After the initial excitement of meeting your new baby, you often experience a period of feeling exhausted, tense and even stunned, once the day-to-day routines of caring for a newborn become a reality. Everyone will tell you, and it’s absolutely true, that no one can prepare...
Parents with babies who cry inconsolably for prolonged periods have specific and important needs during this phase of the First Three Months. Finding support Parents who have been through this experience say that the most important help they received includes: Having people who believed how difficult...
Tresillian uses responsive settling strategies. The techniques provided here will encourage you to respond promptly and sensitively to your baby’s needs. Tresillian’s settling strategy We use the following cues to signal when to implement our responsive settling strategies: Distress Non-verbal cues States of consciousness Active and quiet...
Pregnant women in Australia are increasingly having their labours induced rather than giving birth spontaneously – and some without good reason. Report Hannah Dahlen, Ank de Jonge, Lilian Peters and Soo Downe A large proportion of first time mothers (41.6%) were induced in 2018, when the...
Monash University researchers have developed a fast, cheap paper test that can detect bilirubin in jaundiced newborns. The tape-paper sensor is on the verge of extensive clinical trials. The in-home test aims to detect bilirubin levels and could provide results in less than 10...
Patricia Lee learns to take nothing for granted as the midwife called for the emergency obstetrician. As I slumped onto the delivery bed, panting and sweating after another contraction, I knew something was wrong. After spending the entire day in labour and pushing for hours, my...
Lara Cain Gray recounts a hairy moment involving her son. My 10-month-old son ate a spider. Let’s not sugar-coat it (although I’m sure that it's a delicacy somewhere) – it was frightening and revolting in equal measure. We’d had a typically hectic morning trying to get our...
It’s still unclear whether a shorter or longer gap between pregnancies increases the risk of complications. Amanda Henry reports Women often wonder what the “right” length of time is after giving birth before getting pregnant again. A recent Canadian study suggests 12-18 months between pregnancies is...
Feeding children too much protein when they are babies can increase their chance of being overweight when they reach primary school age, new studies have confirmed. Deakin University researchers said the significant findings could improve feeding guidelines for new parents who may mistakenly believe babies benefit...
A major report just released has revealed that many Australian babies are being placed at unnecessary risk because their birth by caesarean section is scheduled too early, without a medical reason. This is despite clear evidence that waiting until 39 weeks – unless there is...
