When it comes to questions of parenting, Andrea Travers learns there are no right answers. "You’re better off having a natural childbirth; all this medical intervention is so unnecessary.” “Are you sure you want to keep being a vegetarian? What about the baby?” “Will you breastfeed?” When...
Adrienne Gordon, Camille Raynes-Greenow and Ollie Jay look at how to look after yourself and your baby when it's very hot As we face the continued effects of climate change, the frequency and intensity of heat waves are increasing. We’ve recently learnt that 2023 was the...
Mother of two, Louisa Gibson, discovers how grounded she can be as she copes with the impact of her husband’s fly-in, fly-out employment. I live in the twilight zone between wife and single mother. Like many others, my husband is a fly-in fly-out (FIFO) worker, and...
The Australian paid parental leave scheme has no provision for babies born prematurely or unwell, and it’s time for a change to support all families, writes researchers by Dr Abbey Eeles and Professor Alicia Spittle A baby entering the world is a very special thing, but...
Can it really predict your chance of conceiving? Dr Tessa Copp from the Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney University, unpacks the hype surrounding 'egg timer' tests, which claim to be able to predict both women's chances of conceiving and when menopause might occur for them. Many...
Medical terminology evolves alongside our understanding of medicine, writes Sarah Aubrey. As time goes by, new terms are adopted while others are abandoned. In midwifery, there should always be a strong emphasis on the language we use, particularly in pregnancy. The language midwives use is an important...
If you’re a breastfeeding mum, you know all too well the challenges that come when trying to share the feeding load. Yes, you can pump and freeze your milk, but this only lasts so long in the freezer, and transporting it safely can be a nightmare,...
Parents are spending considerable amounts of energy thinking about and mitigating the risks associated with their kids using mobile phones and the internet. The impacts of too much screen time on children’s physical and mental health, development and education are common concerns among parents. New research by...
If you have a baby, does this mean you can’t be friends with your child-free friends anymore? writes Catherine E Wood In a high-profile article for New Yorker magazine in September, journalist Allison Davis wrote about a “slow-rolling tectonic shift that neither side notices at first...
More than 6,000 women told us what they wanted for their next pregnancy and birth. Here’s what they said report researchers Hazel Keedle, Daniella Susic and Hannah Dahlen Many women want a different kind of pregnancy and birth the next time around. Many want to see the...
