The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative

Simela Petridou [15 August 2009] - Shocking enough that there are ONLY TWO IN CAPE TOWN, were this is the norm for every hospital in Europe. Read more »

Birth of a Parent: You're as important as your Baby

Petro Pretorius [30 July 2009] - Babies are such a nice way to start people. Yet having a baby stirs up mixed feelings ranging from joy to anxiety, so occupational therapist Megan Faure co-authored the book Baby Sense with well-known midwife, Sister Ann Richardson, in 2002. It has since become a benchmark in the baby care market, with over 100 000 copies sold in South Africa alone. Read more »

Breastfeeding and Illness

Jack Newman [06 February 2010] - Over the years, far too many women have been wrongly told they had to stop breastfeeding. The decision about continuing breastfeeding when the mother takes a drug, for example, is far more involved than whether the baby will get any in the milk. It also involves taking into consideration the risks of not breastfeeding, for the mother, the baby and the family, as well as society. And there are plenty of risks in not breastfeeding, so the question essentially boils down to: Does the addition of a small amount of medication to the mother’s milk make breastfeeding more hazardous than formula feeding? The answer is almost never. Breastfeeding with a little drug in the milk is almost always safer. In other words, being careful means continuing breastfeeding, not stopping. The same consideration needs to be taken into account when the mother or the baby is sick. Read more »