Kids on the coast

by Alison Rodriguez

Your obstetrician can't tell you the sex of your unborn baby without an ultrasound, so what makes you think that your grandmother can? The mysteries of the female body and the natural processes of conception, pregnancy and birth (not to mention the conspiracy of silence) seem to have given rise to an unnatural number of folk myths that have persisted through the ages.

Here are a few of the most common myths vs. a few facts.

By Justine Stewart

If you've ever been told something by a doctor or health professional that just doesn't seem right, consider this: up until the 1980's, open heart surgery was routinely performed on babies using no anaesthetic (just a muscle relaxant to paralyse the poor child). That's right, the 1980's, not the 1880's. This was because it was "accepted" as "fact" that babies' nervous systems were insufficiently developed to feel pain.

By Justine Stewart


3.75 million disposable nappies are dumped every single day in Australia and New Zealand alone. In Australia, 800 million single-use nappies from domestic waste systems are delivered to landfill sites for disposal every year, and they may take up to 500 years to biodegrade.

By Justine Stewart

We're all aware that "breast is best" for babies, and for Mums too as long as everything goes fairly smoothly. The message is designed to help parents avoid being fooled into thinking that formula is better, but it can end up being twisted into something entirely different.

The Maternity Coalition* is proud to announce the commencement of BaBs ('Birthing and Babies: education, information and support') on the Sunshine Coast. This is a free community service aimed at providing all pregnant and parenting women, their families and friends to gather to share experiences, information and knowledge.