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The Essential Baby website and forums exist to provide information and support, and a practical and informative forum for women & men who are experiencing conception, pregnancy, birth and motherhood.

At Essential Baby we aim to maintain a healthy respect for the diversity that makes each of us unique. As a member of the Essential Baby web site, it is our expectation that you too will respect each member of the site, and communicate with others in the Discussion Groups in a respectful, polite and courteous manner at all times.

We are proud of the fact that many of our members have made invaluable friendships through visiting the site, and have been able to gain lots of useful information - both from the content areas on the site and from one another.

It is our experience that problems and misunderstandings can arise in Discussion Groups when members are careless about the way they express themselves, or when they strongly disagree with the opinions of others, or take comments or opinions personally. On the whole, most people do not intend to inflame others when they submit a post, rather personality conflicts ensue because each of us expresses ourselves and interprets others' comments in our own unique way.

Unfortunately expression and interpretation can be a problem in any written communication, and the best way to prevent any misunderstandings is to take extra care when expressing yourself to ensure that you are not using a tone or language that is likely to offend.

It is also important to bear in mind that if you don't share someone's opinion about a topic, it is not grounds for a personal attack on that person or their beliefs. Obviously there will be differences of opinion about certain topics, but this should be a positive thing. Such differences provide an opportunity for healthy discussion and enable each person to present a sound and reasoned argument for their own opinion. This is not a problem, but any discussions that degenerate to include intolerance or personal attacks will be removed immediately.

Who moderates the site? The site is moderated by a team of volunteer moderators, whose details appear in the forum they moderate.

This website is owned and operated by Fairfax Digital Australia & New Zealand Pty Limited (ACN 087 887 456) (Fairfax Digital), a subsidiary of Fairfax Media Limited, and forms part of the Fairfax network of sites. They oversee and have the final say on everything.

The forums are administrated by a Community Manager and several paid administrators, and are your point of call after contacting the relevant Moderator.

If you see a post that is of particular concern, please feel free to notify the moderator or administrators ASAP so that we can take appropriate action. Post a message in the "Messages for Mods and Admins" forum, or e-mail us at customerservice@essentialbaby.com.au

A Final word! Each member is responsible for their actions on the site! As we are all grown, responsible adults embarking on, or in the midst of the world of parenthood, we encourage you to make every effort to ensure that you behave in a mature, responsible and tolerant manner. Let's enjoy each other's company and embrace the differences and diversity in the individuals on the site.

As always we welcome your feedback! Please feel free to contact us at customerservice@essentialbaby.com.au

We ask that you read the RULES before posting on the forums.

Thank you
Essential Baby