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...
Anne-Marie LeBel gradually learns to let go of her former expectations as her family adjusts to the fact that both of her sons have autism. Mum, I think my little boy is autistic. The pain descended on me all at once, and the tears fell like...
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...
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...
