Pregnancy & Birth

The Magical Mysteries of the Umbilical Cord ...

Why would I store my baby’s cord blood? There are so many products and services pushed to pregnant women nowadays.  Everywhere you turn, there’s a new product being pushed that you’ve never heard of, that you just HAVE to have. Cord blood banking is one of these things.  It sounds like you should probably do it, but all the information out there is so scientific and for your everyday Mum…
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Baby & ToddlersBlogPregnancy & Birth

Good births - just good luck?

Natalie Meddings, doula and active birth teacher is founder of the tellmeagoodbirthstory network and currently writing a book about the fear of childbirth. In 1953, less than one woman in ten needed assistance in birth. That meant a huge and certain 90 per cent of women gave birth to their babies without surgery, without instruments, and without pharmacological pain relief. Today over half of…
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Baby & ToddlersBlogPregnancy & BirthTested & Recommended

What to expect if you go to see 'What To Expect When You're Expecting'

I’m sure we’re all familiar with Heidi Murkoff’s 1985 pregnancy bible. It is probably the most famous guide to pregnancy in the English-speaking world. What To Expect When You’re Expecting, and others in the same series, have sold a staggering 35 million copies worldwide. With a phenomenon like this how long could Hollywood be expected to stay away? And sure enough, in line…
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Baby & ToddlersParenting SkillsPregnancy & Birth

Are my twins identical?

During prenatal scans almost 15% of parents may be misinformed about whether their twins are identical or not, says a new study from UCL. The research highlights the difficulties associated with determining whether same-sex twins are from one egg or two, and therefore whether they are identical or non-identical. The team, led by Dr Clare Llewellyn of UCL’s Health Behaviour Research Centre…
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