Cathy Watson enters the uncertain world of premature babies and their parents. Barbara A* and her partner left the champagne unopened when their daughter Freya was born at 27 weeks’ gestation. Just as their daughter entered a new world, so too did they – as parents...
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...
Gynaecologist, Dr Sonya Jessup brings this difficult topic out into the open and looks at what can be done about it. After we grow up from toddlers to children, having full control of our bladders is something we learn to take for granted. We can run,...
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...
The Federal Government will seek advice on covering the cost of stillbirth autopsies, to help families understand more about the death. The decision was made as part of its response to a parliamentary inquiry examining why Australia's stillbirth rate has not dropped in two decades. The inquiry's...
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...
Spina bifida comes from the term for ‘split spine’ in Latin. It is a serious birth defect that involves damage to the spine and to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord. In people affected with spina bifida, some of the vertebrae of the spine don’t...
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...
Belinda Horton, Past CEO of the Post and Ante Natal Depression Association (PANDA), says honest conversations with expectant mothers and new parents can help them through times of distressing emotional upheaval. Babies are amazing, and becoming a parent is life-changing. So why do we hear over...
COPE has a new online resource dedicated to providing emotional and mental health for women. Here we look at why it's such an important free tool for parents. Finding information on every pregnancy symptom and test online, always misses one of the most important pieces of...
