Helen McKinnon’s blues bite the dust when she hires a cleaner. The Day Happiness Snuck Up on Me Last Saturday morning, I woke and realised with a shock that I was experiencing happiness. Real, unmistakable happiness. It startled me because it had been years since I’d felt...
From the manosphere to tradwives, what might be behind this? Asks researcher Linda Peach For decades, research and activism have highlighted the pitfalls for women when stereotypical gendered roles are prioritised in heterosexual relationships. But recent signs suggest young adults may once again be embracing the idea...
Author and journalist Virginia Tapscott, in her new book All Mothers Work, argues that to value care properly, we must start by changing the words we use. We often talk about mothers “returning to work” as if the countless hours spent feeding, cleaning, teaching, and comforting their children...
In her new children’s book, Jacinda Ardern explores working ‘mum guilt’ through her daughter’s eyes. Reviewed by Katie Pickles Jacinda Ardern’s second book, released within four months of her memoir, is a simple children’s story. Its title – Mum’s Busy Work – appears to still hold...
In part two, Dr Sam Tormey explains how gestational diabetes is diagnosed, managed, and what it can mean for both mother and baby. How Gestational Diabetes is Detected A routine test often detects these higher-than-usual blood-glucose levels during pregnancy, before they actually cause any symptoms. The growing...
Barbara Fraser recalls how desperate she felt after the birth of her son… some 40 years ago. The Crying That Never Stopped From birth, he cried, drawing his little legs up in agony. Medical checks showed nothing wrong, and our GP put it down to colic. Medication...
Many women don’t realise they have choices, write researchers Kate Levett, Deborah Fox and Vanessa Scarf So, you’re about to have a baby. You’ve been to the birth classes – you learned how being upright and moving around can help you be as comfortable as possible....
Therese O'Sullivan looks at how a mother's diet affects her baby’s milk and suggests four tips for breastfeeding mums. Many people are familiar with the saying that a woman is “eating for two” during pregnancy. Although this is an exaggeration, nutritional needs do certainly increase during...
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...
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...
