Expert Tips

Expert Tips: by Kylie (Midwife, Child and Maternal Health Nurse, and owner of Beyond the Bump)

You don’t have to own a fancy big camera to have a bit of fun and get creative when photographing your kids.  You can create some beautiful images that are frame-worthy just by using a few simple techniques.  Here are some creative ideas and tips for photographing your children.

Do you find that it is difficult to find someone you trust to look after your children? Do you feel guilty asking friends or relatives to baby-sit? Do you feel you often need to pay for a baby-sitter? A baby-sitting club is the ideal way to solve some of these issues.

As a paediatric emergency nurse and mother of two, I know each season brings its own set of issues. In summer, it’s the outdoor stuff — from grazed knees and sunburn to drowning tragedies. Being aware of the most common sticky situations kids get themselves into and staying calm and knowing what to do if things go wrong is the key to surviving summer.

Expert tips: Flight attendant and mum Jaimie-Anne shares tips for flying with babies and toddlers to help make your flight more pleasant

Do you find that it is difficult to find someone you trust to look after your children? Do you feel guilty asking friends or relatives to baby-sit? Do you feel you often need to pay for a baby-sitter? A baby-sitting club is the ideal way to solve some of these issues.

Are grandparents between a rock and a hard place when a baby arrives? Lynne-McKensey Hall IBCLC explains how they can be involved, without being in the way.

When you hear ‘fine motor skills’, you’re hearing about your child’s finger and hand muscles – the way children grasp, manipulate, stack, sort and develop hand-eye coordination. These skills are an important part of childhood development as they help children prepare for pre-school and school tasks such as writing, drawing, cutting and colouring.

Partners are keen to help but may be unsure of how to, especially if the mother is breastfeeding. If either or both the baby’s grandparents are helping with household chores and cooking, partners may feel further displaced about their role while at home. Lynne-McKensey Hall IBCLC provides some tips about how partners can be more involved with your newborn.

It might surprise you to know that more women can breastfeed than those who are unable to (for whatever reason). We have the ability to produce enough breast milk for one or more babies at one time, adequately provide for a pre-term baby, potentially relactate after weaning and potentially induce lactation as an adoptive or surrogate mother.

You have made it to the end of the month congratulations and hopefully a healthier and happier you? So now where and what to do?

“As a busy mum myself finding the time to get any kind of exercises in can be a challenge and often if the opportunity comes up I can be too tired! But often if I make myself go out just for a walk in the fresh I soon feel ten times better and the benefits of exercise help lift my mood and help me face with the stressful often hectic 5pm-8pm dinner and bedtime schedule!..”

Part 1 in our series on Achieving Optimal Nutrition and Health in Pre-Conception and Pregnancy

Part 2 in our series on Achieving Optimal Nutrition and Health in Pre-Conception and Pregnancy

Five must do’s for being in peak pre-conception form

As busy mums we tend to put ourselves last on the needs list and if we already manage to squeeze exercise in it is our workout session that is the first to get pushed to one side if anything else crops up. Lorraine from Pregnancy Exercise has some great tips to help get you moving and stay moving.

Fussy eating is a normal part of a toddler’s development between the ages of 18 months and 3 years, but sometimes it can result in food refusal or persist for a long time. Jan Jones provides information about how you can tackle fussy eating and what you shouldn’t do. (Information relates to both general fussy eaters, as well as more specific information for children who are on the autism spectrum)

It can often be easy to start a challenge but it is a little harder to remain on track and stay focused. Lorraine from Pregnancy Exercise shares how you can keep moving and stay motivated.

Expressing breastmilk isn’t always easy, with many mums finding they can only express a small amount, or that it takes a long time to get the amount you need. Lynne-McKensey Hall IBCLC shares why expressing may be beneficial, and how you can tackle some of the common issues mums face.

Breastfeeding is the physiologically normal way to feed and nurture our babies. Without the opportunity to watch and learn at the fireside from our mothers and other women as our ancestors did, it’s understandable that unexpected outcomes and issues with breastfeeding and settling can bewilder many breastfeeding mothers.

Chances are, if you haven’t needed an OT before, you don’t know how much they do and how much you are missing out on! Nicole explains how useful they can be for children with an Autism diagnosis.

The arrival of your new baby is an exciting and joyous event but it often comes with many people offering advice about breastfeeding. Lynne-McKensey Hall IBCLC explores two common myths about breastfeeding that are often offered as ‘advice’.

What is asthma? What are the symptoms? How is it diagnosed? How is it treated?

Children will have an average of six to twelve colds in a 12 month period. Our Pharmacist Tanya explains what to look out for, when to head to the doctor, and why you shouldn’t bother buying cough medicine.

“On television, divorce and separation is all about lawyers and their clients having dramatic confrontations in boardrooms, complete with ultimatums and walk-outs. The reality, not surprisingly, is somewhat different…” Family Lawyer Peter Curry provides some great tips on how to approach separation negotiations so the children come out the winners.

Wish your child would learn to use their inside voice? Early childhood educator Jan Jones has some great tips for you.

If you can change your poor posture it will help reduce aches and pains, prepare you better for pregnancy and help your recovery post baby.

Expert Tips: Lactation consultant shares tips on how to know if you have low milk supply and how to increase milk supply

The moment your waters break is usually a signal for women that they will get to meet their baby soon. But sometimes baby doesn’t come straight away or it happens before full term. Our midwife, Caroline May, explains what PROM and PPROM are, and what you can expect if you experience it.

Medication in pregnancy needs to be taken only after discussion with a qualified professional.  The following is some of the information that can be used to determine if a medication is appropriate in conjunction with chatting to your doctor or pharmacist.