When you are pregnant it seems like everyone has a comment or story – especially about labour – and it’s generally not a story that offers you the reassurance you are most looking for. Always be reassured you are in safe hands with your doctor, obstetrician and midwife, so trust the professionals who are looking after you and try not ...

Brain power  Women know we’re smarter than men. Men likely think the opposite. But what is the real story? Okay, this isn’t exactly a polite conversation for the dinner table… The true answer is that some women are smarter than some men some of the time, and vice-versa. However, there may be some science behind the idea that the female ...

Brain development changes in babies  A baby’s brain undergoes astounding remodelling in the first years of life. In the third trimester, the brain approximately triples in weight. From birth until the age of about two, the number of synapses per neuron doubles. After two years, strategic loss of unused neurons and synaptic connections takes place with the brain crucially strengthening ...

As a dietitian, I find that many parents delay starting their little ones on solids as they are confused about what they should do and scared of making a mistake.  Doing anything for the first time can be daunting, and I understand that when it comes to introducing solids, you want to get it right.   To make things worse, ...

The sound of a baby’s first cries brings joy to everyone in the birthing room. Doctors and midwives love to hear this as it indicates the baby lungs . Newborn babies don’t cry because they’re complaining, that cry is the first time their lungs are breathing air. The baby will continue to cry until all the amniotic fluid and mucus ...

Human physiology has been constantly studied throughout history, with specific systems and organs focussed upon at different stages. With recent technological advances and improved medical understanding, digestive system health and the role of “good bacteria” in keeping the body healthy has become a topic of interest among research groups [1-2]. Moreover, the connection between gut bacterial populations and disease causation ...

It is well-known that balanced intake of vitamins and minerals is essential to a healthy diet, and multiple sources of these vitamins exist, to cater for all dietary needs. Despite this, education regarding vitamin requirements in pregnancy and in everyday life may not be as widespread as the medical world would prefer. As a result, the benefits of key molecules ...

How do you know if your baby is developing at normal rate? As a maternal and child health nurse some of my most frequent consultations are helping anxious mothers determine whether their baby’s behaviour is normal. But when your child is a newborn the buck stops with you. If a parent displays a behavior consistently when a child is in ...

As a midwife, maternal nurse and child health expert, I’ve fielded many questions from parents over the past 43 years.  These range from concerns about conceiving, pregnancy and labour to parenting. These are some of the most common questions I get asked. Why doesn’t my baby sleep all the time? Parents often think their babies will continue to feed and ...

Have you ever heard of or had heartburn? Have you ever heard of babies with such bad heartburn they cry and cry and cry and cry? These babies are so uncomfortable, miserable and unhappy. The baby’s condition can be very distressing for parents, particularly first time mothers, who think the reason their baby is crying is their fault. Either from ...