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The Help: Teen Mothers

May 16, 2013 in Anecdotes, Children, Featured, Lifestyle, Mothers, Parenting, Pregnancy & Birth, Stories

How many times have you walked past a pregnant female who looks far too young to have a child and judged them in your head? I’m sure I have at some stage in my life, which is not something I am proud of. Society paints teen mums as ‘irresponsible’, ‘immature’ and often feeds the stereotype that teen mums can’t be good mothers. I have heard many people say “They just want the baby bonus, it’s about money. Wait till that baby screams all night, the novelty will wear off and the money runs out and it’s not so ‘fun’ anymore, [...]

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9 Comments »

28 Is My Scary Age

May 2, 2013 in Gender, Health, Parenting, People, Pregnancy & Birth, Self

When I was 18 years old I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and told I may have difficulty when I came to trying for kids. Up until then kids had been a footnote in the plan I had for my life. I was happily cruising along, fresh out of high school with a steady (dickhead) boyfriend, planning to head into modelling, acting, singing and all the rest of it. So the doctor looks me straight in the eyes, ”This does not mean you will never have kids, but for your best shot you should have the first one before you [...]

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Why Are There No Boys Named Sue?

April 26, 2013 in Body Image, Celebrity, Children, Entertainment, Gender, Parenting, Pregnancy & Birth, Society

In the last few years it’s become acceptable and even cool to give kids gender neutral names. That’s hardly news. However with this trend, I’m seeing a lot of girls with traditionally ‘male’ names, and very few boys with traditionally ‘female’ names. As a teacher I’ve seen some pretty out there names and interpretations of names. Calling the roll for the first time with a new class can be tricky: Me: “Elliot? Is Elliot here? Has anyone seen him?” Student: “ Um, Elliot is a GIRL, Miss!” (Rolls eyes at my apparent stupidity) Me: “Oh. Has anyone seen HER?” I’ve [...]

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In Defence Of Kim Kardashian

April 17, 2013 in Body Image, Celebrity, Entertainment, Pregnancy & Birth

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged about entertainment and celebrities and I know you’re all probably wondering what gives. I’ve decided to step back from the gossip cycle as it is vicious and really, these people, while famous, are just people. But I could not stand back and say nothing about this. I have kept my mouth shut for a while but I can’t anymore. What has brought me out of my celebrity silence? I want people to leave Kim Kardashian alone. Given that she’s made a name for herself by having a reality television show which offers a window into [...]

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Motherhood and Unrealistic Expectations (A Response)

April 8, 2013 in Children, Fathers, Mothers, Parenting, Pregnancy & Birth

This is my response to Tamsin’s post on Unrealistic Expectations on Parenting Central I’ll start by openly admitting before I had children I had no idea what I was in for. I joke about how dumb I was, or how naive  or how crazy some of my ideas and ideals about parenting were. But I do still have a lot of empathy for that old me (or rather, that young me). I had some pretty strong beliefs about how I would raise my babies. I intended that my babies would go on to a routine from birth, I would do controlled [...]

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Abortion: I’m Pro-Choice And Pro-Life

February 11, 2013 in Current Affairs, Gender, Health, Human Rights, Lifestyle, Parenting, People, Pregnancy & Birth, Religion, Self, Sexuality, Society

I’m glad to see that there’s been some new discussions around the antiquated abortion laws in New South Wales and Queensland – about time! Whenever I see articles about abortion, it always makes me wonder what I would do if a sexual partner of mine became pregnant. Given my age, sex, and relationship status (middle-aged, male, and in a 20 year committed relationship) it’s unlikely that I will ever be confronted with this situation. But when people ask me if I am pro-choice or pro-life, I always reply “both”. “How can that be?” they will ask. Well, it all depends [...]

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Breastfeeding: My Awkward Truth

January 21, 2013 in Body Image, Children, Friendship, Gender, Health, Mental Health, Mothers, Parenting, People, Pregnancy & Birth, Relationships, Self, Sexuality, Society

Breastfeeding is a wonderful and natural thing. I have no time for all those prudes and wowsers out there who think breastfeeding is disgusting and best performed at home, under a blanket, and with the lights out. No! Mums everywhere should be able to set their mammary glands free and feed their babies anywhere, anyplace, anytime. And yet…and yet…there is an awkwardness to breastfeeding that I still continue to struggle with. I’m sure not all men feel this, but I’m also guessing I’m not alone in feeling this. You see, I just never know where to look. A dear friend of mine had a baby [...]

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Older Parents: How Old is Too Old?

December 11, 2012 in Children, Family, Fathers, Lifestyle, Mothers, Parenting, People, Pregnancy & Birth

I was 10 when I first realised I have ‘older’ parents. One of my friends was talking about her mum’s upcoming 35th birthday. My mum was 45. After asking around, I soon discovered that most of my friends’ parents were closer to 35 than 45. At the time it didn’t bother me too much, but it wasn’t long before I began to resent not having young parents. It started when my sister had her first child. My sister is 12 years older than me and subsequently has fairly young parents. I got to see the active role my parents had [...]

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What’s Really Holding Women Back in the Workplace?

November 14, 2012 in Children, Fathers, Gender, Health, Lifestyle, Mothers, Parenting, Pregnancy & Birth, Work

Monday night I attended a forum on What Women Want hosted by Sunday Life. The forum was absolutely incredible and covered so many topics that I walked out of there buzzing, excited and feeling so full of new information that I just wanted to burst. This was probably emphasised by the amazing people I had the opportunity to meet and talk to including Tara Moss, Jane Caro, Emily Maguire and Jessica Rowe to name a few. One particular part of the forum focussed on why women don’t achieve equality in the workplace. People mentioned the obvious reason, being that women often [...]

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6 Comments »

What happens when the test results aren’t ‘normal’?

November 6, 2012 in Children, Family, Health, Human Rights, Mental Health, Parenting, People, Pregnancy & Birth, Society

Amniotic testing in pregnancy is par for the course these days. It can assist in recognizing birth defects and other ‘abnormalities’ of the baby while he/she is still cozily in utero. Some women refuse to have amniotic testing done because there IS a small risk that the baby can become distressed as the fluid that cushions it’s little home is pierced and drawn out. On this basis alone, some people choose to forgo the test. Others choose to have the testing done so they can ease their minds about the healthiness and ‘normality’ of their unborn baby. Others choose not [...]

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