Covid

With case rates in Australia through the roof I figured this was something I might need to know about, and you might too.

****This blog provides general information only and does not replace medical advice or conversations with your care providers. All information is true and correct to the best of my knowledge as at 4/1/22 and all sources listed below were accessed on this date. Always seek medical care if you are concerned about your or your child’s health.****

Is it safe to keep feedi…

First detected in South Africa in November 2021, it’s quickly becoming the dominant strain of SARS-CoV-2 (aka coronavirus)  in the world. Here‘s a primer.

What’s different about Omicron?

Compared to the original strain of the virus, Omicron has around 50 mutations. Of these, 30 are on the spike protein. Ten are on a key protein called the ACE2 receptor which makes Omicron more likely to infect people. It also replicates itself in the body faster than previous versions, so we become infect…

Today Western Sydney University Professor of Midwifery Hannah Dahlen posed two questions of her social media audience in response to 2021 update of the “Australia’s Mothers and Babies” report, released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare last week.

The first question, “what the hell are we doing?”, comes on the back of the following 2019 statistics from the publication last week.

As of 2019, Australia’s caesarean birth rate is now 36% (and 37% for first time mothers and birth par…

Research tells us that rates of depression and anxiety have increased during the pandemic
A. When lockdowns occur, and
B. When case numbers rise.

Unfortunately we have needed lockdowns to occur to mitigate the rise in case numbers and subsequently mitigate the number of people with severe illness overwhelming the hospital system. If our healthcare system stays afloat, more people with severe disease can get the treatment they need, and fewer people die.

Data indicates that women* and young people ar…