Feature Member

November 09 - Costello syndrome

Nicola suffers from a very rare genetic condition called Costello Syndrome. She is the 14th person to ever be diagnosed in Australia, and there are less than 300 people in the entire world that have the same condition.

November 09 - Paige: Extra chromosome, extra special

Her parents and grandparents don’t see the disability - we see the little girl first and the Down syndrome second.

October 09 - Violet's story

To be told constantly you have a unique and complex child and they want to keep seeing her because of this uniqueness in a search to find answers sure doesn't make you feel special, it just really gets you down.

October 09 - Beating the odds - our premature arrival

My husband Nathan and I started trying for our first baby in 2001. After 6 months and a lot of questions from me, I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

September 09 - Born in an ambulance

The ambulance guys thanked me for making that their first ever birth in the ambulance and said they couldn’t believe how quick it all was.

Septmeber 09 - Stay-at-home Dad, or the 'kid thing'

That little girl from the beginning of the year may be already gone, but at least I’ve had a ringside seat for the whole ride.

August 09 - Genetic Factor Infertility: Our story

A couples story of their attempts to conceive, battling Genetic Factor Intfertility.

July 09 - My twins Shea and Tainn

I have a history of recurrent miscarriages. Once formally diagnosed I was prescribed medication which helped me get to second trimester carrying naturally conceived fraternal twins.

July 09 - Same-sex parenting, our story

Everyone’s definition of a “normal” family is different. We believe that children in general are very accepting and it’s the parent’s views that influence how other children will treat our son.

June 09 - Homeschooling

We took our seven-year-old son out of school at the end of third term last year after seeing him becoming increasingly unhappy at school and his behavior disruptive and uninvolved. EB member and Mum Cindy shares her experience of home-schooling.

May 09 - My two son's analphylaxis

My two gorgeous sons have a life threatening type of allergy called anaphylaxis. It’s a very severe form of allergic reaction that must be treated as a medical emergency requiring immediate treatment and urgent medical attention. It can be a matter of life or death.

Apr 09 - Schooling through Steiner

In two years, my bouncy child had become withdrawn, clingy and competitive. She started comparing herself to others—a strategy common in schools focused on producing academic achievers.

Apr 09 - Asperger's - through adult eyes

Asperger syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder, each individual a different ‘colour’ in the spectrum. There are many commonalities between “aspies” although the expression can be different.

Mar 09 - Diagnosing Dion

Dion virtually stopped eating all together and it became such a battle between us that we hated the sight of food. He would cry and I would think “here we go again!”. I had so many people trying to give me advice on how to feed him that I stopped trying to talk to them.

Mar 09 - My son, my hero

Sam and Phil knew there was a risk of delivery complications when they found out that Sam had placenta praevia. At 32-weeks Cadel made a dramatic entrance into the world and seemed as healthy as one could hope at eight weeks premature. Cadel's entrance however proved to be one of many challenges he would come to face.

Feb 09 - Four babies, four very different births

It’s quite a common assumption that if you have one type of birth then your subsequent births may be fairly similar. For Essential Baby member Sylvia this was hardly the case, with her experiences including emergency caesarean, forceps and an unexpected home birth.

Feb 09 - Hirschsprungs Disease: The rollercoaster

My newborn son was vomiting green bile and was yet to pass meconium. It was the start of a rollercoaster ride that resulted in nine major operations and almost losing him at thirteen months.

Jan 09 - Adopting Palesa

When Sian headed off to volunteer in an African centre for abandoned and HIV/AIDS affected children, she never dreamed she would end up adopting a child herself.

Dec 08 - Renee's Triplets

That first pregnancy ultrasound is usually filled with nervous anticipation and excitement for new parents. But imagine the shock for parents in finding there are three little beings occupying the space on the ultrasound screen!

Dec 08 - Marcia's Triplets

Mum of triplets, Marcia shares her story – from that first amazing ultrasound to day-to-day life with her triplets and family today.

Nov 08 - Jenni's all-boy family

In mid-2008 Essential Baby member Jenni started up a forum discussion for mothers of all-boys. This evolved into a regular buddy group for parents of all-boys. We asked Jenni what life is like living in all-boy household, especially now with a new baby son in the family!