Explained: Post Natal Depression is not the same as the 'baby blues'
General practitioner and urgent care doctor, Dr Isabelle Duck explains how postnatal depression is so much more than just …
Parental Health and wellbeing
The health and wellbeing of parents is just as important as that of our children - some would argue it's more important! Our articles in this section discuss both physical and mental wellbeing of adults so you can keep yourself tip top shape!
From surviving to thriving: one mother's story of finding relief
Postnatal depression and associated distress are common conditions that still get left out of most coffee group …
Nathan Wallis on challenges facing parents today
Holly Jean Brooker asks Neuroscience Educator and Parenting Expert, Nathan Wallis to weigh in on the very real challenges of parenting in the 21st century. Every year, nib undertake the State of the Nation Parenting Survey, canvassing a range of …
Do you get mummy rage? You're not alone
Every time you boil over in fury the kids are watching and picking up tips. Is it time to change the programme? Dr Melanie Woodfield explains. Before I became a mum, I had plans to be the perfect parent - always cool, calm and collected. The little …
12 foods with the power to fight & prevent disease
OHbaby! nutritionist Anna Hansen serves up good news — food has the power to fight and prevent disease. Food has been designed with the purpose of nourishing our bodies. It makes sense that food in its unaltered state is in the ideal position to do …
Five foods proven to help combat postnatal depression
Nutritionist Claudia Vavasour shares five foods proven to help combat postnatal depression. Most of us who have had a baby can relate to the term ‘baby blues’. Those feelings of tearfulness and vulnerability during the first week after baby is …
The impact of negative thoughts and how to manage them
Dr Melanie Woodfield explains the impact of negative thinking and how to counter it. I’ll always remember the phone call I received from an agitated mum to the mental health crisis line I was working for at the time. She was worried about her …
Pay attention to your pelvic floor!
You've been told you should do pelvic-floor exercises, but why are they so important? And how do you know if you're doing them right? Lou James explains why pelvic-floor exercises are so crucial, especially to women who are suffering from …
Cover your family's nutrition needs with a plant-based diet
OHbaby! Dietitian Jenny Douglas explains how to cover your family’s nutritional bases in a plant-based diet. Plant-based eating has become increasingly popular due to Netflix documentaries showing improvements in health and sports performance, but …
New mums: why and how to strengthen your core muscles
Pregnancy is a beautiful but tough time hose nine months spent growing a human will take their toll on your body in many different ways, especially your abdomen or your 'core'. Being a new mum requires lots of lifting and carrying, so being strong …
Why we are Wonder Women
What our busy bodies can manage during pregnancy and beyond is astounding. Dr Nick Walker explains the changes. The time of pregnancy, birth and beyond encompasses a really broad range of new experiences, not just socially and psychologically, but …
Rediscover your vitality after giving birth
Postnatal depletion commonly affects new mums. Nutritionist Ben Warren explains how to nourish your body, restore your hormonal balance and rediscover your vitality after giving birth. It’s pretty incredible what the female body will do to sustain …
What you really need to know about sugar
Sugar gets a bad rap these days but are claims that treats are toxic actually reasonable? Sweet-talking OHbaby! nutritionist, Anna Hansen, serves up the facts. In the time of our early ancestors, before machinery was created to extract the juice of …
Tend to your body, mama
Miriam McCaleb asks us to take a moment to (re)consider our bodies Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your attention. In a world where our attention is as valuable as clean water and restorative sleep, I’m super grateful that you will share yours …
Understanding 'Angry Mama Syndrome'
Miriam McCaleb talks to mums who’ve come clean about their anger and looks at ways to avoid classic meltdowns. So many of us are feeling overworked, under appreciated, overwhelmed and under pressure. Is it any wonder we get angry? During my …
Try a triathlon
Put the "try" back in "triumph" and make a triathlon your fitness goal. Physiotherapist John Forrest offers some advice on getting into this increasingly popular sport for the first time. Whether you have spent the winter at the gym or curled up on …
How this charity provides a helping hand to mums with PND
It feels like we’re talking about postnatal depression more than we ever have before, but it’s a conversation that obviously needs to be louder, and go deeper. According to Kristina Paterson, founder of the charity Mothers’ Helpers, two-thirds of …
Superfoods: foods for life
Are some foods super? Nutritionist Anna Hansen, weighs in on what to eat to feel better, boost immunity and have more energy. In recent years, “superfood” has become a popular term around the dining table. But what are super foods, and how did …
Post natal exercise
Following the birth, exercise helps the mother to regain her pre-pregnancy figure a lot more quickly. Studies have shown that mothers who exercise throughout pregnancy gain less body fat, which ensures that at birth the baby is at the smaller end of …
How this mum went from 99kg to Ironwoman triathlete!
Alison King talks to Christine Stride about how she went from overweight new mum to four-time Ironman triathlete and multiple marathon finisher. The day I left hospital with my five-day-old baby I should have been feeling so happy. But one feeling …
Use it or lose it: guide to great pelvic floors
Physiotherapist Renée Vincent offers up the down-low on caring for your pelvic floor. As a mum or mum-to-be, you’re probably familiar with the fact that you have a group of muscles called the pelvic floor, and that these muscles need to be …
Stand tall: tips for treating poor posture and neck pain
Osteopath Sarah-Jane Attias does some straight talking about neck pain and posture, and shares techniques and treatments for new mothers. As a new mum, your neck and back may well be feeling ‘the pinch’, and simple things like sleep, pain-free …
Do you have the low iron blues? Here's what to do
Poor concentration, pale skin, dizziness, low immunity and fatigue can all be signs that your iron levels are low, writes Julie Fergusson. During the winter months we tend to train inside in the gym rather than outside which can cause iron levels …
How to overcome perinatal depression
Pippa Henderson talks to Kristina Paterson about how she overcame perinatal depression, and how she’s now successfully helping others to do the same. I just spent an hour talking to an expert on perinatal depression. You might think I’d be feeling …
Go with your gut: improve your gut health and your brain
Dr Emma Parry offers an update on the gut revolution, and shares why she’s pro probiotics. You would have to have been hiding under a rock to have missed the fact that gut health is big news. So what’s it all about? In this article I’ll outline …
Pelvic flaw
Discussing pelvic floor problems is never going to be sexy. However, pelvic floor dysfunction is common and can cause significant distress for many women. Lisa Yates explains what exactly goes wrong and who is at risk. You need only to attend a …
We help you find the time to exercise
We’ve all heard the benefits of being active and the recommendations to dedicate time every day to physical activity, but how? And when? OHbaby! fitness expert Renée Vincent offers advice. You may be familiar with the Ministry of Health’s …
Why it's okay to NOT be okay
Rebekah Hoeft calls on mamas everywhere to break the taboos of not talking about post natal depression (PND) and raise their voices. There’s a ridiculous idea that becoming a mum means you should be super-happy all the time. You’re lucky enough to …
Know your normal: surviving breast cancer
Breast awareness saved Vivian Gubb’s life, and potentially her sisters’ as well. her message could save other women: know your normal. 🎗️🎗️ Vivian Gubb was only 29 when she was diagnosed in 2015, just after her first wedding anniversary. …
Eight foods to bust your sugar cravings
Thanks to Holistic Health Coach Carly Shankman for the tips below: Busting those sugar cravings and getting off processed food is all about getting adequate protein and fats to keep you full, satisfied, and burning ketones instead of glucose. If …
Journey to a better body
Those who know me well realise that I have never been one to resemble an elite athlete. However, once upon a time in my youth, oh so very long ago, I was an energetic and sprightly wee thing and very sporty. I played netball, touch rugby, hockey. …
No more leaks
If you have developed a wee problem since giving birth the good news is there's a very simple solution. "Those poor women," says Dr Lynsey Hayward, who has seen mums virtually house-bound by a leaky bladder. One, who had to stop work, was going …
What you need to know about breast cancer
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BREAST CANCER…. …and pregnancy Full-term pregnancies offer a long-term protective effect against breast cancer. Women who have their first baby before age 30 have a slightly lower risk of developing the disease in their …
Get Fit Busy Mama
From creature of comfort to recreational runner in 12 weeks? Former OHbaby! Editor Ellie Gwilliam sets out to improve her fitness. The eve of day one When it comes to exercise, I am lazy and a quitter. As a mum I can, of course, see the benefits of …
When your baby sleeps but you can't: tips for getting to sleep
Some parents are wide awake at night, even when their children are peacefully sleeping. Physiotherapist Renee Vincent explains why cleaning up our sleep hygiene is a helpful and healthy idea. As any parent knows, sleep is a cherished and …
Easy does it: natural ways to manage pain after childbirth
After your baby is born a few aches and pains can arise while adapting to parenthood. It can take your body a while to adapt to some of the new tasks that come with having a baby. During pregnancy, your hormones work to loosen muscles, ligaments and …
Exercise as medicine
If we want to feel better and live longer, turns out we should walk past the pharmacy and, well, just keep on walking! OHbaby! Fitness expert Renée Vincent explains. If a friend told you about an inexpensive wonder drug that adds years to your …
Exercises your kids can actually help you with!
It can be tough finding time to work out when you're a parent, but there are times during the day in which you can squeeze a few minutes of beneficial exercies or stretches. There are also ways in which you can incorporate your little ones into your …
Healing your pelvic floor
Many women are secretly suffering problems they simply consider "the norm". With information and exercise, you can say goodbye to pelvic floor problems and say hello to strength. In the article "At risk of a pelvic flaw?", we looked at one of the …
Wrist pain
Does your wrist hurt when you breastfeed? You might be affected by de Quervain's tenosynovitis, explains Elizabeth Gasson. One of the best parts of being a mum is the closeness that comes from being able to breastfeed your baby, scoop him into …
Desperate for sleep
New parents reminisce about pre-baby days where a full night's sleep was the norm rather than a luxury, and practically salivate at the sight of their beckoning beds. Cherin Abdelaal Selim and Shelley Zintl reveal there is light at the end of the …
Diastasis rectus abdominis
A diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscle is a gap that has formed between the two bellies of the rectus abdominis, or "six-pack" muscles. During pregnancy, as the uterus grows in size, the stomach muscles must stretch to accommodate this. Towards …
7 secrets every woman needs to know
Heba Shaheed, also known as The Pelvic Expert, is a women's health nutritionist and physiotherapist who specialises in pregnancy, birth, motherhood, pelvic pain and endometriosis. Here she shares seven things all women should know about their …
3 post-birth pelvic issues
Pregnancy and birth are joyous times in a woman’s life, as we anticipate the arrival of our babies. Unfortunately, pregnancy and birth can sometimes put too much strain on our bodies, and we can be left a little worse for wear 'down there'. Heba …
9 steps towards being sugar-free
9 steps towards sugar-free1 Cut out sugary drinks, including fruit juice. Instead try soda water with fresh lemon or lime juice (you can make your own soda water with a Soda Stream machine). 2 Experiment with unbaked (raw) sweet treats like bliss …
Three of the best upper body stretches
A lot of women experience lower back, shoulder and neck pain during and after pregnancy. Osteopath and mum Sarah Boughtwood, who specialises in back pain and pregnancy, shares her three favourite upper-body stretches to keep your neck, shoulders and …
Periods and exercise
When you have your period, one of the last things you might feel like doing is exercising. But it's important to understand what's going on in your body so that you can avoid crashing on the sofa with the intentions of eating an entire tub of ice …
Period pain
Heavy, painful menstrual bleeding is a problem which affects up to one in five New Zealand women. Dr Anil Sharma explains the causes of heavy periods, and how they can be treated. Every month, women shed the lining of their womb …
Exercise outside
Are you stuck in a fitness rut after the long, rainy winter? Wondering how you can get in any decent exercise with a baby in tow? It's time to get out of the house and get fit, says fitness expert Lou James. After the …
Urinary incontinence
Do you wet yourself when you sneeze? Many women find, after having a baby, that childbirth has brought with it an unpleasant side effect - leakage of urine due to weak pelvic floor muscles or an overactive bladder. Urinary incontinence is an …
Nurturing your identity after baby's arrival
Becoming a mother is one of the most life-changing experiences a woman will ever face. Before your baby was born, you probably described yourself in terms of your occupation: student, journalist, lawyer, postie, businesswoman, or whatever it is you …
