Health

Today my son who is an incredibly fussy eater and hasn't eaten a vegetable except for potato in potato chips in years had all of these vegetables. And not only did he enjoy them he promised to have them every single day.

“You can’t plan birth” is a phrase I’m sure you’ve come across if you’ve talked about birth plans. Maybe you’ve said it yourself. It really does seem like a common response to the idea of mothers having a birth plan. And after years of talking about birth and birth plans I finally found the words to explain why that’s not really the case. Or more, that’s not a reason not to have a birth plan - if you want one.

When my daughter was ten months old, after a particularly restless night with her awake every hour, I stood in my kitchen like a zombie preparing my three year old son’s breakfast. He had also woken up a couple of times that night. I was wrecked. My daughter was sitting at my feet digging around in the “tupperware” cupboard, keeping herself entertained.

So, this wasn’t part of anything. It wasn’t for Dry July, which is coming up in a few days. Maybe I should have waited a month before I started my alcohol free month so I could tie it into Dry July, because it is a great charity that raises money for cancer patient.

Maybe Baby People ask me all the time if we’re planning to have another baby, and I usually laugh at the thought – of course not. No. No no no. Absolutely not. I don’t want to go back there. Pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding – all behind me. Thank goodness for that! We’re getting into the next phase of our life; which is great. Kids are in school. It’s wonderful. I’ve done enough night-time parenting between my two non-sleeping babies to last a lifetime. I breastfed my children for eight years, almost continuously. Not to mention clocking up a full hundred hours of labour between just two children. Ugh. No. Just no. I don’t want to do that again. And the funny thing is I’m not even lying. I do actually feel all those things. Why would I go back to nappies, leaking boobs, and soul crushing sleep deprivation? Wondering “What if…?”…

I’m going to be a massive pain right now and say I’m really good at losing weight. I’m brilliant at it. I’ve done it a few times and I always rock at the losing weight part of losing weight. Yay. Go me!

I get you just want to help. I really do. This is no way a critism of anyone who's ever said any of these things to me. I really really understand you mean to be supportive, but sometimes it has the opposite affect.

When I had Postnatal Anxiety with my first baby 8 years ago (actually his birthday is on Saturday!) there was so many things I just didn’t know that I didn’t know. I didn’t expect to need to know.

Exactly how you give birth might not matter; a csection, vaginal birth, home birth, or in hospital, whether it was hands off birth or you had lots of intervention. What happened doesn't matter nearly as much as how you felt during and after giving birth.

*Trigger Warning - Discusses Neonatal Death* To the parents of the baby who passed away, As a NICU nurse, I have cared for the family and their beloved baby on the day they have passed away so many times.

Codral ads scare me. You know the ones? Someone wakes up with a hideous cold or flu and rather than keeping their germy self home they take a cake to an office party.

It's Perinatal Depression and Anxiety Awareness Week, and rather than just sharing my own experience with Postnatal Anxiety I wanted to give people the opportunity connect with a range of other voices, to show that if you are going through Perinatal Depression and Anxiety that you're not alone, and also that individual experiences with Depression and Anxiety can vary.

My own journey with Anxiety has been going on for 7 years - not continuously - but my anxiety does come back from time to time since my children were born (my son is 7 and my daughter is 3) and there are a lot of things that I've learned about Perinatal Anxiety and Depression in that time, either things I just didn't know that I didn't know, or things that I had been completely wrong about.

So, this week is Perinatal Depression and Anxiety Awareness Week (From the 15th to the 21st of November). I’m going to write a few posts on the topic and publish them throughout the week, but I thought I’d start by sharing a bit about why this week is really important to me.

Within MOMENTS, before even the fluid had reached the other end of the visual window, that line came up. It was DARK. It was definite. There was no squinting involved. No inverse colours on the phone. It was all too clear.

My eldest who is now 6, had done swimming lessons from mid last year, to the beginning of this year. He loved it. Followed instruction pretty well. But couldn't focus or hold on to wait his turn as the instructor taught the other 2 children in his group.

For any skill in child development to be supported, it needs to be supported from the bottom up. All skills need a good foundation and handwriting is no exception. Like most skills, all is not what it seems, and a lot more is involved than you may think.

When you've had a baby and you're barely home from the hospital, settling into your new life as a parent, adjusting to the frequent feeds, the no sleep and living almost entirely on love and wonder, it already it begins. And already it begins. The overly personal question of “so when are you gonna have number 2?”

Having a child diagnosed with Autism can be one of the hardest things a parent can go through with their child. To hear that your child is not normal, and needs multiple therapies can open a world of confusion, overwhelment and guilt. For the life and child you had imagined is far out of reach. Or at least that's how it seems.

It’s been a steep learning curve since I got glasses. I’ve only worn prescription glasses for a the last couple of months and I’ve learnt many things about the world, about myself, and about my eyes.

The first time I visited the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), I cried. We knew from early on in our twins pregnancy that I’d be having them at 32 weeks. So, about a week before they were due to arrive, I was sent on a tour of the NICU so I’d know what to expect, and more importantly, what a 32 week old baby looked like.

As you may already be aware, children are very good at testing their physical limits only to get themselves caught in dangerous situations. Choking on food or any small and appealing item is a daily worry as a parent. You may only have two seconds to respond and provide first aid, not giving you enough time to phone or search the internet for advice. As a parent, you should find confidence in educating yourself on how to recognise choking and save a life.

I have experienced two births and both were total shit. I agreed to the second bub with the hubby thinking that “they” (you know as in “they say that….”) were right in that the second one was quicker and less painful than the first, which was excruciating. If someone had handed me a loaded gun I would have pulled the trigger to stop the pain. Both times. Did I mention the midwife called me a drama queen??

Birth stories. We all love to hear a birth story, and I thought I should share mine.I have 4 wonderful birth journeys to share with you and I hope you can relate to them, or even perhaps learn something you didn’t already know. So we kick off with birth story number one.

On the 28th July, we welcomed our precious little man Elijah George into our lives. This is his birth story. My pregnancy with Elijah was text book – in the sense that it was one of those of pregnancies that progress with no complications and very little discomfort.

"Was he planned" is one of the most ridiculous (also rude) questions I’ve ever been asked and still after 7 years of being asked it I’m still not entirely sure what kind of answer people are looking for... But the question itself is completely absurd, because the only answer there could possibly be is “yes”.

Menstruation is something most women have to deal with and I’m writing about it today because I’m coming up to a special anniversary. I’m just a few days off a whole year of no tampons and no pads.

Today – and any day – is a good day to ask people that simple question; “R U OK” You might start a conversation that could change someone's life. According to Beyond Blue in Australia: 1 in 6 people will experience depression at some stage in their lives. 1 in 4 people will experience anxiety. 1 in 7 mothers will experience postnatal depression and 1 in 10 mothers will experience antenatal depression. Anxiety is likely to be as, if not more, common.

Someone very close to me is preparing to give birth for the second time at the same hospital my son was born, and it surprises me that after well over 5 years since I’ve stepped foot in that hospital it still stirs up some feelings for me. Not all bad feelings, I think I'm passed most of it,but it is still there.

It's a sensitive, yet very controversial topic, that seems to be a non stop story brought up on the facebook wall, by some of my friend and groups; what causes Autism? For almost a year I have officially been a parent to a diagnosed autistic child, with a second with suspected autism. Some believe the condition is genetic, their partner has it and all their children have it as well. But then you have many other families who have only one family member with autism.

Birthing Your Breech Baby – What Are Your Options? About 3-4 per cent of babies present breech at term. This means that the baby’s head is at the top of the uterus and its buttocks, knees or feet are at the bottom. Some breech babies have their legs straight up so their feet are around the head (frank breech), others sit crossed legged (complete breech) and others crouch, kneel or stand. Most of the time, there is no obvious reason why a baby is presenting breech – it is just one of those things. I like to think that my breech baby was keeping her head next to my heart. However, sometimes it is due to the shape of the mother’s uterus (for instance, bi-cornate or heart-shaped) or something to do with the baby.

I am currently 35 weeks into my second pregnancy and although I have been using an app to help me keep track of my weeks, I am now starting the "it's so close" end of the line count down. My first pregnancy, with daughter Ayla, was uneventful and 'boring'. I didnt have "morning sickness" or many issues apart from a low lying placenta, which rectified itself by 32 weeks. I suffered from some reflux but I loved the whole experience.

2013 is coming to an end, and I have been reflecting what the year has been like, and what I have learned. This year I have had a lot of challenges as a parent. Learn to have an abundance of patience, and contain my anger. I am a terribly grumpy woman most days. I lose it sometimes at the drop of a hat. And about 90% of the time, I feel like a horrible mother. But when I see the cheeky smiles on my boys, it make me realise, I am not doing a terrible job of it. This year my eldest son who turned 4 this year, and started talking, he gave me the best mother’s day gift and called me Mummy for the first time, and he has exploded into conversation since. He has started singing and being his own independent person. In September of this year, he was…

Unsurprisingly, after an analysis of 13 studies, involving 16,242 women in Australia, Britain, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand, has found “…that having the same midwife provides significant benefits for women who have a medium or low risk during their pregnancy.” Some of the findings were that women with midwife-led care had a 16% reduced rate of episiotomy, 12% less forceps and ventouse delivery, 13% less likely to have an epidural and more likely to have a spontaneous labour, though on average had longer labours by 30 minutes and there was no more or less chance of a caesarean birth.

Baby Showers are the gathering to celebrate the upcoming birth of a baby. Many involve playing games, talking about babies, names, eating nice food and opening up gifts.

We have all heard the story about the woman who didn't know she was pregnant until she had the baby. The Sun Uk reported that Amanda Ross, 41, is one of them. She found she was 8 months pregnant and then 15 hours later had a beautiful baby girl. Talk about shock and surprise!

As reported in the Telegraph, doctors in the UK have developed a blood test which may be an early indicator of post natal depression.

Sleep “Nightmare” Routine For some kids, it’s have a bath, get dressed and brush your teeth, and in to bed. Other kids need a story, maybe a song, a drink, a kiss and a cuddle or maybe even a soft toy. Bedtime in my house is long….. very long. We do all of the above. And then some more. My eldest requires certain things to be done to his room in order to be comfortable to go to sleep. Trying to curb the problem, can equal to more insecurities. Taking away things, he usually knows it’s not there and wont sleep until it’s returned. Everything above is done hassle free, but getting him to lay in his bed longer then 10 seconds is hard work. First things first, Peppa and George need to be driven home from the airport. He will spend his time getting them home, which seems to be the…

Okay, I'm just going to say to - I hate being pregnant. It has nothing to do with the tiny baby about to be brought into the world, that part I love. The journey to getting him here, that part sucks! Basically, everyone has an opinion and will voice it, particularly the negative ones.

Krystle’s PND Story Before I begin the next part of my story, i want to clear up the misconception i had about PND. I thought mums who got PND hated motherhood, and hence became depressed. How wrong I was. I loved being a mum and I loved my son intensely. I just felt like I was the worst mother and I could not do it. Breastfeeding was hard. I had a very fast supply so my little boy would gag and choke and often only take the foremilk. He also had colic. He would squirm and call out in pain and would be extremely hard to settle. He also only slept for 90 minute periods, day and night. I got mastitis, i got gastroenteritis, and I was severely sleep deprived. Combine that with my recently developed hypochondroism, i became sure that there was something wrong with my baby and it was my…

Bryce’s Birth Story My name is Krystle, I’m 26 years old, and mother to an amazing 8 month old little boy! My birth story is not what i expected or ever hoped it to be, but is still the most awe inspiring experience of my life. The thing is the birth of my son was rather uneventful, it is more the story of my journey that I wish to tell you, of where I was to where I am today, My journey to motherhood. My husband and I fell pregnant 5 months after we married, unexpectedly and unplanned. We were thrilled, we had both wanted a family and were excited to become parents. We immediately went shopping for nursery items and I dreamed of the mother I would be. There was absolutely no question in my mind that i would give birth naturally and i would breastfeed and motherhood would…

Hi :-) This is our birth story of baby #4 Welcoming Bentley Alexander Earthside - Our homebirth journey Our story begins on November the 8th 2011. 7 Months to the day that my beautiful Mama had passed away.

When to come to writing a birth plan, people might say “You can’t plan a birth” – there are so many things that can happen that are unexpected, or not go to “plan”, births can be quicker, longer, harder, easier, more complicated or simpler than we anticipate.

Willow's story begins long before she chose to enter this world. Against all odds a one night fling with my ex resulted in my pregnancy with her, the decision to keep her and raise knowing I would be a single mother to a newborn was a hard decision to make.

My due date was the 26th of June 2009. But Maya was born 4 days before her due date, so nobody expected this pregnancy to last until the due date, let alone go over.

Maya’s Birth Story My due date was Thursday 31st of May 2007. It was my first pregnancy. I was hoping that this baby wouldn’t come too early because my mother was arriving from Germany on Sunday the 20th. I was going to deliver at the birth centre of the Gold Coast Hospital. They usually discharge you 4 hours after the birth, so I really wanted my mum there for some help. Well, my mum made it in time. She arrived and ordered me to take it easy as I had quite bad oedema. So that was nice, I got to relax & rest before the big day. On Saturday I went for a long walk with my mum and Buddy (my dog). Maybe that’s what got things started. I had been pleading with my bub (I didn’t know whether it was a boy or a girl) to arrive before Sunday…

Since Margo is about to turn three, I’ve recently been thinking a lot about her birth. Margo was born in a hospital setting and her birth was considered a ‘natural childbirth’.

I was 40 weeks and 6 days and to say I was over it would be an understatement. I was booked in for a stretch and sweep at the birthing centre at 1pm and was hoping it would be the little nudge my comfortable little man needed.

I had a few people come up to me and tell me how they can not wait to be pregnant. That they can't wait to be fat and such, that they don't mind a few weeks of morning sickness.

I should note that this is a positive elective c-section story, I have never broken a bone, had surgery, had a stitch, or even been stung by a bee..! So to be honest I was expecting it to be more of a big thing then what it turned out to be...!

This story is the birth of our gorgeous daughter, over a year ago now, she was born 9th of March, 2012. Very long, hard, but still incredibly empowering VBAC. (vaginal birth after a cesarean)

Fainting at Hospital Today was a bit of an adventure, be patient while I fill in the background leading up to the scary bit… My great grandmother, who is sick and a little nutty, lives with my Nan and Pop, in my home town, with most of my family. My Grandparents have been wanting to go on a much needed holiday for a long time. As I’m no longer working I offered to come and stay with my great grandmother while they were away instead of sending her to my Aunty’s where she would fret and make herself sick and guilt my grandparents into coming home early. I used to live with them too so I know how intense she is, and how nasty she can be but I was prepared for her toddler tantrums and meltdowns. My Mum was also opening a Scrap booking and Paper Craft store so…

1st Midwife Appointment Today I had my first Midwife appointment and was very excited. It ran on time, the midwife was truly lovely and kind. She gave us a gift bag full of goodies and info about what to expect and what our options might be. The sad part came when it was time to check my weight.

13 Week Scan Today I had my 13 week scan to check the Nuchal translucency fold. And of course it was a bit emotional. So while everything went very well and so far so good, getting to that point was a bit hectic.

Birthing certainly can be an amazing, empowering, beautiful, magical experience, It can also be very painful, long or traumatic in some instances. I highly recommend reading Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth if you can get a copy, and if you are planning to birth vaginally to watch birthing videos – there are heaps on you-tube – to help prepare mentally for the task ahead!