Blog entries

Greater maternity role for GPs

Lara Traill — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:39:38 +0100

Throughout both of my pregnancies, my antenatal and postnatal care was shared between my GP and the local midwife team. For me, this shared care worked incredibly well and I always felt very well looked after (my GP even paid me a home visit after both of my children were born).

So I was heartened to read about the new report published by the King's Fund which suggests that GPs should and would like to be more involved in caring for their pregnant patients

ThirtyRead More...

Model Gisele says make breastfeeding a law

Lara Traill — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 10:06:13 +0100

It's not often that a 'celebrity' gets my back up to the point of having to vent my fury in a blog, but in this case, model Gisele can't go unpunished!

Ever since having a baby seven months ago, Gisele has taken it upon herself in a series of gushing interviews to act as an authority on all things maternal.

Firstly, according to Gisele, giving birth doesn't hurt. In fact, after giving birth at home she got up and made pancakes. Of course! Because that was at the forefront of my miRead More...

Obesity in pregnancy causing harm to un-born babies

Mel Wallace — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 07:08:29 +0100

It's generally agreed that we are turning into a fat nation, and now experts are suggesting that one in every 1,100 pregnant women in the UK is "extremely obese". OK, so it's still a fairly low percentage, but it is woRead More...

High fat diet during pregnancy link to breast cancer

Mel Wallace — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 11:23:44 +0100

OK, so we know that pregnancy provides a good excuse to pile on a bit of extra weight and indulge in the odd doughnut or two, but a fat-laden diet during pregnancy may lead to an increased risk of breast cancer that is passed down generations, say scientists.

Pregnant women who dine on junk food could unwittinRead More...

Footwear warning for pregnant women

Lara Traill — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 10:51:00 +0100

I know that when I was pregnant, I paid little attention to what shoes I wore. To be honest, if I could actually squeeze them on or put them on without having to bend over, then that worked for me!

However The Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists are warning that some pregnantRead More...

Mother knows best

Lara Traill — Sun, 16 May 2010 18:57:37 +0100

Despite having unprecedented access to information regarding pregnancy, birth and parenting a recent study has revealed that mums-to-be still think their own mothers know better than the medical profession.

A University of London research team spoke to women who gave birth in the 1970s, 1980s and the 2000s. What they found was although modern women were more likely to take a mixture of advice, they were still more likely to follow family wisdom.

Professor Paula Nicolson from RoyaRead More...

Mum-to-be drives 500 miles to give birth

Lara Traill — Fri, 14 May 2010 16:58:08 +0100

Being married myself to a Scot, I am very much aware of how proud they are of their heritage.

However, I would have had to draw the line at driving 500 miles to give birth in order for said child to be born in Scotland.

But for Leanne McDermaid of Aldershot in Hampshire, driving 500 miles to Arbroath in Angus was part and parcel of being married to a proud scot.

Mrs McDermaid was 37 weeks pregnant when she made the long trip up north, with her mother coming along to Read More...

Baby born at 70mph on motorway

Lara Traill — Thu, 13 May 2010 19:20:05 +0100

Although it might seem like good advice at the time, for one Berkshire woman being told to "keep your legs crossed" was an exercise in futility.

Charlotte Duly, from Newbury was on the M4 with her husband, travelling to hospital when their son, Ignatius, was born.

Mrs Duly said: "As soon as we got on the M4 I thought actually this might be it, then my husband didn't believe me and just carried on driving.

"A few contractions later, I couldn't really do anything aRead More...

New research claims premature babies 'more sensitive' to pain

Lara Traill — Mon, 10 May 2010 11:27:09 +0100

A new study by researchers at University College London (UCL) claims that premature babies are more sensitive to pain than their full-term counterparts.

The researchers believe that invasive tests such as tube feeding, blood tRead More...

Maclaren agree compensation for buggy injuries.

Lara Traill — Thu, 06 May 2010 21:01:02 +0100

British buggy manufacturer Maclaren has agreed to compensate over 40 children who suffered fingertip injuries in the hinge mechanism of some models of collapsible buggies.

Maclaren said the compensation was "not an admission of liability" and it took children's safety "very seriously".

Now lawyers representing the children will meet with Maclaren to decide how much they will be awarded

Lawyers for the children will meet reprRead More...

John Lewis and Avent team up for feeding awareness week

Lara Traill — Mon, 03 May 2010 17:57:51 +0100

John Lewis have teamed up with Philips AVENT to host a Feeding Awareness Week from 2-8 May.

The aim is to give parents and parents-to-be practical advice on one of the biggest parts of early parenting. Throughout the week, stores will run product demonstrations, competitions and expert advice.

For more information please click here.

Morning Sickness? Blame it on your mum!

Lara Traill — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 20:18:22 +0100

Although many women experience a degree of morning sickness during pregnancy, an unlucky few will suffer from excessive vomiting (or hyperemesis gravidarum) which can require hospital treatment.

Now Norwegian researchers, from a study of 2.3 million births, have identified that pregnant women are three times more likely to suffer from the condition if their mothers did.

Hyperemesis can be extremely debilitating and is the most common cause of admRead More...

Baby expert claims crying babies are at risk of brain damage.

Lara Traill — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 19:23:13 +0100

One of the UKs most respected parenting experts has claimed that leaving babies to cry can lead to problems in later life.

Dr Penelope Leach, author of the popular 70's parenting manual Your Baby And Child: From Birth To Age Read More...

Winter babies more prone to food allergies

Lara Traill — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 19:02:02 +0100

As the mother of a winter baby, who also happens to have a serve food allergy, I was interested to read about a recent American study which claimes babies born in autumn and winter appear to be more prone to food allergies.

US researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston believe the trend may be explained by a lack of vitamin D or the 'sunshine vitamin. Experts have long believed that the vitamin D gained from natural sun exposure is needed for the healthy development oRead More...

Ten-fold increase for stay-at-home Dads..

Mel Wallace — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 18:07:59 +0100

The number of fathers who give up work to look after their children has apparantly soared ten-fold during the past decade, according to research carried out by Aviva.

Around 6% of UK fathers, equivalent to 600,000 people, now consider themselves to be their child's primary carer, up from just 60,000 who said this 10 years ago.

New guide for grandparents who look after their grandchildren

Mel Wallace — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 17:55:54 +0100

Did you know that there are more than 14 million grandparents in the UK, with one in three families depending on them for childcare and more than 300,000 children being raised by their grandparents?

If your parents or inlaws fall into this category, you may be interested to hear that a guide advising grandparents Read More...

Formula Milk Advert Banned

Mel Wallace — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 15:25:30 +0100

I really do wonder if the world has gone mad sometimes as a magazine advert for SMA formula milk has been banned for indirectly promoting its use from birth as it showed a baby pulling itself up on an armchair with a tagline reading: "For every stage, a formula."

Apparantly, three readers complained that SMA was "Read More...

Pregnancy does affect your memory!

Mel Wallace — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 18:34:18 +0100

You may well have heard the term 'preg-head', which basically refers to how your memory goes rather pear-shaped when you get pregant and now new research seems to back this theory as amongst the many odd effects pregnancy can have, one of them appears to be increasing the risk of losing things.

Scientists found women in the Read More...

Choice of where to give birth could become law...

Mel Wallace — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:40:18 +0100

Pregnant women could be given the right to choose where to give birth by law under proposals being considered by the Government.

Any risks to the mother and child would have to be taken into account, but the plan could see parents given the right to choose a home birth, hospital birth or one in a midwifery-led centre.

Pregnant ladies - check your iron levels!

Mel Wallace — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:06:12 +0100

Drinking red wine with a meal, going for a run before you eat or eating cheese afterwards are some of the ways people mistakenly think they can boost the iron in their diet, according to a new survey by online health resource, meatandhealth.com.

The survey also found that more than half of women surveyed believe that spinach is tRead More...