australians with cancer are getting the fertility care they need. In 2022, it is predicted more than 8,200 Australians under 40 – in their reproductive years – will be diagnosed with...
Kris Bordessa’s sons have a tendency towards truncation in their communication The bright, bold colours of billboards and street signs intrigued my oldest son, Brad, long before he could read. “What does that say, Mum?” he’d ask from the back seat as we whizzed down the...
