The Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA), recommends breastfeeding mums need to eat an extra 2000kj a day on top of the recommended 8-10,000kj a day for a standard diet. Breastfeeding mums produce approximately 800ml of milk a day and the demands of producing that milk means that they need to keep an eye on their diet and make sure they are eating enough healthy foods to look after themselves as well as their baby.

The key to good nutrition for anyone is to eat foods from the five food groups every day. It is important for mum to keep up a good diet from these food groups:

• Fruit
• Vegetables
• Dairy (milk, cheese, yoghurt)
• Protein (meat, chicken, fish, nuts, eggs)
• Grains and cereals (bread, rice, pasta)

As well as eating a nutricious diet, a breastfeeding mother must make sure that her fluid intake is increased. As mentioned above, around 800ml of milk is made per day and baby drains that fluid from the mother’s body. She must replenish her breastmilk so therefore needs to increase her fluid intake to keep herself hydrated and her body producing milk for her baby. Whilst baby is breastfeeding mum is likely to become thirsty so it’s a good idea to have a glass of water with you whenever you are feeding your baby.

Women usually need about 46gm of protein a day, but this amount increases to about 67g for women who are breastfeeding because a lot of protein goes into the breast milk. Examples of foods high in protein are roasted chicken breast, ham, almonds, cheddar cheese and boiled eggs. These are great additions to your diet when breastfeeding.

Breastmilk also drains zinc and iodine from the mother’s supply, so it is important for any breastfeeding mother to increase her intake of both of these vital nutrients. High protein foods are also high in zinc and milk is a good source as well. These days you can buy iodised salt and adding this to your regular meals should be sufficient for breastfeeding mums.

If you feel like you’re not getting enough vitamins and minerals you can always take a specialised multivitamin designed for breastfeeding. Most of the time, these will be the ones you have already been taking during pregnancy, some examples are Elevit and Blackmores Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Gold.

Most breastfeeding mums have the freedom to eat whatever foods they like without any problems. There are however a few guidelines that you might like to know about.

Caffeine becomes very diluted in the blood & is therefore not a problem by the time it gets into breastmilk. The recommendation is no more than four cups per day (this includes, tea, coffee and cola) as the cause for concern with caffeine is the fact that it is a diuretic and causes mum to lose fluid so you will need to drink a lot more non-caffeinated drinks if you choose to drink anything with caffeine during the day. Energy drinks are not recommended at all.

The most recent research says that one standard alcoholic drink is unlikely to harm your baby through breastmilk, any more than that passes through breastmilk in high quantities and can be dangerous to your baby. If you do choose to have a drink, it’s best to wait until baby is in bed for the night and is likely to have a longer stretch between feeds so the alcohol has time to diminish in your milk supply. It’s not all bad news though, if you want to go out for a night on the town and have a few drinks. You can till have a few drinks, all you need to do is “pump & dump”, i.e. express off the breastmilk and throw it away. All you need to remember is that the alcohol in your breastmilk will be similar to what’s in your blood, so if you are ready at 0.05 on a breath test, you will have a similar amount in your breastmilk.

Also, if you smoke, breastfeeding is a good reason to try to quit. Smoking can cause you to produce less milk and the chemicals in cigarettes is released through breastmilk.

Some mums find that there are certain foods that upset their baby’s stomachs. This doesn’t happen with all babies and it’s possible that you can eat all of your regular foods without any problems. However if you do notice that your baby is fussy or has an upset tummy you might need to think back to what you have been eating. Some of the following are known to cause problems for some babies:

• spicy foods
• chocolate
• broccoli
• cabbage
• brussels sprouts
• tomato
• oranges
• onions
• beans

One good thing to remember also is that the flavour of your breastmilk will change slightly with what you eat. It’s believed that babies who are breastfed will enjoy a more varied diet once they are weaned as they are used to a variety of flavours, where formula tastes the same every single time.

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After trying to conceive a baby for more than 12 months it is generally suggested that a couple consult their medical professional to perform a few tests to determine the cause of the couple not achieving a successful pregnancy. However, if the woman is over the age of 35, testing can be requested after six months, as fertility has begun it’s natural decline by this age.

The first step for you to take is for both partners to have some testing done to determine where the problem lies.

Generally the male partner is tested first as infertility testing for a man is less invasive than for a woman. Both a blood test and a semen analysis are performed. The semen analysis will tell you about the quantity and health of the male partner’s sperm while the blood test will show if there are any concerns with his hormone levels.

If there are any concerns with the male partner’s tests, it is likely that the female partner is not tested and the couple will work with the information they have already gained. There are times when sperm count and quality can be improved by diet and / or surgery and hormonal issues can be treated as well. However there are times when either the man’s body is not producing the quantity or quality of sperm required for no apparent reason. In these cases it is recommended that the couple look into assisted reproduction therapy (ART).

In the even of the male partner’s tests coming back all clear, the female partner will begin her testing, usually this will involve determining if she is ovulating. The doctor may request that the woman charts her cycle for a few months so she can see if she is ovulating that way. Alternatively, the doctor may request blood tests and ultrasounds at various times of the woman’s cycle to see if her hormones are working correctly and to see if her ovaries are working correctly.

If these tests come back showing that the female partner is ovulating, there are further investigations started. These will check on the health of the woman’s reproductive system and are quite invasive. A hysterosalpingography involves dye being injected into the woman’s uterus through her vagina, she is then given x-rays to determine whether there are any blockages in her fallopian tubes that are stopping the eggs from moving where they need to be. A laparoscopy looks at the health of the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus and can determine if there are any issues such as endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) or if there are any physical abnormalities in the organs investigated.

After testing is completed and an issue is found with either partner, the doctor will help to couple decide which direction to take next, usually this depends on the problem that has presented. Unfortunately though, up to 10% of couples that are tested for infertility in Australia will be diagnosed with “unexplained infertility” which means that they have not conceived a child within 12 months of having unprotected sex, but all of the tests rule out any of the usual problems.

There a variety of options available these days to overcome infertility, such as inter-uterine insemination, IVF, egg or sperm donations or even adoption. Once a diagnosis has been made these options are assessed until the most suitable one is found for your particular case.

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It’s always fun to celebrate an occasion with a cocktail. When you’re pregnant, you don’t have to miss out, you can still have a great time drinking mocktails.

Following are a few fun and easy mocktail recipes that you’re sure to enjoy when pregnant, breastfeeding or even when you’re not.

Lava Flow

• 100ml pineapple juice
• 100ml cream
• ½ banana
• Dash of cocnut cream
• ½ cup strawberries

Blend all ingredients (except strawberries) with ice until smooth.
Put the strawberries in the bottom of the glass and add blended mixture.

Black Widow

• Cola
• 8 scoops vanilla ice cream
• 6 tablespoons lime juice
• Lime slice for garnish

Blend ice cream and juice until smooth. Pour into glasses and top with cola.
Serves 4.

Virgin Appletini

• 100ml freshly pressed apple juice
• 30ml simple syrup
• 15ml lemon juice
• granulated sugar for rimming
• apple slice for garnish

Add apple juice, syrup and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker fill with ice & shake well.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass rimmed with granulated sugar.
Garnish with an apple slice.

Virgin Blue Lagoon

• 1/2 cup ice
• 1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1/2 cup milk or soy milk or yogurt
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• whipped cream
• fresh or canned pineapple slice

Place all but pineapple slices and whipped cream in blender and blend until smooth.
Pour into a tall glass and garnish with whipped cream and pineapple slice.

Virgin Pina Colada

• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1 cup crushed pineapple
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• juice from one lime
• ice to top of blender

Blend ingredients until ice is slushy.
Pour into frosted glasses and enjoy immediately.

Mock Champagne

• 2 litre bottle ginger ale, chilled
• 1 can pineapple juice, chilled
• 1 bottle white grape juice, chilled

Combine all ingredients in a large punchbowl.

Safe Sex on the Beach

• 50ml peach nectar
• 85ml cranberry juice
• 85ml orange juice

Mix all ingredients togather in a glass and add ice
Garnish with cherry

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Having a new baby is one of the most stressful things that will happen in our life. There are so many things to worry about and you might start to feel as though you aren’t coping as well as you think you should. You may have the “baby blues” for a few days or you may have more severe feelings of depression.

It is said that there are roughly 10-20 percent of mother in Australia that suffer from postnatal depression. It is also estimated that 10 percent of first time fathers suffer from postnatal depression. Although they don't have the hormonal changes normally associated with postnatal depression, you must remember that father's lives are turned upside down when a baby arrives as well.

Postnatal depression is a serious mental illness that a lot of mothers (and fathers) suffer from, many silently, as they don’t want to admit that there is a problem.

After giving birth at your six week checkup, your doctor or early childhood nurse may give you a “test” to see how you’re going, this questionnaire is called the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. It was developed for the British Journal of Psychiatry in 1987 and is still used today as a guide to whether a mother may need some help for postnatal depression.

Below is the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale for you to use on your own. Please remember that scores provide only a rough guide as to whether a woman has postnatal depression. For a full diagnosis, it is important to see your doctor.

To complete the questionnaire, circle the response that answers most accurately how you have been feeling in the past seven days.

1. I have been able to laugh and see the funny side of things.
• 0 As much as I always could
• 1 Not quite so much now
• 2 Definitely not so much now
• 3 Not at all

2. I have looked forward with enjoyment to things.
• 0 As much as I ever did
• 1 Rather less than I used to
• 2 Definitely less than I used to
• 3 Hardly at all

3. I have blamed myself unnecessarily when things went wrong.
• 3 Yes, most of the time
• 2 Yes, some of the time
• 1 Not very often
• 0 No, never

4. I have been anxious or worried for no good reason.
• 0 No, not at all
• 1 Hardly ever
• 2 Yes, sometimes
• 3 Yes, very often

5. I have felt scared or panicky for no very good reason.
• 3 Yes, quite a lot
• 2 Yes, sometimes
• 1 No, not much
• 0 No, not at all

6. Things have been getting on top of me.
• 3 Yes, most of the time I haven't been able to cope at all
• 2 Yes, sometimes I haven't been coping as well as usual
• 1 No, most of the time I have coped quite well
• 0 No, I have been coping as well as ever

7. I have been so unhappy that I have had difficulty sleeping.
• 3 Yes, most of the time
• 2 Yes, sometimes
• 1 Not very often
• 0 No, not at all

8. I have felt sad or miserable.
• 3 Yes, most of the time
• 2 Yes, quite often
• 1 Not very often
• 0 No, not at all

9. I have been so unhappy that I have been crying.
• 3 Yes, most of the time
• 2 Yes, quite often
• 1 Only occasionally
• 0 No, never

10. The thought of harming myself has occurred to me.
• 3 Yes, quite often
• 2 Sometimes
• 1 Hardly ever
• 0 Never

Add up the numbers or your circled answers. The higher your score, the more likely it is that you are distressed and may be suffering from postnatal depression. If you score is high, or even if it is low but you feel depressed, please consult your doctor as soon as possible.

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Now winter is in full swing treat your bump and yourself to some in-season vegetables that are so much more fresh and nutritious than those that have been sitting in storage for months.

Here are two chicken recipe that make the best use of vegetables in season now.

Brown Rice Salad with in-season spring onions, capsicum, lemons, garlic and ginger

1 ½ cups brown rice, cooked
3 spring onions, finely chopped
1 red capsicum, seeded and chopped
½ cup raisins or sultanas
60g cashews, roasted and chopped
2 tablesspoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 chicken breast, cooked then cooled then sliced.
Soy Sauce Dressing (see below)

Place all ingredients in a bowl and toss thoroughly before serving.

Soy Sauce Dressing

¼ cup of olive oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 cm piece of ginger, finely chopped
Pepper to taste

Place in a jar and shake well.

Curry Chicken Soup with in-season brown onion, carrot and turnip

4 tablespoons butter or oil
2 large chicken Maryland
1 brown onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 turnip, chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder
4 cloves
6 black peppercorns, lightly crushed
¼ cup lentils
3 ¾ chicken stock
¼ cup raisins or sultanas

1. Melt the butter or heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the chicken and brown. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.

2. Add the onion, carrot, and turnip to the saucepan and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly coloured.

3. Stir in the curry powder, cloves, and crushed peper and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the lentils.

4. Pour the stock into the pan and bring to the boil. Add the raisins or sultanas, chicken and any juices from the plate. Cover and simmer for about 1 ¼ hours.

5. Remove the chicken from the saucepan and discard the skin and bones. Chop the meat, return to the soup, and reheat. Check the seasoning before serving the soup piping hot.

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A very helpful way to get to know your body and to learn the best time to conceive a baby is by charting your cycle.

Charting your cycle involves a three steps, the main one is taking your temperature every morning, followed by observing cervical mucus and other cervical changes. To start with, you have to understand why you are taking your temperature.

Over the course of your cycle your basal body temperature changes according to what hormones are in your system. Your temperature starts off low, rises after ovulation and will then either go down to signal your period starting or remain high to signal a possible pregnancy. If you are charting your cycle, you can see graphically where your temperature is and what part of your cycle you are at.

Taking Your Basal Body Temperature

To check your basal body temperature it must be done first thing in the morning before you rise from bed and even before you speak. Set your alarm to wake at the same time each morning & before doing anything else after it goes off, still your thermometer in your mouth (or under your arm or you can even check your temperature vaginally if you choose). Any sort of thermometer will work, but the best type has two decimal places as they are the most accurate in showing any subtle temperature changes.

Record your temperature either on a piece of graph paper or on charting software or websites, such as Fertility Friend.

As the month goes on, you will see that your temperature changes with ovulation and becomes biphasic, which means there are two phases, a lower temperature phase prior to ovulation and a higher temperature phase after ovulation.

It might take a few months to get used to how your temperatures work, but you will start to see patterns emerging about when you will ovulate and how long your luteal phase (the time between ovulation and the end of your cycle) lasts.

The important thing to note is that once the temperature rise has occurred, ovulation has occurred and it is more than likely too late to conceive a baby. You need to be having intercourse prior to the temperature rise, so it is important to chart other ovulation indicators when charting your cycle.

Checking for Cervical Mucus

The next step to helping you understand your cycle is charting your cervical mucus changes.

Like with your temperature, your cervical mucus changes depending on what hormones are dominating at a certain time. Your mucus will change from sticky, to creamy, to water and finally, the mucus at ovulation is named egg white cervical mucus due to it’s consistency being much like that of an egg white.

The best way to check your cervical mucus is to simply look on the toilet tissue when you wipe and then note on your chart, the quality and consistency. At first it may be a bit hard to distinguish between the different types of mucus, but after a little while it becomes second nature.

When recording your cervical mucus on your cycle charting page or software, always record the most fertile mucus that you note for the day. For example you may have creamy mucus in the morning, but then watery mucus in the evening. It’s best to record the watery mucus as your body might be gearing up that night to ovulate.

Observing Cervical Changes

A third way to add to your chart is to observe the changes in your cervix. Some people are uncomfortable about checking this fertility sign, so rest assured that it is a secondary sign, the main two are your temperature and cervical mucus. However if you would like to check your cervix, following are the details on how to do so.

To check your cervix you will need to insert a very clean finger into your vaigna. You will feel a small round object (your cervix) that will have a small hole in it. Notice how it feels.

Prior to ovulation you should be able to feel your cervix quite easily as it starts out quite low in your vagina. Your cervix will feel hard, a little like the tip of your nose and the cervix opening will be closed when you are not in your fertile period. As you come closer to ovulation it will move up higher in your vagina and be quite hard to reach, now it should feel very soft, a lot like your lips. The opening will also be quite noticeable, as your cervix opens up at ovulation to allow the sperm to make their way through. After ovulation the opening will close again and your cervix will go back to being hard like your nose. In pregnancy the cervix stays very high and will become out of reach fairly quickly after ovulation, if conception hasn’t taken place your cervix will move down again ready for your next period to start.

Record your cervical observations on your chart as well.

After charting your cycle for a little while you will start to see some patterns emerging. Perhaps you don’t ovulate on the standard, day 14, maybe it’s earlier or maybe it’s a few days later. No two women are exactly alike and you will see that by browsing through a few different charts.

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Many people think that during pregnancy everything has to change. Fortunately, this is not the case. There are a lot of things that you did prior to falling pregnant that you won’t have to change at all during pregnancy.

Some of the following are concerns for a lot of mothers when they first fall pregnant and wonder if they can continuing with their daily activities during pregnancy.

Exercise

It’s great for mum to continuing exercising during pregnancy as it helps to keep her fit and healthy and ready for the marathon that is labour and birth. Walking, jogging and cardio exercise are all fine to do during pregnancy, so long as you were already doing it prior to the pregnancy. If you decide to start exercising once pregnant, that’s fine, but check with your doctor first about where you should start.

Alternatively you might like to do some specific pregnancy exercise classes. The two main options are water aerobics and prenatal yoga. Both are great exercise programs to get into during pregnancy as they are low impact but great for keeping you fit. Just make sure that if you decide to join a yoga class, you check that it is pregnancy friendly and if it’s not, let the instructor know that you are pregnant as some of the exercises might need to me modified to suit you.

Going out with friends

Some people worry about going out with their friends during pregnancy, particularly as they get closer to their due date, but as long as you are comfortable it’s perfectly fine to go out with friends. Going to concerts is still great fun when you’re pregnant as long as you’re not in the mosh pit getting bumped about. Going shopping can be more fun with friends during pregnancy as there’s an extra little person for you to spoil!

One recommendation is that as you near your due date you don’t stray too far from the hospital just in case you go into labour. In saying that, there’s no reason why you can’t go for an hour’s long drive with your partner or a friend, as long as there is someone with you to drive you back home if contractions start.

Going to work

Unfortunately during pregnancy it’s still perfectly fine for you to go to work, as long as you’re not a deep sea diver or sky diving instructor! More often than not, the concern for most women working during pregnancy is tiredness. If you’re on your feet at work all day you will want to make sure you rest up when you get home of an evening. Whilst you might not want to and would prefer to put your feet up at home, working during pregnancy is quite alright.

Eating the foods you enjoy

During pregnancy you will hear lots of people telling you what you can and can’t eat. There are some foods that should be avoided during pregnancy (including but not limited to deli meats, soft cheeses and soft serve ice cream), most of your day to day foods are perfectly fine for you to eat. Left overs for lunch are even perfectly acceptable as long as they are stored in the fridge right away and heated until they are piping hot.

Having sex

There are very few reasons why sex should be avoided during pregnancy and unless your doctor specifically tells you otherwise, you can still enjoy sex with your partner for the whole time you are pregnant. Towards the end of the pregnancy when you are feeling very big and uncomfortable you may need to alter your positions, but there is no reason that you need to stop enjoying a full and happy sex life during pregnancy.

Looking gorgeous

Maternity fashions have come a long way since our mothers were pregnant with us. Gone are the days of huge flowery dresses that look like sacks. Most large ships like Target and Big W etc carry a nice range of maternity clothes at decent prices or you can look into more specialized maternity fashion boutiques in real life or online. Whichever way you go, during pregnancy you can still look and feel great.

You can also continue to have your manicures and acrylic nails done and your hair and eyebrows dyed. Both are perfectly safe during pregnancy, though you need to be aware that both your hair and nails are likely to grow much faster when you are pregnant so you might need to make your appointments closer together. One consideration you might need to think about though is the smell of the salon, sometimes the chemical smells will affect your morning sickness so make sure you are ok for a little while before sitting down to a two hour hair appointment.

There are however still a few things that are not recommended during pregnancy, the main two being smoking and drinking alcohol.

Smoking

We all know that smoking at any time is dangerous to your health, but smoking during pregnancy affects not only your health, but your baby’s health as well. Smoking during pregnancy reduces the amount of oxygen that can get to your baby and can cause miscarriage and brain damage. Your baby may be premature and have a small birth weight as well as being at risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

It is advisable to quit smoking prior to falling pregnant, but if you find yourself unexpectedly pregnant before you have quit, you can still do so during pregnancy. Recent research has found that using a nicotine patch during pregnancy is safer as only one of the chemicals (ie nicotine) are getting into your blood stream, as compared with a multitude of others whilst actually smoking a cigarette. Please see your doctor if you are pregnant and want to quit smoking for some advice on how to proceed.

Drinking

Depending on which article you read, research is pretty divided about what is a safe amount of alcohol during pregnancy. We all know that in excess alcohol is very dangerous to the baby, but most women will wonder at some point during their pregnancy if they are able to safely have a glass or wine, especially if they are pregnant over the festive period.

You might like to abstain completely or you might choose to have a glass of wine here or there, just remember that drinking excessive amounts of alcohol during pregnancy is dangerous to your growing baby.

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Exercise is highly recommended for pregnant women as it helps prepare the body for the demands of a changing body and labour. The most popular exercise routines for women include swimming and brisk walking as well as special yoga classes, tai chi and pilates.

One of the lesser-known exercises that can work wonders for pregnant women is abdominal exercise. Although it may sound drastic, abdominal exercise during pregnancy yields good results. The abdominal muscles play a major role during childbirth and thus abdominal exercise during pregnancy reduce the ‘diastasis recti’ effect whereby the abdominal muscles get separated during pregnancy. Abdominal exercise during pregnancy will also reduce the likelihood of back pain by strengthening back muscles.

Before beginning abdominal exercise during pregnancy, it is worth discussing it with a doctor. Most doctors tell pregnant women to never engage in ‘lying face up’ exercises during the first trimester of the pregnancy period. The ideal routine is one that comes recommended by a doctor, as they will have a number of appropriate abdominal exercise routines to share.

Abdominal exercise during pregnancy has a number of benefits, including improved resistance to fatigue, improved posture, less ability to gain body fat, better sleeping habits, stronger back muscles, physical preparation for labour as well as faster recovery after labour.

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When you get to the end of your pregnancy you are generally uncomfortable, tired and a little bit over it all. Mostly though, you just want your new baby out in the world with you. There are a few natural induction methods that you can try to get labour started.

Please remember that any attempts at inducing labour should be supervised by a health care professional. Please don't try any of these methods without consulting your doctor first.

Following are six of the dozens of options you have to try and induce labour naturally, in no particular order.

Sex

As I’ve heard some midwives say, “the best way to get the baby out is the same way you got it in there!” While you might be skeptical, there is actual evidence that having sex can help with inducing labour naturally. Semen contains prostaglandins, which is on of the hormones that help labour to begin. In fact, when you go into hospital to be induced medically, often it will involve having a prostaglandin gel placed near the cervix to help it to ripen.

Nipple Stimulation

Another natural way to induce labour is through nipple stimulation, either by yourself or have your partner help you. This method of induging labour naturally relies on the release of oxytocin. As with prostaglandins mentioned above, oxytocin is another one of the hormones needed to start labour. During labour, if you are given an IV medication to help a stalled labour or to induce labour, it is a synthetic version of oxytocin used.

To release oxytocin, the recommendation is to massage your nipples by rolling them between your thumbs and forefingers for approximately two minutes and then rest for three minutes. Repeat this pattern for around 20 minutes.

Fresh Pineapple

The newest craze for inducing labour naturally is to eat freshly cut pineapple. There is an enzyme in pineapple (and also papaya, kiwi fruit and figs in a lesser amount) called Bromelain, which is believed to work in the same way as prostaglandins. The catch is that the enzyme is only found in fresh pineapple, so canned and cooked pineapple and pineapple juice aren’t going to help get things moving.

Spicy Food

The reason why spicy foods are suggesting as a way to naturally induce labour is because the food can cause spasms in the intestines. With the uterus being located close to the intestines, it may begin to contract at the same time. This induction method is usually classed in the realm of old wive’s tales but as long as you’re not suffering from heartburn it’s worth a try.

Castor Oil

Castor oil induction works on the same theory as spicy food, intestinal cramping causes uterine cramping and therefore a start to labour. This method will also cause your bowels to empty within a few hours of taking it. The biggest concern here is that your baby will empty his or her bowels as well which is quite dangerous, so please use this method only with strict medical assistance.

Acupuncture

To naturally induce labour with acupuncture, several acupuncture needles are placed in particular spots on the lower legs, feet and hands. Sometimes these needles will be stimulated with an electrical pulse, depending on the acupuncturist. You must be overdue before and have a doctor’s permission before attempting acupuncture to induce labour as it is quite effective and a lot of women will go into labour 6-48 hours after their first session.

While the following two things won’t necessarily induce labour naturally, they are both uterine tonics and will help with preparing your cervix and uterus for labour and birth.

Evening Primrose Oil

Evening primrose oil is a great source of prostaglandins and can be used to naturally induce labour from around 34 weeks. There are two options for using evening primrose oil, orally or internally, and both are quite effective at ripening the cervix.

The recommended oral dosage is two 500mg capsules every day from 34 to 38 weeks, at which time you can increase to 3-4 capsules per day.

It isn’t recommended to use the capsules internally until 36 weeks. At which time, one or two entire capsules can be inserted vaginally as close to the cervix as you can reach. It’s best to do this at bedtime, as the oil will pool at the cervix overnight while you are sleeping. You may have some excess oil discharge in the morning, so wearing a pad is recommended.

Raspberry Leaf Tea

The aim of raspberry leaf tea is to tone the uterine muscles and is thought to help your contractions be more efficient when labour starts. So whilst it isn’t a direct labour induction method, it can be quite useful. You can start taking the tea as a drink, which is quite bitter, or you can take capsules orally from around 28 weeks.

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When you’re trying to conceive a child there may be the wish in the back of your mind for a certain gender. Of course everyone wants to have a healthy and happy baby, but sometimes we desire a specific gender and there are actually ways to go about swaying your chances of conceiving either a boy or girl.

The main option for gender swaying is through the Shettles method and while it’s users sometimes claim up to a 90% success rate it’s not a guarantee that you will get the gender that you so desperately want. Like all things in life, at the end of the day the gender of your baby really is up to chance, but there’s no harm in trying right?

The Shettles method is based on timing intercourse and using certain sexual positions for conceiving either gender. There are other methods that you can use, including diet changes, that will aid in conceiving either a boy or girl. Below I will describe some techniques for you to try and sway your chances toward conceiving either gender.

To Conceive a Boy.

According to Shettles, you need to have sex as close to ovulation as possible to conceive a boy. The sperm that carry the Y-Chromosome (and make boy babies) are much faster than the X-Chromosome sperm so the closer to ovulation that they are released the better. They are also more vulnerable & weak, which means that even though they are fast, if the “boy sperm” arrive at the correct place too soon, they are likely to die off before the egg is ready.

Shettles theory also says that deeper penetration is useful for conceiving a boy as this allows the faster Y-Chromosome sperm to arrive at the egg first and also gives the weaker sperm a shorter overall journey. In addition, the area closest to the cervix (the opening of the uterus) is less acidic, which is the sort of environment that “boy sperm” prefer.

The mother’s diet can also impact on the environment within the vagina, which will favour either gender. A diet high in potassium and sodium creates an alkaline environment which is best for boy conception. Dried apricots, any types of beans & legumes as well as potatoes are great high potassium foods. Whereas brown bread, omlettes, canned fish and camembert cheese are high in sodium.

As well as trying the Shettles Method and diet changes, there are two things you can do at the time of intercourse to help conceive a boy. Female orgasm makes the vagina more alkaline, so give this a go if you want to conceive a boy. Dad can also help by having a caffeinated drink prior to intercourse which makes the Y-Chromosome sperm more active.

To Conceive a Girl.

According to Shettles, to conceive a girl you need to have sex two and a half to three days prior to ovulation. The sperm that carry the X-Chromosome (and make girl babies) are slower than the Y-Chromosome sperm but are more resilient. “Girl sperm” last a lot longer so while they take a while to arrive in the right place, generally later than the “boy sperm” they are strong enough to last a few days inside the woman’s body to wait for the release of the egg.

Shettles says that shallow penetration favours conceiving girls as the area closest to the entrance of the vagina is more acidic. The acidic environment is more likely to inhibit the Y-Chromosome sperm & is therefore more likely to aid in the X-Chromosome sperm getting to where it needs to go with less Y-Chromosome sperm getting in the way so to speak.

Diet changes also make a difference in swaying towards a girl conception. Diets high in calcium and magnesium make the vagina more acidic, which is more conducive to a girl conception. Mum should eat foods like yoghurt, cheese, rhubarb and drink plenty of milk to increase her calcium intake, while artichokes, pine nuts, almonds and spinach are great sources of magnesium.

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