Doctor

The Baby Doctor

A new picture book, The Baby Doctor – Explaining IVF to Your Child, created by Essential Baby members Leah Bryan and Sara Riches can help the parents of IVF children explain the special way they came...

Birth: a woman's right to decide?

Justine Caines The maternity reforms had the ability to place women as the focus of care, rather than the current practice of meeting the needs of organisations and practitioners first.

Family financial survival plan

Nothing is such a spontaneous cause for celebration as the anticipation of a tiny new bundle of joy.

Who’s Ivy F?

Katrina Logan Who is Ivy F? And so begins the adventures of young Preston Lee as he dons his best detective outfit and goes on a quest to find this baby his parents keep talking about: “Ivy F”.

Being obese no big deal, say pregnant women

Jordan Baker Obesity could now be "so common it is perceived as normal", an Australian researcher says after a survey of pregnant women showed many were oblivious to being overweight.

Hospital closure leaves woman screaming

Julie Robotham Medical Editor A first-time mother endured a traumatic ambulance transfer after Katoomba Hospital, where she was booked to have her baby, failed to warn her of the imminent closure of its birth unit.

Secondary infertility: facing an incomplete family

Gill South Secondary infertility can be as mystifying to the medical experts as to the couples involved.

In the nick of time

Jacinta Tynan Over 35 and pregnant? Congratulations - you've beaten the biological clock. But as Jacinta Tynan discovers, friends yet to conceive may not be so thrilled to hear your happy news...

Budget removes safety net for IVF parents

Julie Robotham Proposed changes to the Medicare safety net could result in thousands of dollars of extra out-of-pocket charges for families attempting pregnancy through in-vitro fertilisation or receiving care from...

Is the weight worth it?

Kyra Sim “Lose weight” … it’s a prescription you may hear from your doctor or midwife to improve your chances of fertility.

Pregnant women confront rise in cancer cases

Louise Hall The number of women diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy or soon after giving birth has almost doubled since the 1960s, and researchers say cases will continue to rise as women have children...

Birth rights

John van Tiggelen In many countries, home births are commonplace - and generally regarded as safe. So why in Australia, where such births are rare, is the Government discouraging the practice? John van Tiggelen...

Be my baby: On the road to fatherhood

Neil Humphreys With a theatrical sigh, I took the still warm plastic contraption, held it at arm's length in such a way that it suggested it was radioactive and rested it on top of the toilet.

Birthing after July 1, 2010?

Melissa Maimann Essential Baby explains the changes to legislation and the consequences it may have for those birthing after mid-2010.

Angela's VBAC story

Angela I was just so happy and so proud of myself, not just for having a VBAC but for being able to be in control of my birth experience.

How to have a positive caesarean experience

Melissa Maimann Caesareans have been the subject of controversy for quite some time. The purpose of this article is not to debate the relative merits of a caesarean or a vaginal birth because for some women, a...

Choosing a hospital

When it comes to your pregnancy, choosing where you will give birth is one of the biggest decisions you will make.

Public hospital care

Public care offers several options, each of which are free of charge if you are a Medicare cardholder.

Private hospital care

Choosing where you will give birth is a big decision. One of the attractions of private hospital care is the high standard of comfort and quality of food.