Speaking of prizes, we have a give away from Milton Baby Care (see below) and a
special offer for Bub Hubbers in Melbourne for the comedy festival
(a good opportunity for a night out as well as an education for dads). See box on right for password and conditions.
For all the UK Ex-pats don’t forget Mothers Day is this month.
All the best,
The Bub Hub Team
www.bubhub.com.au
 
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The ‘Coping with Post-Natal Depression’ and ‘Helplines & Support Organisations’ pages in each state and territory list numerous sources of
assistance for parents. If parenting was easy the Bub Hub would not exist, we encourage parents to ask questions. Better to be safe than
sorry!
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The transition to parenthood can be a difficult time, and health professinals routinely talk about it as a life stage of high stress. Women in
particular (yes still more than men!) face changes to their lifestyle, self-image, role/s, relationships, body, hormones… Given all these
changes, together with the physical toll of pregnancy, labour, childbirth, and breastfeeding (and bottle feeding has it’s own stresses) it is not
surprising that many women find the first year after the birth of a baby to be a difficult one and experience some or all of the following:
tiredness, mixed feelings about the baby, the partner and becoming a parent in general; irritation about not being able to ‘get things done’;
periods of
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distance from the partner; sadness about the loss of the ‘way things used to be’; guilty about not being or doing enough; fearful for
the future; lacking in confidence in any number of areas in life; overwhelmed with responsibility…
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What a list! Given the long list of ‘normal’ feelings, it can be tricky knowing when feelings are no longer ‘normal’ and when to ask for help.
The extent to which becoming a parent is difficult for any one person varies for lots of reasons that are not even fully understood by the
‘experts’. For many women the symptoms of post natal distress come out of the blue (no-one plans on feeling depressed after having a baby
after all!!) and the question of “why me?” can add to the list of unanswerable questions. Although the “why me?” question is totally normal
when things have not gone to plan in your life, it is important to remember that any professional you talk to about your feelings will not judge
the “why?”- They are far more interested in looking at the “where to from here” question.
So what things may indicate that talking about what is going on might help? They are pretty simple really and here they are:
• an overall feeling of being unable to cope and/or being really sad about your life
• not enjoying your role at all, and/or
• experiencing any thoughts or feelings that worry you or your family/friends.
I believe that women know when things aren’t right for them. So if this is you or someone you know you will want to know:
What may help?
For some women a good cry with an understanding friend or family member will help; other women will benefit from more professional help.
I think that most women tend to seek out the understanding friend or family member first (if they are lucky enough to have one) and see how
they feel after this. The next step may be to ring a helpline or do an internet search. Some women may mention their feelings to their GP or
early childhood nurse. All of these people are trained to help you- but do remember that if you don’t get enough information or someone says
something unhelpful for you either ask them for more information or feel free to seek more advice - not all approaches will work for all people.
Also bear in mind that some women find practical support greatly helpful, yet others require further assistance in the way of psychological
counselling, medication or a stay in hospital. You and your family are the best judges about what suits your circumstances: Remember that
you and your family are the experts on your own situation and that there are many services to support you in the sometimes difficult
transition to becoming a wonderful parent.
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The Dona Marie Pre & Postnatal Support Network is a nationwide telephone and group support
network for women suffering from postnatal depression and their partners and families.
ph: 1300 555 578 (cost of a local call) Support Line
hours of operation: 08.30- 1700 Monday to Friday
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Breastfeeding is an important aspect of motherhood. The ‘Getting Help with Breastfeeding’ page lists where Mums can get local support.
Recently the ABA celebrated its 40th anniversary and we have asked both they and ALCA for further information on their services.
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40 Years and Still Doing It!
This year the Australian Breastfeeding Association (formerly Nursing Mothers’ Association of Australia) celebrates its 40th birthday. The
association supports and empowers women who choose to breastfeed their babies, while educating the community about breastfeeding.
Nursing Mothers’ began in an era when bottle-feeding was considered the norm and there was very little information on breastfeeding. Now
the association’s Lactation Resource Centre has the largest collection of articles and research on breastfeeding in the Southern Hemisphere
(widely accessed by health professionals.) The association also publishes 27 booklets on various aspects of breastfeeding.
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40 years on and the association stretches across the nation and is widely respected overseas. 260,000 counselling
contacts are received annually by the associations Breastfeeding Helpline and its 1200 trained, volunteer counsellors. Over the last four
decades, the association’s counsellors have helped and encouraged countless women. The Australian Breastfeeding Association offers a
unique blend of mother-to-mother support, accurate and up-to-date breastfeeding information and counselling about breastfeeding and its
management.
The association has influenced government policy, given countless talks to health professionals, hosted successful international conferences,
and run outreach programmes for both indigenous women and teenage mothers.
The 40th birthday celebrations will continue across Australia throughout the year, celebrating 40 years of promoting breastfeeding by the
association’s 330 groups and their volunteers. To top the year off in World Breastfeeding Week (the first week of August) we will be hosting a
40th birthday National Breastfest across the country to attempt to gain the world record for the most women and babies breastfeeding
simultaneously! The association will be calling all breastfeeding mothers to come along and be counted. This will be a fun way to celebrate
the 40th birthday and help strive toward the association’s vision of all babies exclusively breastfeeding for six months with ongoing
breastfeeding for as long as the mother and child desire.
Lee King
Australian Breastfeeding Association Director
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Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA)
website: www.breastfeeding.asn.au
Helplines: ACT ph: (02) 6258 8928, NSW (south) ph: (02) 6258 8928,
NSW (other) ph: (02) 9639 8686, NT ph: (08) 8411 0050,
QLD ph: (07) 3844 8166 or (07) 3844 8977,
SA ph: (08) 8411 0500,
TAS ph: (03) 6223 2609, VIC ph: (03) 9885 0653, WA ph: (08) 9340 1200
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The Australian Lactation Consultants' Association Ltd (ALCA) is the only national non-profit organisation in Australia. ALCA offers education and support to International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC) and our seminars, chat nights and conferences are open to all health professionals who are interested in lactation and breastfeeding issues. Lactation Consultants are health professionals who support protect and promote breastfeeding through education and clinical
expertise.
An IBCLC in private practice consults in a private clinic, or see mothers and their babies in the mothers' home or at the maternity hospital.
They help resolve breastfeeding or lactation problems, teach the art of breastfeeding, and assist mothers to develop and improve their
mothering skills and provide an ongoing support system for them both.
In the early weeks after a baby's birth, a newborn may have difficulty
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nipples, mastitis (infection of the breast), an over or under supply of milk, or simply not coping with the intense demands of a new baby.
Breastfeeding can continue from many months to a number of years, hence mothers can have another set of problems relating to an older
baby.
A Lactation Consultant is there for both mother and baby, and can help with a one to one approach. Typically the first consultation will be one
and a half to two hours, and after that there may be follow up calls on the phone and subsequent shorter visits. Circumstances may dictate a
longer consultation, but with any health problem, the sooner it is addressed, the quicker the resolution.
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Australian Lactation Consultants' Association Inc. (ALCA)
locations: to find an IBCLC in private practice in your area go to the website below or call on the number below
ph: (02) 6295 0384
website: www.alca.asn.au
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The Baby & Kids Market - Victoria
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With over 80 stalls, the Baby & Kids Market provides premier products by leading brands at bargain prices. From strollers to carry cots, toys,
books and clothes. Brands include; Pumpkin Patch, Osh Kosh, Esprit, Fred Bare, Emmaljunga, Fisher Price - just to name a few!
The Baby & Kids Market also provides an opportunity for you to sell your pre-loved baby and children items.
The next Baby & Kids Market will take place at the Hawthorn Town Hall (Mel Ref 45 D11) on Sunday 28th March 2004, from 9am - 1pm.
For more information, visit the website at www.babykidsmarket.com.au.
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Working from home, particularly with the relative in expense of a home/paperless office, is an option more and more mums (and dads) are
investigating. A number of work from home ventures advertise on the Bub Hub and we have asked some of the CGIO team for a bit of
background on how they got started.
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Curious about what those “Work from Home” ads are about? We Lorraine, Helen and Trish are all Mothers of different ages and backgrounds,
successfully working from Home. We want to put an end to the mystery, and share with you our personal stories.
At 33yrs of age Lorraine suddenly found herself as a single mum of two boys. She says, “Trying to juggle Nursing work, family, bills &
commitments all on my own just wasn’t working. I watched every cent, worked as much as I could around everything else, but I was going
backwards at a tremendous rate. I saw an ad in the paper, “Earn Extra Cash Working From Home” and my life has done a complete 360
since then. I now get to stay at home with my kids,
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work my business around all my other commitments and I earn around $2000 a month
with only a part-time effort. And I still get to do what I love, helping others to improve their health”
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There are so many Home Businesses out there to choose from. Party Plan, Mail Order, Internet, Direct Sales. It can all be a little
overwhelming when you’re really not sure what you should be looking for in a good Home Based Business. With so many Companies out
there looking for consultants, the choices are almost endless. The key is to find products that you can get passionate about. Passion for the
product that you are promoting is what will ultimately make your business a successful one.
Helen is a mature mum with a lot of personal business experience and this is what she suggests you look for before joining any company.
1. A compensation plan that pays equally based on effort
2. A simple system
3. On going support from “real” people
4. Consumable products with good re-sale percentages
5. A Company with an excellent track record. (Check The Department of Fair Trading)
6. A GREAT education system
Helen added: “What I found most appealing about CGIO was that they offered ALL of the information for free. They answered all of my
questions, invited me into an online training where I was able to meet and speak to “real” people who were already running their own
successful businesses. They give me sound business advice that is helping me to set up my nest egg for retirement.”
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Trish says “My husband and I were broke! I had to go back to work after having my two children and I had no choice but to leave them in
care. We still had no money and I missed them terribly, so I started researching Home Businesses. I found
http://wealthonline.cgio.net and
after reading the HUGE amount of information provided, I spoke to Lorraine. We have worked together using the systems provided and a
plan of action that brings me a profit of $300 a week. The kids are with me, I decide what hours I work and my income will continue to grow.
The best part is that I am now working in the fastest growing industry in the world, the health industry. I have been trained to assist people
to look and feel better about themselves and how to achieve their own personal goals. There’s nothing more satisfying.”
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If you are the type of person who likes to help others Trish, Helen and Lorraine invite you to visit their website and take a look for yourself at
what a real Home Business can do for you. http://wealthonline.cgio.net.
No
Obligation, Free Friendly Information.
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Pre and Post Natal Depression from the
