A Week in the News - 21st February 2014

As the days slowly become lighter and lighter the whole country is hoping that we've seen the back of the terrible weather that struck the country last week, and with BST not too far round the corner hopefully that will be the case. That being said the nation has been lifted with the success of our winter Olympians, with gold going to Lizzy Yarnold last Friday and so far 4 medals being dished out to Team GB. We move on to have a look at what has been happening in the realm we always focus on, parenting.

Miscarriages and Facebook

Miscarriage is something that many women may face during their lifetime. It is obviously a sad moment, and if there is something that could be done to combat it then I'm sure people would be interested. A report on the BBC suggests that miscarriage risk could be altered by changes in lifestyle, for example ensuring that you do not lift any more than 20kg a day, and cutting down on alcohol intake. For some this might be an obvious conclusion, and they may already have been taking these steps - but it is always good to remind people that small changes can make a big difference. At the end of the day, we all know that a healthy diet and sensible living will benefit you in various ways, and if you're trying to get pregnant having a balanced lifestyle will always help.

Do you spy on your children on facebook? One mum writing on The Telegraph after actress Julieanne Moore admitted she spied, suggests that all parents who care should spy too. Beverley Turner asks why parents are afraid to spy on their children online, but happy to stop them going to play at the park on their own because of the threat of 'paedos'. She believes this is the wrong way round, which seems like the right attitude to me. Why on earth would you be scared to protect your children online, but happy to prevent them exploring the world outside?

Tongue Tie, Entitled Mums and On the Buses

I heard a report on BBC Radio 5 early this week looking into tongue tie, and the way that parents and even health care professionals are completely unaware of how to spot it and how serious it can be. A report on the BBC site suggests that more needs to be done to inform parents and support them too. For something that can be solved by a simple procedure, the NCT believe that it is consistently ignored by professionals as 'mild', when it could actually be easily fixed. If your child suffered from tongue tie, around 3% do, did you receive the support you needed and get the right guidance?

We often feature stories in the Daily Mail because they can be sensationalist, and take a step away from reality. It will be interesting to see what you think about this story, that parents are blind to any problems their children are causing - is this something you think genuinely exists? The writer of the story seems to suggest that it is a common thing, and gives many examples, which strangely seems to have been experienced by either her or someone she knows. Personally I haven't seen any of the things she has, but have you? Does any parent seriously let their child urinate on the floor or a cafe and demand someone else to clear it up?

Finally this week, the story of a pregnant woman who was refused a seat on a train. The writer on the Telegraph site suggests that the policy of the train service to only offer a first class upgrade to those with a week long ticket was unfair to a woman (she only had a normal ticket) who had to sit on the floor when first class was free. Whilst common sense maybe should have applied in this situation, surely the passengers who didn't offer up a seat have to take a portion of the blame too?

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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