A Week in the News - 17th January 2014

In the last week we have seen the weather slowly return to something more normal, and whilst there has been the occassional shower we haven't seen anything like the rain we've had recently. Hopefully anyone who has been affected by flooding recently has managed to move back into their home. We've also seen more 'celebrities' on trial for abuse, and the French President in a row over an affair. But we move onto the world of mothering and what hit the news this week

Rio, Happy Mums and Not Having Children

With Jessica Ennis-Hill announcing her pregnancy last week we were greeted with one of the first UK celebrity pregnancies of the year. Interestingly this week the Telegraph suggested that her pregnancy might lead to enhanced performance because of increased red blood cells travelling around the body and changes in hormones. Whilst this may not be the most important news to mothers around the country, it shows that if you keep fit during pregnancy then there is good chance that recovery after pregnancy will be simpler.

Are mothers the happiest? A report in the Telegraph and in other outlets suggests that mums in the UK are the happiest people around, even if their relationships may make them unhappy. Women without children were seen as those who were least happy. Is this something that you agree with?

Interestingly that report brings us onto another from the Guardian which asks for us not to divide women because some have children and some don't. The article shows that it's likely that 25% of women born in the 1970s will not have children, and whilst this article doesn't directly relate the previous, does that mean they are all unhappy? There are a variety of reasons why women either decide not to, or can't have children and it shows how society has changed that 25% of women in that age bracket will not have kids. Have you noticed this amongst your friends?

Euthanasia, Abortion and Fake Crying

In Belgium there is a debate ongoing which some in this country may find difficult to understand. Should euthanasia for children be legal? Euthanasia itself was legalised in Belgium in 2002, but it did not cover children. Now the Belgian senate has passed legislation so the euthanasia for children is also covered. This is a difficult subject to cover, and of course would feature strong opinions from both sides. But what do you think? Should a child be able to determine if they want to die? Would something like this ever be accepted in this country?

Another slightly disturbing story is one from the Daily Mail which suggests that thousands of girls are being aborted as they are not boys. It is believed that this is happening because boys are more desirable to certain ethnicities. This is something which is concerning, and it seems odd that doctors are happy to allow abortions in such circumstances. Obviously this is against the law, as confirmed by the Department of Health, is it really happening and what should be done about it?

Finally, did you know that your baby can fake cry for attention? Japanese research suggests that babies as young as seven months can fake a cry to gain the attention of mothers. Have you noticed your baby doing this?

We'll be back next week, see you then!

About the author

James Brighton

Since 2011 James has been in charge of working with and organising all our writers to put together Pregnancy.co.uk and Babies.co.uk. Anna, his girlfriend, knows he will be an encyclopaedia of knowledge if she ever falls pregnant!

Click here to read my full biography.

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