Advanced technology now allows even clearer and more magnified images. Some of these pictures were taken with conventional cameras with macro lenses, while others were taken with the use of an endoscope. Scanning electron microscope technology enabled Nilsson to take pictures at a magnification of hundreds of thousands

His remarkable pictures have been collected in a large hardcover book: A Child Is Born, published by Jonathan Cape

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Pictures by: LENNART NILSSON

- Five weeks. The embryo is approximately 9mm long. A face develops, with openings for the mouth, the nostrils and eyes.

- Eight weeks. The rapidly-growing embryo is well protected in the foetal sac.

- Ten weeks. The eyelids are semi-shut. They will close completely in a few days.

- Sixteen weeks. The foetus uses its hands to explore its own body and its surroundings.

- Eighteen week. Approximately 14cm. The foetus can now perceive sounds from the outside world

- The foetus can now grab and pull the long umbilical cord. The skeleton consists mainly of flexible cartridge. A network of blood vessels is visible through the thin skin.

- Twenty weeks. Approximately 20cm. Woolly hair, known as lanugo, covers the entire head.

For those fathers who make it through without fainting, the miracle of childbirth is an unforgettable experience. But their presence could actually be harming the mother and child, a leading obstetrician warned yesterday. Michael Odent claims having a husband or partner in the room at the birth increases the likelihood of a Caesarean section, subsequent marriage break-up and even mental illness.

A leading obstetrician says women are more likely to have problems giving birth if their partners or male doctors are present. He also believes it makes the labour longer and more painful because the woman is distracted by the father's anxiety.

Delivering children would be much simpler if women were left alone in the care of their midwife, he claims. 'The ideal birth environment involves no men in general,' he said yesterday. 'Having been involved for more than 50 years in childbirths in homes and hospitals in France, England and Africa, the best environment I know for an easy birth is when there is nobody around the woman in labour apart from a silent, low-profile and experienced midwife.

'In this situation, more often than not, the birth is easier and faster than what happens when there are other people around, especially male figures – husbands and doctors.' More than 90 per cent of births in the UK have a male partner in attendance, studies show. But Dr Odent claimed that having males present at the birth makes the mother tense, leading her to produce adrenaline.

This slows her production of the hormone oxytocin, which is vital for childbirth, thus extending the length of the labour. 'If she can't release oxytocin she can't have effective contractions, and everything becomes more difficult,' said the French doctor, who runs the Primal Health Research childbirth charity in London. 'Labour becomes longer, more painful and more difficult because the hormonal balance in the woman is disturbed by the environment that's not appropriate because of the presence of the man.'

Critics say there is little evidence to support his claims - Duncan Fisher, of the fatherhood advice website Dad Info, said: 'I think he's wrong and is not basing his argument on evidence either that it damages men or their relationships with mothers. Of course, not all men are nervous and a lot of women would be even more nervous without their partner there. Mothers want them there because it is not home.'

Mary Newburn, of the National Childbirth Trust, said there were now cultural pressures on men to attend the birth of their child. She added: 'There's such a feeling among women that "you got me into this, I have carried the baby for nine months and now I have to go through labour and birth, so the least you can do is be with me, and if you feel a bit squeamish, then tough. The most important thing is that the woman feels safe, secure and supported, so if she wants to have a woman around instead, that's fine.”

Managing Director of Au Pair Link, Cecilia Robinson, says that au pairs offer parents the best of both worlds; “An au pair is effectively like having an extra pair of hands in the home,” she says.  “Not only does an au pair provide in-home, dedicated childcare they also give families the convenience of help around the home for only $240 a week.”

As a live-in caregiver, au pairs also offer parents convenience and flexibility.  No more picking up and dropping off children to day care centres or worrying about getting a babysitter at the last minute because your au pair is always there to help.

Robinson says that becoming an au pair host family is also a fantastic way to promote understanding of other cultures and customs; “Many children have the ability to learn a second language thanks to their au pair or learn a new talent whether it be artistic, musical or sporting. This type of education and experience is priceless for young children.”

Au Pair Link has assisted with over 250 au pair placements since it was established in 2006 and provides clients with personal service and ongoing support.

Each of the au pairs from the internationally recognised agency are competent in conversational English, trained in first aid and have at least 100-150 hours of documented childcare experience.  They have also been through a rigorous screening process – including police and medical record checks, references, a personal interview, English and personality tests.

“The trust of our clients is paramount,” says Robinson.  “We work personally with each family to ensure the best possible fit from our large database of au pairs is made.”

The agency also specialises in au pairs for childcare of all age groups including those under five years and school aged children.

“I think the biggest impact on parents is that their level of stress is reduced,” says Robinson.  “When you don’t have to worry about coming home from work, going to the supermarket, putting your children’s dinner on and doing the housework, life just becomes that little bit easier.”

Respected therapist Leanne French says au pairs tend to offer not just physical but also good quality emotional care.  Au pairs tend to be more dependable, are able to form strong, trustworthy relationships when their personalities are a good match with families, she says. “Not only does it reduce your child’s stress by staying at home in a familiar, caring, stable environment but the benefits  of au pair care within the home has the ability to reduce parental  stress levels enormously,” says French.

She says when children are exposed to different languages and cultures it invites a higher level of co-operation which invites creativity into the process of thinking and relating.

“Children learn to share better. They learn to trust their ability to make good decisions when faced with challenges. They learn positive ways to adjust their behaviours in order to be understood and to understand they get to try new things and develop empathy and respect for others,” she says.

French says an au pair provides individualised attention and children are exposed to interesting learning activities through varied activities indoors and out.

“I am not a great fan of young children having to fit into rigid schedules and activities. When things are over organised play and adventure are squished,” she says.

“With an au pair in the home, things are less rigid, hours are flexible, sickness in’t an issue and without those firm deadlines for pick-ups and drop-offs, and hours spent travelling, your management of time is greatly improved,” says French.

French says as a relationship expert the added bonus of an au pair means that parents are able to negotiate evenings off to spend time together as a couple.

The agency is also the only member of the International Au Pair Association in Australasia and the first and only au pair agency in New Zealand to offer an orientation course for au pairs – including childcare, driving and CPR lessons.

Au Pair Link has offices in Auckland, Hawkes Bay, Wellington, Christchurch and the Bay of Plenty.  For more information visit www.aupairlink.co.nz or call 0800 AU PAIR.

Researchers say angry behaviour even things such as door slamming, shouting loudly and even binge-eating whilst pregnant can affect the development of babies’ hearts.

Infants born to mothers more prone to these impulsive and aggressive acts had less variation in their heart rates after birth, the research found. Variation in heart rate is thought to be healthy because it indicates the body is flexible and adaptable to change. For example, different breathing patterns should affect the heart rate.

But if the heart does not adapt to change it is more at risk of disease and infection. It is already known that adults who have a lower variation in heart rate are more likely to develop heart problems.

Researchers also say the hormonal changes in the body which trigger aggressive behaviour may pass through the placenta to the unborn baby, and could have an influence on the way cells develop. And so staying relaxed and calm whilst pregnant is important – what a better excuse for a spa day!!

The study, led by researchers from the University of Sussex, recruited 49 pregnant women aged between 22 and 39 from childbirth classes. The volunteers were tested to see how likely they were to develop ‘impulsive, uncontrollable bouts of temper’. The women were asked in interviews to describe how they normally dealt with anger and their brain activity was monitored to see how they responded to certain sounds and images designed to prompt a negative reaction. They found 22 women fitted into the ‘angry’ category, nearly half of the volunteer group.

The researchers said this was a higher proportion than would be expected in the general population,  attributing this to the fact that the study had been advertised as investigating the effects of temper on foetal hearts and attracted volunteers concerned about their anger.

After the women gave birth, the electrical activity of the babies’ hearts was measured using an electrocardiogram, or ECG. They found newborns whose mothers were in the angry group had a lower variation in their heart rate.

Millions have been left frustrated and miserable by Government policies that push them into jobs and their children into nurseries, Cristina Odone said. She backed her argument with a poll that showed fewer than one in eight mothers want to work full-time and that only one in a hundred mothers in two-parent working families with young children think it is right for them to have a full-time job.

The research found that women feel bombarded by images of 'superwomen who manage everything, plus a high-profile career', when many just wanted to be stay-at-home mothers with their husbands taking the role of breadwinner.

The call for a reversal of the march of women into work came from a former deputy editor of the New Labour house magazine, the New Statesman, and editor-of the Catholic Herald.

Miss Odone condemned her feminist colleagues in media and politics as a 'small, influential and unrepresentative coterie' who assume that women must achieve self-realisation through work.

She added: 'We need to break the stranglehold that the small coterie of women, who work full-time and buy into the macho way of life, enjoy on our public life. They have for years misrepresented real women who reject the masculine value system for one that rates caring above a career and interdependence above independence. Real women do not want to commit full-time to a job. The future belongs to the real woman, who points to a lifestyle embracing feminine values. Let's hope this government, or the next, is brave enough to heed her call.'

The attack, published by the centre-right think tank Centre for Policy Studies in a pamphlet titled What Women Want, comes against a background of growing political pressure on mothers to go out to work and on companies to ensure women staff are offered flexible hours and better pay.

Miss Odone called for an end to state support for child daycare which has over the last ten years topped £21billion.

Some of the money could be spent on marriage support services and pointing out to women the dangers of unmarried cohabitation.

She said the tax and benefit system that treats single parents much more generously than couples with children should be reformed, and regulation and red tape should be cut to open up more part-time jobs of the kind most attractive to mothers.

She called for a 'cultural shift' to 'stop forcing women into a mould'.

The two organizations have compiled a list of Halloween safety tips for parents to pass onto their children before they dress up as their favourite cartoon character, ghoulish ghost or glamorous fairy to go out Trick or Treating.

Some helpful tips for parents:

• Children should never Trick or Treat far from home and especially not alone, remember to Trick or Treat in groups and stay together. Until parents are comfortable with a child’s street sense, they should not go without adult supervision.
• Teach children to Trick or Treat at houses that are well lit.
• Children should only accept treats at the door and be told to never accept invitations to enter a stranger’s house.
• Ensure children cross street at corners, using traffic signals and zebra crossings where possible. Teach children to avoid main roads and other heavy-traffic areas, remembering to never cross in between parked cars.
• When searching for a costume that is fun, and safe, keep in mind that wearing bright-coloured clothing and retro-reflective materials help children appear much more visable to drivers.
• Children should carry a flashlight, in addition to wearing retro-reflective materials, when Trick or Treating after dark.

A UK survey that was recently published in The Daily Mail found that of 12-year-olds those whose mothers had smoked were 20% more likely to suffer such problems. The link was 84% more pronounced if 20 or more cigarettes a day were smoked.

The researchers suggested tobacco exposure in the womb may affect the child's brain development, but admitted further study of the issue was needed. The research by Cardiff, Nottingham, Bristol and Warwick universities was part of a long-running study known as the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children looking at how genetics and the environment affects health.

During this latest part of the programme, 12-year-olds were asked if they had had any psychotic episodes such as delusions and hallucinations in the past six months. In total, 11% of the group did.

The group was also studied for their mother's use of cannabis and alcohol. No link was found for the drug, while only those whose mothers drank more than 22 units had a higher chance of psychotic episodes.

Researchers said the findings added more weight to the argument against smoking during pregnancy - about 15% of pregnant women still do not give up the habit when they conceive. Lead researcher Dr Stanley Zammit said: "Maternal smoking may be an important risk factor in the development of psychotic experiences in this population."

A new study shows that they snack on more junk food, spend more time in front of the TV and do less exercise. Those whose mothers work part-time follow a slightly healthier regime, while the children of stay-at-home mums have the most nutritious diets and enjoy more exercise.

However, researchers also insist that the results 'do not imply that mothers should not work'. But they say there is a definite link between paid employment and a lifestyle that leaves children more at risk from obesity and disease.

They suggest that a lack of time is the biggest factor keeping the healthiest lifestyles out of reach of many working families.

The findings come from a study of 12,500 British schoolchildren published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. It shows children whose mothers are employed are more likely to be driven to school, watch TV, snack on fizzy drinks and eat too few portions of fruits and vegetables.

30% of the mothers in the study had not worked since the birth of their child but the rest had jobs. They typically worked 21 hours per week (with a range of 16 to 30 hours) and had been employed for an average of three years and nine months.

Researchers at the Institute of Child Health in London asked them about the hours they worked and their children's diet, exercise and activity levels when the youngsters were five.

Overall, many of the youngsters had developed habits that could lead to them becoming overweight.
But when the researchers took away factors that might skew the results, such as socio-economic background, they found a definite link between a mother working and her child's health.

Those whose mothers worked part-time or full-time were more likely to drink sweet drinks and watch TV or use the computer for two hours or more each day.

They were also more likely to be driven to school rather than walking or cycling. They were less keen to snack on fruit or vegetables.

Lead researcher Professor Catherine Law said lack of time for working mothers was probably the strongest influence.

She said many women in families with both partners working had a 'duel burden', shouldering most of the household responsibilities as well. 'Mothers who work full-time may have greater barriers to providing their children with healthy food options than mothers who work part-time,' she said.

With 60 per cent of mothers of a child aged five or younger in work of some kind, researchers said more help was needed for families.

Brisbane’s Emporium Hotel, the city’s first and multi-award winning luxury boutique hotel, continues to set new standards, re-announcing its exclusive Babymooners Package with a special pampering experience designed for the pre-child couple. And it is September, time of birth and new life!!

Defined as a romantic getaway or planned period of calm for expectant parents, say hello to the babymoon revolution. “Babymoons are the last hurrah,” said Emporium Hotel General Manager Peter Savoff.

“Parents to-be are no longer staying at home waiting for bub to arrive. They want some pre-parent pampering first. Before the dynamics of your twosome changes forever, the “Babymoon” allows a romantic and restful getaway before baby makes a trip for two a lot trickier. And of course the Babymoon is not just for first-time parents to be, parents waiting the arrival of bub number two, three, four or more will absolutely value the Emporium Hotel Babymoon!” he said.

The Emporium Hotel Babymooners package includes overnight accommodation for two in the King Spa Suite as well as offering its revolutionary Eight-Pillow Menu featuring the supportive pregnancy pillow. Guests can then customise packages with add-ons from the Pure Pamper Menu: Chocolate Dipped strawberries, Romantic Turndown for Two including Rose Petals or the classic choice of a one hour in-room massage.

The package starts from $289 per couple per night (accommodation and pillow choice) and is subject to availability. Add-ons from the Pure Pamper Menu are priced individually.

1000 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley, Qld 4006
Phone: (07) 3253 6999 or 1300 883 611 Fax: (07) 3253 6966 www.emporiumhotel.com.au

Folic acid which is a form of the B vitamin folate has just been mandated as an additive to bread-flour in a quest to reduce the number of neural tube defects in babies such as spina bifida. Folate ideal for young women and reduces the risk of abnormalities in births.

Accredited Nutritionist, Glenn Cardwell says, “While this move will help to bring folate intake among women up to the recommended level of 400 micrograms (mcg) a day, everyone should remember that one of the most natural and simplest ways to increase folate intake is to eat a banana.

Bananas are a great source of folate providing up to 10 percent of the recommended daily intake making them ideal for young women and also as an adjunct to avoiding heart disease and dementia.

According to Food Standards Australia and New Zealand, “Neural tube defects are the most serious birth defects. With spina bifida, the spinal column does not close properly and the baby is born with exposed nerves and damages vertebrae. Children with spina bifida can face paralysis, problems with mobility, muscle control, coordination and learning.”

Cardwell says, “The National Health and Medical Research Council recommends that pregnant women take a folic acid supplement at least a month before falling pregnant and for three months after conception, and because almost 50% of pregnancies are unplanned in Australia, snacking on a banana every day is a great start to boosting that folate intake just in case.

“A medium banana provides about 20 mcg of folate In comparison, bread will now have about 50 mcg/slice. Put another way, a banana sandwich could provide 120mcg folate, about 30% of daily folate needs.

“Of course, if you don't eat a lot of bread or want to limit your bread intake, then grab a banana.

“Bananas are also an ideal food to control over-eating because bananas quickly fill your appetite needs,” Cardwell says.