I’ve been in denial for the last few weeks but I can’t ignore it any longer. The Coca-Cola Christmas advert is back on our screens which can only mean one thing – the holidays are coming!
Actually, it kind of signifies two things. Yes, Christmas is undoubtedly on its way but also, so are those inevitable winter bugs. Being ill sucks, which is why I’ve been reminding everyone who reads Chez Mummy not to forget their winter flu jab. I also wrote about it on my news blog over at Working Parents United if you want to go and check it out *cough*…
Of course you can’t vaccinate against every little thing (more’s the pity) and one such illness is chickenpox. You may remember that in an earlier health round-up I wrote about how some bloggers had been battling against the dreaded chickenpox. Well, this last month has seen it arrive on my doorstep. I have had to watch one and then the other child succumb to this illness, although thankfully they have both now recovered. When I first saw the red, angry spots appearing I, like any good and decent modern-day mother, took to twitter to ask how I could make my children as comfortable as possible while they were ill. The response I got was fantastic so I collated them into a handy post – Tips on caring for children with chickenpox. You’re welcome.
And of course, it’s not just Christmas that’s in the air. Fiona from Bike Lights in the Fruit Bowl has written about how London stinks because of air pollution. She’s worried about her child getting asthma and no wonder when you consider that “only smoking causes more early deaths than long term exposure to air pollution in the UK”. Suddenly, I’m not so happy about that Coca-Cola lorry on the Christmas advert anymore…
Elsewhere, Ms Mummy of Two has been writing about a subject that thankfully, I don’t have to think about just yet – contraception at age 13. She wrote about it after watching the subject being discussed on The Wright Stuff. Where do you stand on the issue – should girls as young as 13 be given contraception without their parents knowledge and consent? Head on over to her blog and join in the discussion.
One thing that’s been in the news a lot lately has been the Liverpool Care Pathway. For those of you who don’t know, it’s a way to care for people who are nearing the end of their lives, trying to make their last few horus or so as comfortable as possible. It was developed in Liverpool, hence its name. It’s been getting a very bad press lately with allegations that patients are being put on the pathway when they are not close to death. But, Cat from Yellow Days leaps to its defence and explains why she hopes all her loved ones end up on the ‘pathway to death’ (as it has been termed by some).
Another NHS issue in the spotlight is the proposal to put double beds on maternity and labour wards to encourage fathers to stay with their partners and feel more involved in the whole childbirth process. The Lazy Girl’s Guide to Life asks if the NHS has gone mad.
It can be easy sometimes to focus on what’s wrong with something like the NHS but it’s important to remember that we’re lucky to have such services. This is something that Jayne over at Mum’s the Word has written about. Her NHS and Me post gives an overview of her experiences of our healthcare system, from contracting meningitis as a child to present day and how our healthcare system compares to that of other countries. Thanks for the reminder Jayne!
On a lighter note, Crazy with Twins is proudly proclaiming that she’s giving up breastfeeding. She is exercising her free will and choosing to do this based on what she thinks is right for her family and I applaud her for that. You go girl *snaps fingers* *looks like a plonker*. Seriously though, her post includes some very good points about both breast and bottle feeding so do head on over and take a read.
That’s it for another month. Keep your health posts coming, I’m enjoying reading them. And don’t forget to link them up here so that others can easily find and read your posts.
Cat (Yellow Days)
Thursday 15th of November 2012
Thanks for the mention. I'm off to check out the rest now. *settles in with a cuppa*