Health Round-up: A bumper start to 2013

Happy New Year one and all! Welcome to the first health round-up of 2013 and boy, it’s a bumper edition this month.

We ended 2012 with the sad news that Kerry (Multiple Mummy) had passed away shortly before Christmas. The #Healing4Kerry twitter and blog event that had been organised by New Mum Online last year showed exactly how Kerry had touched the lives of so many people and when her funeral and thanksgiving service was held a couple of weeks ago, bloggers came together over twitter once again to think of her and her family using the hashtag #KerryInOurHearts. I hope it gave her family and friends some strength knowing that she was so well thought of and loved.

Kerry’s family is now fundraising for money for Addenbrookes Charitable Trust (ACT) to continue to provide high levels of care and support at the hospital where Kerry was cared for. At the time of writing this, nearly £4,200 had been raised – more than double the family’s original fundraising target. If you would like to contribute then there is still time to donate.

Someone else who’s raising money for a good cause this year is Fi from Childcare is Fun. With the dawn of a new year came the idea to run a half marathon in aid of a special little boy called Noah who was born with Spina Bifida and hydrocephalus. Fi will be one half of ‘Team Noah’ and will be running the Stafford half marathon in March to raise much-needed money to help Noah get the equipment he needs to help him lead as independent a life as possible. Good luck Fi!

I certainly admire Fi’s commitment – all this current cold weather is making me want to curl up at home under a blanket and hibernate until Spring. It doesn’t help that I’ve come down with a cold, something that seems to happen every year. So one post I’m definitely going to need to read is about keeping winter bugs at bay by A Mummy’s View for some tips on how to deal with winter colds, especially if they affect children.

Meanwhile, over at Emma and Three, a brave and honest post has been written about the unglossy version of DDH. I admire Emma for highlighting how difficult it can be when your child is being treated for developmental dysplasia of the hip. One mum who I am sure can empathise is Northern Mum. With one child with DDH and another child recently diagnosed with diabetes, Jane has recently chronicled a typical day in the life of a mum with diabetic and DDH kids.

Moving nicely onto the topic of diabetes, Mummy of Two has published a guest post all about childhood diabetes, focusing on Type 2 Diabetes and steps you can take to prevent this particular condition.

On another note, it’s always good to have a rant now and again and Gemma who writes My Mills Baby has been doing just that this month. She found herself getting angry over a story in the Daily Mirror about research that claims children who watch TV and play computer games are more likely to get cancer and become obese. If you haven’t already, head on over to her blog and take a read of why she thinks the story is utter twaddle and see if you agree.

Now, we all know that with childbirth comes the inevitable weakening of the pelvic floor muscles. I’m sure most of us have experienced an embarrassing moment when we might cough or laugh just a little too hard. No? C’mon you can admit it… Well, one woman who’s bravely confessing all is Elaine. She’s been diagnosed with stress incontinence and you can read what she says about her new companion on her Fun As A Gran blog.

And Elaine’s not the only one who’s been writing about a condition that affects her. Jodie, writer of the Life With Pink Princesses blog, has been told she’s got Group B Streptococcus while The PR Mummy has written about her anxiety.

If you’ve written a health-related post over the last month or so, please link it up so that we can all take a read and maybe it’ll also get a mention in next month’s round-up. You never know!

About Laura

Laura is a seasoned communications professional who has worked with a variety of health organisations over the years. As well as writing the monthly health round-up for BritMums, Laura blogs (and vlogs) at Chez Mummy, where she chronicles her (mis)adventures in parenting and quest for that elusive work/life balance. She's also the creater of Working Parents United, a website to support working mothers and fathers across the UK.

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