The amount of conflicting advice and information expecting parents get can be overwhelming – our experts sort the factual from the less factual, writes Erin Munro, University of Melbourne For women, couples and families, pregnancy is one of life’s most important experiences, but it can also...
Almost one in 20 babies in Australia born through IVF...
A new study has confirmed what researchers already suspected to be the case: heat inactivates SARS-CoV-2 in human milk. A team of medical researchers has found that in human milk, pasteurisation inactivates the virus that causes COVID-19, confirming milk bank processes have been safe throughout the...
During COVID-19, women are opting for 'freebirthing' if homebirths aren't available. And that's a worry reports Hannah Dahlen The pandemic is prompting some Australian pregnant women to give birth at home without a midwife or registered health provider, according to a survey out this week. Another...
Research shows a strong link between mum’s mental health and her child’s emotional development. Women experiencing psychological distress during pregnancy and after birth are twice as likely to have children with emotional and behavioural issues throughout their childhood, new research shows, highlighting the need for broader...
Klay Lamprell finds that the biggest challenges faced by pregnant women with a disability are not physical but social. Sharon Simmons was born with shortened arms and legs as a consequence of her mother’s use of the drug thalidomide during pregnancy. She had always felt quite...
So what is hypnobirthing? Mary Steen, looks at what the evidence says about its use? In a new parenting podcast, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, said she used hypnobirthing techniques to help her get through severe morning sickness – a condition called hyperemesis gravidarum. She also...
Alyce Wilson, Caroline Homer and Lisa Amir look into the challenges of breastfeeding. More than 90% of Australian women start breastfeeding soon after the birth of their baby, but only 15% are exclusively breastfeeding at six months, despite national and international recommendations. The World Health Organisation recommends...
If you’re pregnant during the COVID-19 pandemic, you might be feeling a unique type of stress, writes Monique Robinson. You might be uncertain about how an infection could affect your unborn baby. That’s over and above the stress you might be feeling about the pregnancy itself,...
When a mother gives birth to twins, the offspring are not always identical or even the same gender write Joseph L Tomkins, Rebecca Sear and Wade Hazel Known as fraternal twins, they represent a longstanding evolutionary puzzle. Identical twins arise from a single fertilised egg that accidentally...
