A Week in the News - 10th January 2014

Happy New Year everyone, and we're back with our first round of up of the news in 2014. This week has been all about the weather, both here in the UK and over the pond in America. In the UK whilst the weather has been relatively mild, the constant rainfall has led to flooding in various places and storm surges have left seaside locations severely damaged. Whilst America has been in the grip of some unbelievably cold temperatures, up to -37C in some places - before wind chill, and I thought when it fell to -13C last winter it was cold...

Time to move onto the news stories that caught our eye this week though, and there were some really interesting stories indeed.

Breastfeeding and the Commons

This week saw breastfeeding return to the the agenda yet again, but not perhaps for the usual reasons. A report in the Daily Mail suggested that women who breastfeed are less likely to develop arthritis, an astonishing statistic. Research suggests that mothers who were surveyed were around 50% less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis, and the longer a mother breastfed for the lower the chance of developing the disease. Despite these findings they will have to be taken with a pinch of salt, even the Mail only dedicated a couple of hundred words to the study, and if even they haven't been taken in by it then it has to be questioned!

The Equalities Minister Jo Swinson has recently had a baby, and this week suggested that, as covered by many agencies, including the Telegraph mothers should be allowed to bring their babies into the Commons - I'm sure we can all imagine how this went down with some of the more 'established' MPs. The blog on the Telegraph suggests that perhaps Ms. Swinson has gone a step too far in her call for equality, but what do you think? Should an MP who is a mother be able to bring their baby into the Commons? I think the breastfeeding aspect of the story doesn't really need to be covered, if a baby was allowed in then a mother should be able to do that, but can you imagine a baby crying in the background whilst an important vote was taking place. Is that appropriate?

An interesting report on the BBC asked if there has ever been a breastfeeding golden age. The report suggests that at no point in history has breast milk been the only option. It tracks back through ancient history to modern times showing how alternatives have always been on offer for various reasons. So whilst the 'breast is best' campaign will carry on with their beliefs, perhaps we should look at history and realise that sometimes alternatives can work just as well.

Praise, Births and China

Is it good to sometimes stop praising your children? A report in the Guardian suggests that children with low self-esteem could find constant praise a hindrance rather than beneficial. Research suggests that for a child who suffers from low self-esteem to be praised constantly would lead them to stop doing the things you praise them for as they want to quit whilst they're ahead. This sounds pretty sensible to me, but what are your thoughts as parents? Should you continue to praise your child even if it make affect them, or should this research be questioned?

In China there is a major problem with parents leaving their children behind as they look for work in the cities the Independent reports. I can imagine something probably similar happened in the UK during our own Industrial Revolution but obviously not on this scale. It's hard not to feel sorry for these children, but is there anything that we can really do? It's a completely different culture and people have to go where the work is, luckily a lot of these children are left with their grandparents.

Finally one lady in California decided to Instagram the birth of her child, well I guess it is an interesting use of the app?

See you next week, don't forget to follow us on Twitter!

About the author

James Brighton

Since 2011 James has been in charge of working with and organising all our writers to put together Pregnancy.co.uk and Babies.co.uk. Anna, his girlfriend, knows he will be an encyclopaedia of knowledge if she ever falls pregnant!

Click here to read my full biography.

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