Maxine Clarke admits to using deception as a parental ploy. I remember the first time I realised that my mother could be deliberately dishonest. I was only about seven, but the exact details are almost as clear in my mind as if it happened five minutes...
Moving from fairytales to reality, Dolla S. Merrillees reflects on her role as a stepmother. When asked what I would like to be when I grew up, I can’t say I actually aspired to being a divorcee, however glamorous it sounded, or, for that matter, a...
Linda J. Graham writes about the displacement of parents, and particularly mothers, by ‘experts’ in modern life. It goes almost without saying that the latter half of the 20th Century witnessed fundamental change to the institution of the family. While the emergence of feminism has received...
When Elizabeth Kenyon is pregnant with her third child, things do not go according to plan. My husband and I were very smug when we conceived our third child, as it happened exactly when we’d hoped. The ideal timing made up for the fact that in...
A new sibling can start as a threat but end as a friend, writes Sarah Cameron. Imagine your husband comes home from work one day with another woman. He introduces her to you and explains that she will be joining the family from this day forward....
Karleen Gribble, Naomi Hull and Nina Jane Chad report that it’s sooner than you think! Parents are often faced with well-meaning opinions and conflicting advice about what to feed their babies. The latest guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends formula-fed babies can switch to cow’s...
Some women’s breasts can’t make enough milk, and the effects can be devastating. Researchers Renee Kam and Lisa Amir explain why. Many new mothers worry about their milk supply. For some, support from a breastfeeding counsellor or lactation consultant helps. Others cannot make enough milk no matter how...
Can the drug really increase your chance of pregnancy? written by Karin Hammarberg and Robert Norman as part of a series on Ozempic. We’ve heard a lot about the impacts of Ozempic recently, from rapid weight loss and lowered blood pressure to persistent vomiting and “Ozempic...
It’s rare for a significant period of time to pass before another debate about breastfeeding takes place in the media, writes Alison Bartlett The latest is about Comedian Arj Barker. Some of the highest authorities have said breastfeeding is okay, even in the Sistine Chapel, as...
‘Free birthing’ and planned home births might sound similar, says Hannah Dahlen, but the risks are very different. The death of premature twins in Byron Bay in an apparent “wild birth”, or free birth, last week has prompted fresh concerns about giving birth without a midwife...
