Colic is the extreme end of normal crying behaviour. The condition is harmless, but it can be very distressing for parents or carers. About one to two in every 10 babies get colic. What is colic? Colic is uncontrollable crying in a baby that has no known cause. Symptoms of colic Your baby may have colic if he or she cries excessively over several days. Although this crying can occur at any time, it usually gets worse in the late afternoon and evening. Colic usually appears in the first few weeks... 

What is it? A baby who refuses to breastfeed and is not in the process of being weaned, is said to be on a “breastfeeding strike”. It is your baby’s way of telling you that something is wrong. It will take a little investigative work to identify the problem. What is the most likely cause? Some of the most common reasons for breast refusal include: • Your baby is not latching on properly and cannot get a good enough mouthful of breast to feed effectively. Get help from a breastfeeding... 

What are the causes? • The letdown reflex You may experience fleeting pain in your breasts when your milk “lets down”. The letdown reflex, also known as the milk ejection reflex, is caused by the action of the hormone, oxytocin. Oxytocin stimulates the muscles of the breast to squeeze out milk. In the first few days after the birth, the hormone is released in response to your baby suckling. Later, anything that makes you think about your baby, or feeding your baby, can trigger this... 

Realistically, you probably won’t want to go anywhere with your newborn except straight home. She requires almost nonstop attention, feeds and besides, you’ll probably be exhausted! But by three months or so, babies are pretty good travellers. They aren’t as fragile as parents sometimes fear and your baby is less likely to view travel as a disruption now than she will later on. So enjoy this period: once she’s mobile, travel becomes a far greater challenge. Health and safety... 

Chickenpox is a common illness among kids, particularly those under age 12. An itchy rash of spots that look like blisters can appear all over the body and may be accompanied by flu-like symptoms. Symptoms usually go away without treatment, but because the infection is very contagious, an infected child should stay home and rest until the symptoms are gone. Chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV). Kids can be protected from VZV by getting the chickenpox (varicella) vaccine,... 

Once you’ve made up your mind to deliver naturally, you need to actively prepare for it – by developing a birth plan, making sure you’ll be giving birth with the right caregiver in the right environment, ensuring that you have good labor support, and educating yourself about childbirth and coping techniques. You can have a drug-free delivery in a traditional hospital setting, but it’s likely to be easier to labor naturally at a birth center or at home. Birth centers are designed... 

If you want to remain in control of your body as much as possible, be an active participant throughout labor, and have minimal routine interventions such as fetal monitoring in the birth process, then a natural, unmedicated approach to controlling labor pain will suit you best. If you choose to go this route, you accept the potential for pain and discomfort as part and parcel of giving birth — an experience that includes working with complete awareness through each stage of labor. But with the... 

How soon will I know? Unless you have a test beforehand, the first indication that you may be pregnant is when your periods stop. The first signs of pregnancy Periods are sometimes late and just missing one doesn’t necessarily mean you are pregnant. But if your breasts feel swollen and you feel nauseous particularly first thing in the morning, you would be advised to have a test. When can I take a pregnancy test? You can take the test any time you think you may be pregnant. However,... 

There are a lot of old wife’s tales about conception, some have an element of truth in them, most do not. Does having sex in the missionary position determine whether you have a Boy or Girl? No. There is no evidence to suggest that, nor are you likely to have a boy if you have sex standing up or when your partner enters from behind. Nor is there any evidence that lying on your back with your legs in the air after sex will improve your chance of conceiving – but if you want to try...