A Week in the News - 20th June 2014

In the past week we've seen the World Cup dominate the headlines, alongside the worrying story of the continuing problems in Iraq. As England's last two results seem to have doomed them to an early exit it looks like it will be another four years before England fans get to revel in the national teams undoubted failure yet again! As the longest day of the year arrives tomorrow, summer seems to have hit too and warm weather is taking hold across the country. Let's have a look at what caught our eye this week.

Facebook, Arguing and Smoking

In the past couple of weeks facebook has changed its policy in regards to nudity in photos. Previously many women faced having their photos removed if they uploaded an image of them breastfeeding their own child, in most occassions simply because their nipple was exposed. Interestingly it seems that photos of men topless were very rarely, if ever, removed from facebook, whereas breastfeeding photos were routinely taken down. Clearly this is a success for free speech and expression, and if women want to share such a natural act then why did facebook feel it was within their power to take down photos in the first place? Surely it wasn't offending anyone? It seems like common sense has prevailed in this case.

Do you argue in front of your children? A story in the Telegraph looks at whether or not it is a good idea to argue when your children are present. Whilst some believe that is doesn't cause any problems, a study by the University of East Anglia has shown that in brains of teenagers who have experienced parents arguing there is a distinct lack of 'grey matter'. This can lead to impaired learning and schizophrenia. Clearly in some cases it is impossible not to argue, I don't think anyone would be bold enough to claim that they have never argued with their partner. The article goes on to suggest some techniques that can be used to avoid arguing, or controlling an argument in front of children, but I suppose we all deal with arguments in different ways!

Numbers of women smoking during pregnancy have continued to fall, with only 12% continuing to smoke. In London only 5% continue to smoke, whilst in the North East the number rises to 21% - it seems that something can definitely be done there. Smoking during pregnancy is not advised an can cause some serious problems for both the health of the mum and the unborn child. It is easy for me to sit here and say that everyone who smokes should stop, especially as I have never been a smoker myself. The facts show that smoking during pregnancy is not a good idea, so hopefully even more women across the UK take that on board.

Miscarriages, Cremations and Fertility

Another story in the Telegraph looks at the mumsnet findings which showed how around 46% of women who miscarry have to wait for a day to have a scan, whilst around 1 in 5 have to wait up to three days. In such cases as miscarriage you would think that hospitals and medical staff would do all they could to assure women and care for them, rather than have them sit and wait. Waiting those 24 hours, or even 72 hours in some cases must be some of the most painful hours, and for then 47% to be treated alongside women who are still pregnant, it must be heartbreaking. In such cases, where the person who has lost their child is obviously going to be clearly upset, you would think that care providers would be doing their utmost to do just that, care.

A report this week has recommended new laws to protect greiving families who have had their baby cremated. Whilst this seems to be limited to Scotland, it would be interesting to know what the story is in England. In Scotland hundreds of babies ashes have been disposed of without making their parents aware - which sounds like a horrendous thing to go through. Do you have any experience of this in England? Hopefully any changes which are made will be positive for future families who have to deal with the bereavement of a very young baby.

Does a woman have a fertility cliff, where there is a drop off in fertility rates? After Kirsty Allsopps' claims on Newsnight the BBC have looked into whether or not women should be concerned that they should be having children at a younger age, rather than waiting. It seems that there is no hard and fast rule when it comes to the fertility of women, and it can vary differently from one woman to the next. So Kirsty may be right in some cases, but not in others!

See you next week!

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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