Weaning can be hard for both mother and child, writes Carolyn Cooper. …by then breastfeeding was more about emotional comfort than supplying milk to a hungry child. It was like a vital force bonding my daughter and me completely – the ultimate source of comfort, warmth...
Without some of the structures of days gone by, today’s mums can feel all at sea, writes Angela Rossmanith. “The bottom line is that women want someone to listen to their needs and concerns and help them address these needs. When a midwife who knows the...
Mandy Collins finds the judgements of other women in relation to birth and breastfeeding to be difficult to accept. I clearly remember the morning I decided to stop breastfeeding my daughter. I lay in my hospital bed, tears running down my face, terrified to tell the...
Dr Sam Tormey discusses the medical and ethical issues surrounding infant circumcision. For the majority of males, the presence or absence of the foreskin will make little appreciable difference to health, self-image or sexual function. On a steaming hot day in the middle of the wet season...
Research in a new study by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute found that it’s very common to experience difficulties with infant sleep at some point in the first year, with about 60 per cent of mothers reporting mild or fluctuating problems. But for 20 per...
Meaningful moments, early and often, build young brains. The message may sound simple but it’s a strong and important one, central to a new early childhood awareness campaign from the world leading researchers at Telethon Kids Institute and the philanthropic Minderoo Foundation. Bright Tomorrows Start Today shows how...
Cathy Watson enters the uncertain world of premature babies and their parents. Barbara A* and her partner left the champagne unopened when their daughter Freya was born at 27 weeks’ gestation. Just as their daughter entered a new world, so too did they – as parents...
Today’s dads are eager to have a connection with their babies, and Richard Fletcher looks at how the bonding process works. Parents are often unaware how much babies want and actively seek a close connection with their fathers as well as their mothers. When talking to fathers-to-be...
Family medical history, fear and trepidation take their toll on Karen Weeks, even after the birth of her perfectly healthy son. We all know parenthood is difficult. We know because we’re parents and have experienced it firsthand. But before having children, I had no idea what...
Spina bifida comes from the term for ‘split spine’ in Latin. It is a serious birth defect that involves damage to the spine and to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord. In people affected with spina bifida, some of the vertebrae of the spine don’t...
