A Week in the News - 6th June 2014

This week has really been a mixed bag in terms of weather, with last weekend seeing high temperatures to storms throughout the week, and some nice weather over the last two days - a typical British summer? We've also seen the disputed release of US Army prisoner of war Bowe Bergdahl. As the World Cup also nears, the next few weeks are bound to be dominated by sport. We move onto look at the news which we found to be interesting this week in our focus.

Tech and Blood Poisoning

Do you find that your children are more interested in technology than having a conversation at dinner? A story in the Daily Mail suggests nine out of ten children would rather play with technology at the table than talk to their familiy. Now I'm sure I'm not the only one who grew up in a family where mealtimes were taken together, and distractions such as a mobile phone (only once I was allowed one!) weren't for dinner time. Surely that's just a basis of good manners? I'm sure if I had been asked when I was younger if I would rather have been playing Goldeneye or having dinner at the table, I would have probably picked the N64 every single time - yet I still realised the importance of spending time with family. If dinner time is really becoming such a distraction to people's days then are we happy to sacrifice good manners and conversation? You would think that having dinner together, without distractions, is an extremely important part of socialisation for our young children, it is important, isn't it?

A story which has continued to evolve this week, including reports here in the Guardian, is that of the sad news that 18 babies have suffered blood poisoning from liquid food in hospitals. Clearly this is something which is horrendous news for any new parent, especially as it is likely that their child is receiving the liquid food because they were already born premature. Whilst the number of cases is low at the moment, even one baby being infected by something which is supposed to help them is a major concern. Hopefully the bad batch of food has now been cleared from stocks in hospitals and no more cases are caused, but this has been awful news for the parents of these children.

What exactly do we feed very sick babies? This report from the BBC gives us a good idea of exactly what has happened in the case of these premature babies, and explains what the liquid food they are given is. It also breaks down how they have been infected and what may happen to the babies as they try to fight the blood poisoning. For anyone who wants a good summary of what has happened in this case, this is a good starting point.

Maternity Leave, Three Parent Babies and Discovering your Baby's sex

Are you considering not taking your whole maternity leave? A report in the Independent suggests that half of mothers are scared to take their whole maternity leave for fear of losing their job. The research was undertaking by the NCT, and found that 47% of those who weren't going to take their full maternity leave did so due to fear of losing a job. Is this something that you experienced? Maternity leave has always been a matter of debate, and it is no wonder than some mothers are worried about their job when they return, but what were your experiences?

What are your opinions on three parent babies? Reports suggest that this may be a scientific possibility within the next two years. In this case it would be two women supplying eggs, and sperm from one man. This would allow for screening for mitochondrial diseases, which would ensure that babies would be born without the danger of developing diseases during their life or in the womb. As these diseases only pass from mother to child, there is only the need for sperm from one man. Clearly this may cause some people to bring up ethics, so a debate on the matter must be important. What do you think though, should we allow three parent babies?

Finally a report in the Telegraph looks at how Ian McEwan's speech at the recent Hay Festival hasn't influenced one woman when it comes to finding out the sex of her baby. McEwan suggested that finding out the sex of your baby before they are born destines them to a 'pink or blue fate'. Do you agree with this? I've always thought I would like a surprise to be honest, but I can also understand why people would also want to know whether they are having a boy or a girl. But does finding out early mean that you will force stereotypes onto your child?

See you next week, in the meantime please follow us on Twitter @MumNetwork.

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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