News
Deborah’s mother gave birth to nine children. Six of them were taken
5+ hour, 5+ min ago (451+ words) March 2, 2026 " 5:00am Each week, Benjamin Law asks public figures to discuss the subjects we're told to keep private by getting them to roll a die. The numbers they land on are the topics they're given. This week, he talks to Deborah…...
Todd Carney wants to call his son King Daryl. Problem is, it’s one of 89 banned baby names
4+ day, 9+ hour ago (472+ words) February 25, 2026 " 7:30pm Noah was the most popular boy's name in five of Australia's states and territories last year, but a list of the country's top baby monikers is not where ex-NRL champion Todd Carney and cosmetic nurse Susie Bradley found inspiration…...
My husband and I dated quietly at first. Six weeks in, I learnt I was pregnant
2+ week, 2+ day ago (691+ words) February 15, 2026 " 5:00am Musician Sophie Ellis-Bextor is best known for her hit song, Murder on the Dancefloor. Here, the 46-year-old mother of five talks about the important men in her life, including what led to her meeting her husband, fellow musician Richard…...
Health minister orders review into troubled maternity unit
2+ week, 5+ day ago (345+ words) February 10, 2026 " 10:57am An independent review into services at the Toowoomba Hospital's beleaguered maternity unit has been ordered by the Queensland health minister following claims by mothers and families of obstetric violence and coercion. Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the review, commissioned…...
A childless life is not the nightmare ending you might think it is
3+ week, 2+ day ago (537+ words) February 7, 2026 " 8:00am Have you heard the term "fertility vampire? It's a person " usually a man " who dates someone during their childbearing years and then ends the relationship, robbing them of their chance to be a parent. These stories, common enough that…...
‘Tidal wave of pressure’: Has the Ozempic boom made it harder for new mums?
3+ week, 2+ day ago (1389+ words) February 6, 2026 " 1:57pm Coming of age in the late 1990s, Jessica Seitz, 33, knows the pressures of diet and "skinny" culture well. "I grew up my whole life with weight issues. You won't find very many Millennials that didn't at least have bad body…...
Shopping for genetically superior babies is a dystopian nightmare
3+ week, 3+ day ago (373+ words) It was fascinating to read that genetic testing can now predict the polygenic risk of left-handedness. But is this actually a "risk?" Left-handed readers should be mortally offended. Imagine the impact if we eliminate lefties from cricket and tennis. Both…...
Melbourne is developing a new gestational diabetes hotspot. Why?
1+ mon, 5+ hour ago (769+ words) February 2, 2026 " 5:00am Gestational diabetes rates have skyrocketed in Melbourne's southeast within a short timeframe, putting more Victorian mothers and babies at risk of complications and piling additional pressure on the state's health system. A team of researchers from Monash University analysed…...
‘Who’s looking after the baby?’: When Laura needed support, she faced this instead
1+ mon, 1+ day ago (803+ words) February 1, 2026 " 5:00am The transition into motherhood is a time of new things " new baby, new routine, new identity. Yet, for many women, this season also comes with a loss. Amid the relentless caregiving, the "mother" is born but the "woman" may…...
Donor sperm shortage and huge price increases put strain on women’s pregnancy plans
1+ mon, 3+ day ago (1345+ words) January 29, 2026 " 11:55am Australian women requiring donor sperm to conceive will need to compete for a "dramatically reduced" number of donors and pay huge price increases for sperm because of what experts say was a snap government decision. Fertility specialists say a…...