We are very excited to annouce the safe arrival of Kate's second child, Orion Amélie Haggman. She arrived on Friday 26th February weighing 3.75kg after an easy labour!!! 

We wish Kate and Mitch all the very best and hope for a speedy recovery and as much sleep as possible!

All our love

Teagan

xox

 

 

 

 

I’m about to give birth to Baby 2.0 any second now. My first child, Tycho, is only 20 months old – just old enough to master temper tantrums and hitting Mummy in the face.

My biggest concern this pregnancy has been how I will cope with both a toddler and a newborn; specifically, how I’ll integrate the newborn into the family with minimal disruption to and distemper in my toddler.

I’ve been doing a bit of research, as well as talking to trusted friends and health care nurses. I thought I’d pass on the tips that I’ve accumulated from my inquiries in case you’re also looking for advice on how to cope with two kids close in age.

Here they are:

• When the toddler comes to the hospital for the first time, get the person with them (eg Dad or Grandma) to warn you by phone a couple of minutes before they arrive so that you're not holding or feeding the newborn when your toddler walks in. Go and greet the toddler with a big cuddle, then take them over to meet the newborn. If you're holding the newborn when the toddler first arrives, they’re likely to become immediately jealous.
• Arrange for a gift from the newborn to the toddler when the toddler first arrives at the hospital. You could also arrange for the toddler to bring a gift for their new sibling.
• If there's a bath in the hospital room, bring in some bath toys and let the toddler take a bath. This will give them something fun to do and keep them from getting utterly bored at the hospital.
• Once you’re home, read to the toddler when you're breastfeeding the newborn. That way the toddler will feel included.
• Try letting the toddler play in the bath while you breastfeed the newborn in the bathroom. That way, they'll be distracted by water play and won't be trying to climb all over you.
• Have a box of special things for the toddler that's only given to them when you are breastfeeding the new baby. The box should preferably have a lid and be put away after each breastfeed. That way the items remain special and interesting (at least for a little while) and won’t just be left among the rest of the toys.
• At some point during each day the baby will be napping while the toddler is awake. Use this time wisely with the toddler. Emphasise that the baby is asleep and it’s just special ‘toddler and mummy’ time; play a favourite game or read together.
• Some parents find that when the newborn comes home the toddler suddenly refuses to go to sleep at bed time. This could be because the toddler is upset that s/he has to go to sleep while the baby is “allowed” to stay awake – i.e. the toddler is worried that s/he is missing out on time with the family. If this should happen to you, try pretending to put the baby to bed first, even if you get them up again to finish breastfeeding after the toddler is in bed.

This article has some more helpful tips on coping with a toddler and a newborn.

If you’ve already been through the toddler/newborn integration process, feel free to share any tips that helped you cope. I – and about eight of my girlfriends – would love to hear them!

Cheers

Kate

 

 

Last week I brought you news that your cognitive functions are not impeded by pregnancy or childbirth.

But that doesn’t mean other functions aren’t.

A recent study conducted by the Queensland University of Technology has revealed that post-partum fatigue (sleep deprivation) makes new mums a big risk behind the wheel of a car. They’re much more likely to cause crashes.

The study of 24 new mums aged 24-39 showed that “near misses” were common.

Dr Kerry Armstrong from QUT's Centre for Accident Research & Road Safety - Queensland (CARRS-Q) said, “The mothers reported debilitating physical and mental effects, likening their experience to 'operating in a constant mental haze' feeling 'flu-like symptoms' and 'moving through the day like you're on autopilot.

“Clearly this raises concerns for driving tasks which for an experienced driver is largely an automatic process.

"To put the danger of fatigue into some sort of perspective; if someone is awake for 17 hours they have a driving performance similar to that of a person with a blood alcohol level of 0.05 per cent, and if they have been awake for 24 hours it is 0.1 per cent, or two times the legal driving limit.

“This has serious implications for mothers suffering from interrupted sleep patterns, night after night and sometimes for several years.”

Previous studies have suggested that mums suffered post-partum fatigue for six weeks after giving birth. However, this one found that they still felt exhausted after 12 weeks.

The sample size for this study isn’t terribly large which, by scientific standards, generally means the study isn’t terribly reliable. However, I’m confident this study has real merit because I’ve personally experienced risky moments after child birth. I would often leave my automatic car in ‘drive’ and the hand brake off in the weeks after I had Tycho.

I’ll certainly be watching myself more closely when I have this next baby.

Stay safe!

Kate

 

 

Well ladies, the jury is apparently in – science has seemingly proven that baby-brain is nothing but a myth.

Scientists at The Australian National University (ANU) have studied the cognitive functioning of 1,241 young women over a period of four years. They targeted four areas: cognitive speed; working memory; immediate recall; and delayed recall.

They found “no significant differences between those women who had become mothers and those who had not.” In other words, pregnancy and motherhood don’t have any detrimental affects on your cognitive capacity.

This has led to some bold statements by the study’s lead scientist, Prof Helen Christensen of the ANU’s Centre for Mental Health Research.

“Women and their partners need to be less automatic in their willingness to attribute common memory lapses to a growing or new baby,” she says.

“And obstetricians, family doctors and midwives may need to use the findings from this study to promote the fact that ‘placenta brain’ is not inevitable.

“Part of the problem is that pregnancy manuals tell women they are likely to experience memory and concentration problems, so women and their partners are primed to attribute any memory lapse to the ‘hard to miss’ physical sign of pregnancy.”

This new study flies in the face of previous studies, which have supported the baby-brain phenomenon. I read one study a couple of years ago purporting that baby-brain can last for up to a year after the child’s birth.

Prof Christensen and her colleagues suggest those previous studies were probably biased, recruiting women who already believed their memory had been affected by pregnancy or motherhood, or women who were depressed or sleep deprived.

My own personal, clearly unscientific, opinion (based on a sample size of one – me) is that pregnant women’s and new mothers’ brains are indeed affected. Here’s my theory.

Just like computers, human brains only have so much processing power and RAM at their immediate disposal. And because new and soon-to-be-new mums are absorbing an enormous amount of baby-related information – focusing so single-mindedly on their new addition – they simply don’t have the power/space to keep track of all the mundane information that life throws at them at the same time – like the shopping list.

Something has to give and, in the heighted state of motherhood, it sure isn’t going to be the baby-related stuff.

But I’m no expert, so don’t take my word for it.

Cheers
Kate

 

 

Mums from Queensland might be familiar with a unique parenting and family support program that has been hugely successful here in Australia as well as overseas. The Triple P Positive Parenting Program was developed through more than 25 years of research by psychologists at The University of Queensland. It’s a solid evidence-based scientific approach to helping you parent your children effectively, offering clinically-proven practical training suited to a family’s individual needs.

Don’t take my word for this program, though. It speaks for itself. It’s been adopted by governments and family support organisations across Australia and in 11 other countries. Triple P and its creators have won significant international awards.

The good news is that Triple P is now accessible to everyone. The researchers have just launched an ‘online instruction manual’ for parents – an online version of the program, designed for parents who don’t have the time to complete group programs of visit practitioners. It’s a convenient place parents can go for solutions to common problems and for advice on teaching their kids independence.

I don’t want to plagiarise press releases so, if you’re interested, you read these quotes from the man behind the program, Prof Matt Sanders, for more details on why the instruction manual was launched and how it can help parents.

You’ll note from the release that the Triple P researchers are looking for parents of 3-8 years old to help them evaluate the online program. See the website for more information.

I think I’ll be heading to Triple P pretty soon. Tycho’s discovered temper tantrums - just in time for our Baby 2.0 to arrive (I’m due on 26 February). He’s even taken to holding his breath until his turns blue and his eyes roll up into the back of his head. Yikes!

Cheers

Kate

 

 

It seems convenience has come to desperate parents of bottle-fed babies – but at a price.

A husband and wife team has invented the Yoomi – a baby bottle that heats milk to the temperature of breast milk in just 60 seconds - all at the touch of a button. The couple says their invention was born out of desperation with bottle-heating issues with their first child. They then road tested the product on their second child.

The bottle contains a heating unit at the top of the bottle, but below the teat. Once the warmer is charged and the bottle turned upside down, the milk flows around the outside of the unit, heating up before it reaches Baby’s mouth. The unit will stay warm for about an hour and can be recharged about 100 times. You can read more about the product and how it works at the Daily Mail’s website.

The self-heating bottle has won some innovation and research awards. And it’s great to see an invention like this reach the public domain. But it’s not cheap - £22 (about AUD$38) for the warmer and bottle, and £4.50 (AUD$8) for a pack of two teats. And I presume that after 100 recharges, you’ll have to pay for a whole new warmer. The Yoomi website doesn’t seem to explain if you can buy the warmer without having to buy another bottle.

Here at All About Baby, we have our eye on this innovative product but it’s not available here yet.

Cheers

Kate

 

Well, Tycho’s 2009 Santa photo wasn’t an epic fail, but neither was it a success.

I haven’t picked up the official photo yet but here's what my cousin Susan snapped from behind the photographer.

The experiment looked promising at the outset. Tycho napped in the car on the way to the shopping centre. He was well fed on arrival. There was a negligible line up. His big cousin Ollie was there for moral support.

But somehow, during the 3 minute wait for the family before us to finish, Tycho’s opinion of Santa steadily soured. By the time we reached the Man in Red he was a Category 4 neck-clinger.

In the end, it took a group shot with Ollie and my sister Dani to calm Tycho enough to consent to a photo. There was no way he was going sit on anyone’s knee but mine, though.

My conclusion: you can’t acclimatise your child to Santa by repeatedly showing him last year’s photo in the week before and walking by the real deal twice in the half hour before you attempt a sitting.

At least Dani and I aren't the only mums featuring in Santa photos this year. Mel ended up in her daughter Ruby’s 2009 edition.

If you’re not too shy, feel free to email in your Santa photos and I’ll post them on the Baby Blog.

Merry Christmas for Friday!

Kate

 

 

It’s Tycho’s second Christmas and I’ve been reading up on how to avoid those dreaded Santa photo fails.

Last year’s one was great. At six month’s old, Tycho was blissfully happy – mostly because there was a fluffy white thing to yank on. But he’s a lot more aware of his surroundings this time and I’d kinda like to avoid emotionally scarring the poor kid with a bad Santa experience.

My desktop research turned up some universally-sanctioned tips for a tear-free Santa photo. Perhaps they’ll help you as much as I hope they will help me:

Get to know Santa. Strangers are scary, especially bearded ones, so make Santa a friend first. Walk past Santa with your child a few times and let them watch him in action with other kids. Talk about who Santa is and what he does. After a few trips to the shopping centre, try a non-photo visit, with perhaps a handshake, high-five or a chat. When your child seems comfortable with the idea of Santa, then attempt the photo session.

Physical preparations. It sounds obvious but don’t attempt a photo if your little one is tired, hungry or bored stiff from a long wait. Go early. Take toys to keep them occupied in line. And feed them up on snacks just before it’s their turn.

Provide security. Try organising a photo with your child and their friend or young relative. Let them take their favourite toy up to Santa’s chair for the photo. And be prepared to sit on Santa’s knee if you have to. Family portraits are pretty common.

Happy distractions. If you do convince your child to pose for a photo, don’t stress too much about making sure they show the perfect expression. Short and sweet is the best option. You can help bring a smile to their face with the usual goofy stunts you pull at home. But make sure you stand as close to the photographer as possible so your little one is looking in the right direction. If you can manage to snap a couple of photos with your own camera, do so. Sometimes the candid shots are the most precious.

Don’t push it. Don’t make your child do something their afraid to do. You can’t rationalise fear with a person who is too young to understand public safety (‘He won’t hurt you’) or the concept of time (‘It will only take a second’). As one parenting expert put it, don’t abuse your child’s trust in you by forcing them to endure a fearful experience. Leave without a fuss, praise your child for waiting patiently in the line and try again at a later time. And remember, it’s not the end of the world if you miss a year.

A specific technique. One woman I came across ended up in the photo alone with Santa, while her children watched from the sideline. She took the photo home and, with her children beside her, compared her latest photo with her childhood Santa snaps, talking about the experience. Sure enough, her kids decided they wanted their photo taken, too.

Now that I’ve imparted this wisdom on to you, I should admit that I won’t be practicing everything I preach. As a full-time worker, I won’t have any time to acclimatise Tycho to Santa between now and Saturday, when I take him for his Santa pic. But he will have his big cousin with him and I’ll feed him well beforehand, which I’m hoping will be enough. I’ll let you know how the event transpires.

In the meantime, send us your 2009 Santa photos – the fails and successes – and I’ll post them on the blog. Email your photo along with your child’s name, age and home city/town to kate@allaboutbaby.com.au.

Merry Christmas!

Kate

 

 

What is it about Christmas that brings out the worst in shoppers?

As you may know, one of the reasons Jay and I launched All About Baby was because we found it almost impossible to physically go shopping with babe-in-arms.

Compound that situation with the traditional Christmas crush at shopping centres and you have the makings of a Hollywood disaster movie.

To help keep you sane this Christmas – and to make room for our 2010 winter stock that’s due to arrive in a couple of months - we’re slashing prices by 20% for our VIP customers.

Yep - that means you! Just quote the following promotion code when ordering online: VIPXMAS.

The 20% discount covers just about everything, including our Clearance Corner, which is already packed with bargains. Our 2009 winter stock is 25%-75% off even before the VIP discount. For example, our Alex & Charli silver Mary Janes are marked down from $39.95 to $10. And with the VIP discount they’re $7.50.

So what’s popular this Christmas? At under $10, the kids’ Envirosax make for great Secret Santa gifts and stocking fillers. The Alex & Charli singlets and body suits are cool items for this hot Summer. And Santa’s been taking lots of orders for the Mamas & Papas new Light of the Moon range of toys.

For breastfeeding mums, undoubtedly the most sought-after product is the Milk Screen, which tests the alcohol content of your breast milk so you can have a Christmas tipple or two without feeling guilty. Dads, you’ll be extremely popular if you pick up this product for your significant other. Kate tells me there are few things lonelier than watching everyone else enjoy a cold beer or wine while roasting through a Queensland Christmas; this will be the third Christmas in a row she’s been pregnant or breastfeeding.

The VIP discount ends 22 December. Sorry, but the offer doesn’t include Cot Couture, Cookey Cat and Cuteability products.

Take care – and Merry Christmas!

Teagan

 

 

‘Having a baby is a wonderful experience and you’ll never regret it.’

Have you ever heard that one before?

Having been through the whole pregnancy-childbirth-childrearing thing, I’m convinced that childless women are kept in the dark about the real story so they won’t be frightened away from motherhood for good.
 

Exhibit A: Beth’s experiment: My friend Beth has just had her second child. She conducted a simple experiment while pregnant the second time in order to gauge the response of mothers. When strangers asked her if she was having her first child, she’d answer ‘yes’ to some and ‘no’ to others. Those she said ‘yes’ to regaled her only with glowing stories about how wonderful childbirth and motherhood was. Those she said ‘no’ to told her only horror stories – aching bones, sleep deprivation, screaming newborns, chronic reflux and cracked nipples.

Now, as mums yourselves, you’re no doubt conscious of what a daunting prospect first-time parenthood is. And you wouldn’t want to scare prospective mums from ever giving it a go. But neither should they be lied to. I’m a full-disclosure kind of gal and I reckon it’s our duty as experienced breeders to tell the new mums the truth.

So, over the coming weeks I’m going to share some of the secrets and glossed-over facts about pregnancy so that mums-to-be out there understand what it is they’re getting into. I by no means want to stop anyone from procreating. After all, it’s the primary reason we’re put on this planet. But the journalist in me believes that all women have a right to know the truth, however unsavoury.

So here’s the first thing I bet your mother never told you: pregnancy is not 9 month’s long. Forty weeks is far closer to 10 months. And what people fail to mention is that you’re actually likely to be carrying bub for 42 weeks.

One book I read said that 95% of first-time mothers give birth at 41 or 42 weeks. And that much-touted baby bible What to Expect When You’re Expecting states that ‘many babies continue to thrive well into their tenth month’.

Now, 2 or 3 weeks may not sound like such a long time extra to wait. But when you’re carrying an extra 15 kilos, you can’t sleep, you can’t fit into any clothes smaller than a bed sheet-sized poncho and your spine has been pulled totally out of alignment, 2 or 3 weeks feels like a lifetime.

Don’t bank on 9 months, ladies. Bank on 10 to 10 and a half!

Cheers
Kate