CathyMum's Blog

New figures from the Office for National Statistics have revealed that one in ten mothers over the age of 40 gives birth to a premature baby. The data also showed the number of live births to mothers in this age range has more than quadrupled since the 1980s – shooting from 6,519 births in 1982 to 29,994 in 2012. Britain now sees more than 60,000 premature births every year; an increase that has...

Parents are being warned about a shocking new 'choking game’ being played by teens. It involves kids either engaging in self-strangulation or strangulation with a group of friends. Teens are literally putting something around their neck to the point where they faint or become unconscious. The experience apparently gives kids a euphoric high just before they lose consciousness. The ‘game...

Thousands of women across the world are affected by early menopause but in-vitro activation, developed by a Japanese-American team of scientists, may be able to help. The team recently announced that they can find primordial cells in the ovaries of women who have undergone menopause in their early thirties. According to the research, these cells can contain immature eggs that could be nurtured to...

A new study has revealed that children are more likely to develop depression by the age of 18 if their mother experienced it during pregnancy. The large study, conducted by Bristol University, shows that depression causes the stress hormone to be raised which in turn may affect the development of the unborn baby. The research confirms that mental health development starts before birth and calls...

A new poll has revealed that new mothers are developing depression as they feel under pressure to get everything right. Results show that new mothers are more likely to worry about money and childcare with some feeling they can’t cope at all. Up to one in seven women experience a mental health problem during or after pregnancy but, worryingly, a lot of new mums don’t feel like they can talk to...

Heidi Klum says she believes parents rely too much on television to entertain their children. The model admits she’s banned her own kids from watching TV for long periods and encourages them to play outside as much as possible. Heidi says; “I’m old-fashioned, and I feel like technology ran away with everything. I don’t believe in setting your kids in front of something, always. I think...

New research has found one in ten mothers suffer from depression during pregnancy. It was previously thought that pregnancy hormones helped protect against this, but hormonal changes during pregnancy can actually contribute to the development of depression. There are now calls for more to be done to identify and treat the illness in pregnant women, following evidence that shows mental and...

A recent survey has revealed that children between the ages of 12 and 15 don’t know all their social media ‘friends’, leaving them vulnerable to online bullying or grooming. As parents struggle to keep up with their kids internet use they are less able to protect them from these online dangers. Surprisingly, the survey found that few devices have the ‘safe search’ settings enabled and...

Higher-income parents claiming child benefits must register for assessment by the end of this week or face hundreds of pounds in fines. Saturday’s deadline is the result of a decision to scrap child benefit in households where the breadwinner earns £60,000 or more. Parents will have to opt out of receiving the benefit or submit a self-assessment form so that HM Revenue & Customs can calculate...

A new study has found one in five songs in the UK Top Ten is glamorising alcohol. Today’s music is more likely to glorify drinking than songs from ten years ago and researchers warn that chart music could be encouraging children to drink. Many songs link alcohol with confidence, socialising or attractiveness rather than with hangovers and health problems. Researchers are calling for warning...