Many of you will ask why we are talking about this again. And it’s because everyone who has given birth has so much to say on the issue. And because the medical community is concerned over the dramatic rise in c-section births. There are those who feel strongly that vaginal births are what Mother Nature […]

10 years ago

When they first heard that Syrian refugees would be arriving to live in their town, the people of Ballaghaderreen decided to build a wall. A wall of welcome. It was announced that at least 80 people – most of them children fleeing war and violence – would become part of the Roscommon community and locals […]

10 years ago

This bill could go even higher. Today the issue of the children’s hospital costs was discussed in the Dáil. Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald slammed the government over reports that the facility, earmarked to be built on the site of St James’s in Dublin, will be the most expensive ever built. In the world. Ever. […]

10 years ago

A study has found that those who get nine hours of sleep or more every night have a much higher risk of developing dementia. The research found that those who slept excessively also had smaller brain volumes. Published in the journal, Neurology, scientists at Boston University School of Medicine found that sleeping longer may actually […]

10 years ago

I’m sure the first grey hair I found recently is because of this – the minefield that is healthy eating I struggle to ensure I get enough ‘good stuff’ into me and now I am tasked with the daunting responsibility of making sure three little scamps get the correct and balanced nutrients to help them grow […]

10 years ago

She’s only gone and trolled her own husband – and the internet has gone wild. Supermodel and all round bad-ass mum, Chrissy Tiegen, is known for her sharp wit and quick retorts on twitter to those who get up in her grill. But now she is giving her partner, John Legend, a roasting of his own. She posted […]

10 years ago

A judge has jailed a man for seven years after he raped a woman he met on a popular dating site. The Telegraph reports that the 27-year-old had exchanged online messages with the victim before arranging to meet her. The man, who admitted to being in an “open relationship” with another partner, raped her twice […]

10 years ago

He was given a life expectancy of just 12 years – but now Kenny Cridge has defied medics and broke the Guinness book of records. He blew out his 77th set of birthday candles at the nursing home where he lives in the UK. Born as a twin with his sister Dorothy in 1939, doctors didn’t […]

10 years ago

Is your other half proud of his resting itch face? Does his lady tickler also tickle your fancy? I said FANCY. Well, it turns out that men who sport facial tufts are viewed as better partners -and the science on this is pretty conclusive. According to the study published in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology; out […]

10 years ago

Strange levels of a man-made radioactive material usually associated with atomic bombs have been found across Europe. And nobody can figure out why. Iodine-131 was detected in Norway in January and further spikes have now been found across the continent. Now, a US ‘nuclear sniffer’ plane has been deployed to try to isolate where the […]

10 years ago

Sending explicit images to one another is now the norm rather than the exception among young people That’s the stark warning from the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. It’s director of services has appeared before an Oireachtas committee to highlight the dangers of cyberbullying. Caroline O’Sullivan warned that pressure is growing among […]

10 years ago

I found nutrition the single most challenging part of parenting when my children were babies.  Lack of sleep and being puked on were nothing compared to the panic of being responsible for every vitamin that goes in (or doesn’t) to their little bodies. Not only did I obsess how much milk they were taking in […]

10 years ago

It’s a moving video made for teens by teens – and the message is simple – even one pill can kill. The Newtownabbey Arts and Cultural Network Drama (NACN) made the short film about two teenage girls who take a pill on an evening together which ends in tragedy. Made in Rathcoole Housing Estate on the […]

10 years ago

Parents are being urged to be aware of the dangers of gel-filled pearls that are becoming increasingly popular in some children’s games. Made from the superabsorbent polymer – the balls can swell up to 400 times their original size when immersed in water. They start off as small pellets but expand rapidly which can pose […]

10 years ago

A British mum has hailed her baby son a hero after he helped alert her to her rare breast cancer. Little Teddy began refusing to feed from Sarah Boyle’s right breast at about six months old and became “very distressed” The 26-year-old told the BBC that his unusual behaviour convinced her to get her breast […]

10 years ago

The long nights, the smiles, the new saggy bits, the new baby smell, the complete surrender of your body to this little infant – everything about motherhood is one big blur of joy and exhaustion. And as much as I loved it – part of me wondered who this new version of myself was? Where was […]

10 years ago

It is believed the little girl was rushed to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast after falling ill last week. Reports in the Irish Mirror say that the girl, Bronagh Kinney, is from Cushendall in County Antrim and was due to make her First Holy Communion this year. Parish priest in the area is Fr […]

10 years ago

Those who’ve had elective c-sections are being urged to consider having a vaginal birth if they are having another child. It’s also called VBAC (Vaginal birth after c-section) and I know this because I was encouraged by my hospital to have one after I had a c-section for breech birth. (I didn’t in the end) […]

10 years ago

We are not even joking.  It’s a solution to the problem literally nobody was asking for – a ‘lipstick’ that you use to seal your vulva shut during a visit from Auntie Flo. The inventor and non-owner-of-a-vagina, who also happens to be a chiropractor, has received a barrage of complaints, funny comments and blatant outrage […]

10 years ago

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.  And by fail, we mean get hit full force in the face by parenthood. So time to toughen up, mums and dads to be…at least that’s according to this New Zealand dad blogger. He has created a series of 30-second mini tutorials to give parents a hint of what […]

10 years ago

River Schomaker’s mum reported him missing from his home in Portland, Oregon on Saturday morning. A huge search and rescue operation was launched for the two-year-old. He was found in a blackberry bush a few streets away from his house five hours later by search and rescue dogs. He was wearing only his pyjamas. Luckily, he […]

10 years ago

“My turn, mine, no, mine. I was first, no, I was.” This is the background to my life at the moment. Having two children so close together is great because they like all the same things – but it is also challenging because they like all the same things…at the same time. Sometimes it’s over […]

10 years ago

The further the children are in the back the less you hear them This was a revelation for me while taking the Nissan X-trail 7-seater through its paces in the wilds of Connemara this weekend. It’s a practical and reliable ride with some seriously smart features, the buttons are well-placed on the steering wheel meaning […]

10 years ago

Ivan died in 2009 –  just before his seventh birthday. He suffered from a rare and severe form of epilepsy and cerebral palsy. He needed 24 hour care with both his mum and dad taking turns sleeping in his room Speaking to the Times, Samantha Cameron has opened up for the first time about losing […]

10 years ago

My husband laughed at me when I got dressed up for my scan visits when I was pregnant.  “If I can see her, maybe she can see me” I would figure. Pregnancy brain at its finest. It was life-changing to see that first glimpse of life – our child. It is emotional but we were […]

10 years ago

My childhood was a haze of Elnett and slip jigs.  I hornpiped away my evenings and instead of drinking in fields like any respectable teenager, I binged on red lemonade and anticipation at the weekend Feis in Mullingar. That was the life of a competitive Irish dancer in the 80’s and 90’s. No Irish dancing […]

10 years ago

Shakespeare must have known all about the challenges of parenting a tween when he wrote A Midsummer Night’s Dream. “And though she be but little, she is fierce.” Having your sweet baby turn into a bolshie tweenager is a challenge. It usually happens between the ages of 8 and 12 years old. Suddenly have to juggle a […]

10 years ago

Look, we all know it’s not easy to run a household, get breaks away, dress and feed children as well as yourselves and still be expected to save. But superhero is part of the job description of a parent, right? So like it or not, sometimes we have a responsibility to resist those cute shoes […]

10 years ago

Pristine beaches, short-haul flights, chic interiors and plenty to amuse the children. Yes, this place exists. In fact, it’s just a short hop across the water. We have compiled the best the wild British coastline has to offer in terms of family-friendly cottages on the beach. Hello, Easter holidays! 1.The Hobbacott Lane Residence, Bude, Cornwall  […]

10 years ago

Wow – this is not only highly unprofessional but also frighteningly indiscreet. A midwife from Australia was dismissed for sending a message on Facebook informing a friend that his ex had given birth to his child. According to documents from the case, the message included the date and time of the baby’s birth, the weight […]

10 years ago

What a cruel fate. Luke, Hannah and Oliver lost both their mum and their dad in the same week, just five days ago. Already, a campaign set up for the children, who are from Merseyside in the UK, has raised over 155 thousand pounds. The children shared a photo of their parents, Mike and Julie […]

10 years ago

We all want our best for our kids. So now we may have to move… country. A recent survey carried out by InterNations has listed the top ten countries to raise children and Finland comes out on top. Bottom of the pile is Brazil, just one below Saudi Arabia. The Family life Index is part […]

10 years ago

It’s the best, hardest job I’ve ever done. Motherhood is the biggest transition in many of our lives -bringing emotional changes as well as massive physical ones to boot. That’s why sometimes it is nice to know we are not alone. It’s not often we can relate to celebrities talking about ‘keeping it real’ when […]

10 years ago

It may be the most perfectly timed selfie of all time. And now a snap from this Bruce Springsteen fan is being shared by thousands across social media. Jessica Bloom captured the ultimate selfie with The Boss during his concert in Sydney last week. She jumped onto a chair in front of 21 thousand fans […]

10 years ago

The struggle is real. I breastfed my children – one for five months and another for five days. I was definitely very unprepared for some of the realities that come with getting the hang of it. Some friends of mine found it quite straightforward, but now some new research has revealed that I may not […]

10 years ago

Well, this is worrying. It is a criminal offence in Austria to glorify Adolf Hitler or the Nazis. But now authorities in Austria are searching for a man who has been seen impersonating the former German leader of the Nazi party. Sky News reports that there have been reports of a man with the distinctive […]

10 years ago

William hasn’t been to Paris since his mother’s tragic death there twenty years ago. Now he and the Dutchess of Cambridge will spend two days in the city next month on a whistlestop trip encompassing eight formal engagements including a black tie dinner. The Daily Mail reports that the couple will visit Paris on St […]

10 years ago

Some sad news reaching us this afternoon. At least four people have died in an avalanche at the ski resort of Tignes in France which swept away nine people in its path. That is according to sources at the BFMTV channel. Tignes is a commune in southeastern France’s Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region and one of Europe’s most […]

10 years ago

We totally get it.  People have been losing their minds over the utility room on last night’s Room to Improve and we are nodding sagely. Anyone, particularly with children, can understand the unbridled passion a well organised and spacious utility room can evoke. You could even call it a boot room for extra satisfaction. I dream of […]

10 years ago

I have a very open mind – like wide open. But even this made me rethink the world just a little bit.  But horses for courses and all that or in this case…cocoons. Therapists in Japan are wrapping patients up just like babies in a bid to make them feel secure as well as a […]

10 years ago

Nothing says I love you quite like a diamond encrusted pizza ring.  But now this can actually be a legitimate option thanks to the folks at Dominos. (Image via Dominos) They have dreamt up this 22-carate gold ‘diamond en-crust-ed’ pizza slice engagement ring which you can now apply for on Facebook. And there’s more. The Metro reports […]

10 years ago

“Marry in haste and repent at your leisure”  – My mother’s words throughout my early twenties. Turns out, and I say this through gritted teeth, she could actually be right. Choosing a spouse with the right personality may be the key to your future career success. A study has found that the more consciousness your partner is – […]

10 years ago

We’ve heard of all the old wives tales on how to tell if you are having a boy or a girl – but now there could be a more accurate way to guess the sex of your baby. Researchers have found that women who gain less weight during pregnancy are more likely to have a […]

10 years ago

Seven-year-old Katie Rough was found with stab wounds at a field a mile from her home in York. She died from her injuries on the way to hospital. Her mum, Alison, has now launched the hashtag #teamrough to help others pay tribute to the little girl. Her mum wrote on Facebook: “My beautiful, beautiful sassy, […]

10 years ago

Having children is rewarding and amazing and beautiful. But it is also so flippin’ tiring. The toll that pregnancy and childbirth take on our bodies is worth all the pain and changes but we think we should celebrate them more – especially in a world that tells us constantly that looking like you never had […]

10 years ago

We know breast milk is good – but this is amazing. First year bioscience student, Vicky Greene, decided to carry out her microbiology research project using breast milk and the findings have been shared over 25 thousand times. She studied the properties of milk based on a baby being fed at 15 months and a […]

10 years ago

They are the sickest of the sick, caught up in the LA foster care system. All of the children Mohamed Bzeek take in will die. He has buried 10 children – many of them died in his arms. This devout Libyan-born Muslim says he just wants them to know they are not alone in this life. There […]

10 years ago

“Believe in miracles” That was the message from the family of 8-year-old Maddie – the niece of singer Britney Spears after a horror crash that left her unconscious for two days. She was airlifted to hospital after the car she was travelling in swerved to avoid a ditch and ended up overturned in a pond. […]

10 years ago

…..or maybe a bit of both? Tamara Ecclestone has slammed the “bitter people” who have criticised her for posting pictures of herself nursing her daughter. The socialite was pictured in her daughter’s luxurious bedroom breastfeeding the three-year-old Sophia. Although many of her fans commented that they loved the photo, the 32-year-old has lashed out as […]

10 years ago

She’s right, she will end up somewhere as a meme. We came across video on Instagram by blogger, Egreis Gjergjani, from her “gender reveal” party and we couldn’t not share it with you. Egreis and her husband, Jeremy, already have two sons together, ages 1 and 3. But Egreis wanted to find out the gender of her […]

10 years ago