A Week in the News - 7th June 2013

The news this week was dominated by continuing events in Syria and the discovery that chemical weapons have probably been used. This is a shocking revelation, and it kind of goes amiss in our world as it is something that is very unlikely to happen in the UK - but just imagine the impact something like that would have. The Queen was celebrating her 60th year on the throne, although this news was dampened some what by her husband, Prince Philip, being admitted into hospital. The weather has also been absolutely fantastic!

As always the world of pregnancy and babies has featured heavily in the news, and we're going to look back at some of the stories that caught our eye

Chemicals, The Royal Baby and Cardboard Boxes

The biggest story to hit the news this week was certainly the findings of The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, covered by Siobhan in this blog post. There is no doubt that pregnant women want to know things that will help them have the most successful pregnancy possible, but obviously no one wants to feel like they have to live in a bubble. Clearly we've seen some sensationalism this week, we all know that The Daily Mail love to embellish a story, but we've also seen reasoned views in The Guardian and The Independent. The main point is that these guidelines on what pregnant women should avoid appear to be confusing. No one wants to be in a position where they aren't certain on what they can and can't do, but it is important to have the facts at hand. I don't think anyone would want to discover that these findings were not published because of potential confusion only to learn that the advice could have saved their unborn baby's life.

On a slightly lighter note The Telegraph looked at how Mothercare are already cashing in on the royal baby with products going on sale next month. This isn't a surprise, but I doubt Kate will be kitting her child out with a 'handsome as a prince' or 'pretty as a princess' bib. I'm not sure that would pass royal house protocols! The BBC have also interested us this week with their focus on Finnish baby boxes and how they are loved across Finland with babies regularly sleeping in them until they grow too big. Whilst the content of the boxes have changed over time they are still a favourite addition to the household (alongside the baby!), and they have been linked to the extremely low infant mortality rate in the country. The boxes are so popular that 95% of parents choose it over the cash equivalent, so you can see how important it is to mothers in Finland.

Labour Pains, Down's and a Fascinating Image

In an interesting, although somewhat unscientific article by the Mail there are claims that labour pains can be passed down from generation to generation. I'm not sure what the psychology would point to in this, and whether or not it could even be possible, but the parents in this article seem convinced. Could it really be true? A new blood test could also reveal Down's during the first trimester of pregnancy, it also has a far more effective rate of success which will help parents to discover whether or not their baby may suffer from Down's syndrome. All medical advances like this are surely of benefit to parents-to-be.

We also saw this fascinating image this week of a baby being delivered inside the amniotic sac. It can be known as being born 'with the caul', and is supposedly very rare (and potentially lucky), although when we shared it on our Baby Names facebook page it was surprising how many parents said it happened to their baby!

Baby Showers and a 500,000 to One Shot

The Independent have also focused on baby showers this week with the massive boom in popularity in the UK. I know myself that many of my friends have held such parties, and I'm sure they are good fun. It has been something that has been very popular in the US for many years but has increasingly gained popularity this side of the Atalantic, have you had a baby shower?

Finally this week the story that one mother in the UK has had her third set of twins which is apparently a 500,000 to one chance. That might have been worth a couple of pounds! A lovely news story, but what a shock it must have been when they discovered another set of twins were on the way!

We'll be back with another round up of the news next week, if you see anything that catches your eye let us know on our Twitter account @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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