Navigating the first few months after giving birth can be overwhelming, but The Fourth Trimester by Amelia Lamont, offers new parents a much-needed blend of practical advice and heartfelt reassurance, writes Victoria Baker. Amelia Lamont’s The Fourth Trimester is a realistic, informative and compassionate guide to the first...
Evidence-based resource shares real stories and expert strategies A must-have tool for both parents and healthcare professionals Autistic parents-to-be now have a dedicated place to turn for support, thanks to a new digital resource launched by Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect). The Aspect Autistic Pregnancy and Parenthood Hub is...
Chryss Cada’s dreams end up being a little more accurate than science. When birth plans meet real life Childbirth instructors suggest you write up a ‘birth plan’ – but they should call it a ‘birth best guess’. About a month before I was due to have my baby,...
Can dancing or twerking really bring on labour? asks Hannah Dahlen Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is back in the news in a podcast discussing her viral “baby mama” video. The video was made four years ago when she gave birth to daughter Lilibet, but was only released...
Content warning (CW). This story contains detailed descriptions of miscarriage, infertility, and termination for medical reasons (TFMR), which may be distressing to some Termination for medical reasons (TFMR) is a reality too few talk about, yet so many endure. In this personal account, Rhiannon Kavanagh shares...
Marian O’Connell finds that her response to her son’s bedtime demands turns from severe frustration to serene reflection. There is an almost imperceptible change in breathing and a certain weightlessness that overcomes a child when they finally fall asleep. This is detectable only to the indulgent...
What Every Hopeful Parent Needs to Know With the rise of egg freezing, more people are preserving their fertility for future parenthood. But what happens when those eggs remain unused? A new study from Monash University and Monash IVF highlights a growing issue: thousands of frozen...
To what extent are they preventable? asks Karin Hammarberg The news of a woman unknowingly giving birth to another patient’s baby after an embryo mix-up at a Brisbane IVF lab recently has made headlines in Australia and around the world. The distress this incident will have...
Why do women get ‘reassurance scans’ ? asks Christopher Rudge. And how can you spot a dodgy provider? Recent media coverage in the Nine newspapers highlights a surge in non-medical ultrasound providers offering “reassurance ultrasounds” to expectant parents. The service has resulted in serious harms, such as...
Lucinda Bertram tries to deal tactfully with her daughters’ prolific artistic output. “Oh, it’s lovely,” I hear myself saying as, yet again, my daughter walks proudly towards me at the end of the preschool day, holding a mountain of biscuit and tissue boxes glued together. “It’s...
