Parenthood brought about an elevated awareness of hygiene in Caroline Illingworth. As for non-essential germ-sharing environments, one of the biggies for me is play centres. I generally avoid these places, but have been a few times to meet friends on a rainy day, and have even...
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...
Penni Drysdale feels the heat of rejection as her four-year-old son adjusts to the arrival of his brother. He is jumping around like a crazed monkey amid myriad plastic toys that he’s pulled from a box that was out the back of the house. As is...
A dark gnawing secret replayed on Anne-Maree Brown's mind until motherhood made her call ‘scene’ on her past. For most of my young adult life, I kept a secret. A dark, gnawing secret that loomed large as the adult world approached. I was raped – a...
Margaret Langdon explores stories of families with children conceived through assisted reproductive technologies and the donations of others. About one in six Australians are affected by fertility problems. The techniques available to help these people seeking parenthood are known as assisted reproductive technologies (ART). These technologies involve...
Suvi Mahonen writes about yoga practice in pregnancy. Like many childless women in their late thirties, I had achieved the illusion of having control over my life – from what I ate, to my social activities and daily work. Family planning was no exception. I knew...
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...
Victorian newborns who do not pass their routine hearing screening tests are being invited to join a pilot program screening for the most common viral cause of disability. The study, a collaboration between the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, the University of Melbourne and four maternity hospitals...
Anne-Maree Brown pockets the ‘answer’ to coping with life as a new mum. I have never really been good at being a bad girl. Whether it was my Catholic upbringing or ruddy Irish complexion, I was always transparent. I grew up in the depths of suburbia. It...
Klay Lamprell draws attention to the issue of discrimination against pregnant women in the workplace. “While direct discrimination is worrying enough, the greater problem involves indirect or covert discrimination, which forces women to resign” A pregnant woman had to sit on a bin after her employer wouldn’t...
