Baby HQ
Medically accurate. Culturally inclusive. Written for real mums.
Morning Sickness: The Great Pregnancy Betrayal
Why 70% of pregnant women feel like they've been mildly poisoned: the science, the truth, and what actually helps.
The Anatomy Scan: What Actually Happens at Your 20-Week Ultrasound
The scan at week 18-22 is the most detailed look at your baby before birth. Here's exactly what they check, what the results mean, and why they put that cold jelly on your stomach.
Braxton Hicks vs Real Labour: The Ultimate "Is This It?" Guide
Your uterus has been doing practice runs since week 20. Here's how to tell the difference between a rehearsal and the real show, with actual medical accuracy.
Iron in Pregnancy: Why Your Blood Needs a Promotion
Your blood volume increases by 50% during pregnancy. Here's what iron actually does, why so many mums are deficient, and the best food sources globally.
The Stages of Labour: What Actually Happens and How Long It Takes
Labour has three distinct stages and can last anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days. Here's what your body is doing at each stage, what it feels like, and what the medical team are tracking.
Pre-Eclampsia: The Pregnancy Condition Every Mum Needs to Know About
Pre-eclampsia affects 5% of pregnancies and is a leading cause of maternal and foetal death worldwide. It is also detectable, manageable, and sometimes preventable. Here is what to know.
When to Call Your Midwife: A Practical Guide to What Can't Wait
A clear, honest guide to the symptoms that need same-day assessment, the ones that can wait for your next appointment, and the ones that need an ambulance.
The Fourth Trimester: What to Expect
What to expect in the first 12 weeks after birth: physically, emotionally, and practically.
Baby Blues: What They Are and Why They Happen
Baby blues affect many mums in the first 1–2 weeks after birth. Learn what is normal, and when to seek more support.
Postnatal Depression and Anxiety: Signs and Support
Postnatal depression and anxiety are common and treatable. Recognise the signs and know how to get support.
Guilt and Shame in the Postnatal Period
Feelings of guilt and shame are very common after birth. You are not alone, and they do not reflect reality.
Emergency Mental Health Support
When to seek urgent help: symptoms that require immediate medical attention, including postpartum psychosis.
Positive Affirmations for the Postpartum Period
Affirmations for mothers, fathers, and both parents together, for the difficult days and the good ones.
Supporting Your Partner: A Guide for Dads and Family Members
Practical and emotional ways partners and family can support a new mother, and how to look after yourself too.
Newborn Feeding: What Actually Happens in the First 48 Hours
Your baby has never eaten before in their entire life. Here's what to expect in those first two days, whether you're breastfeeding, formula feeding, or trying to figure it out as you go.
Postpartum Mood: When the Baby Is Fine But You Definitely Aren't
Baby blues, postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety: the differences, who gets them, and the truth about a subject that is still talked about in whispers.
Foods to Avoid in Pregnancy: The Complete No-Nonsense List
Raw fish, soft cheese, deli meat: a clear, medically grounded explanation of what to avoid and exactly why, with no unnecessary panic.
What to Eat in Each Trimester: A Practical Guide
Your nutritional needs genuinely shift throughout pregnancy. Here's what your body prioritises in each trimester and how to meet those needs without a nutrition degree.
Sleep in Pregnancy: Why Getting Comfortable Becomes a Full-Contact Sport
Insomnia, hip pain, and the 3am bladder alarm: what's normal, what helps, and when poor sleep becomes something to mention to your midwife.
Gestational Diabetes: What the Diagnosis Actually Means
One of the most common pregnancy complications: what causes it, what the risks actually are, how it's managed, and why it doesn't mean you failed.
The Epidural: What It Actually Feels Like and How It Works
The most commonly requested form of pain relief in labour. What it does, how it's administered, what the real risks are (not the ones people exaggerate), and how it affects your birth.
Lochia: The Postpartum Bleeding Nobody Warned You About
Every woman who gives birth experiences lochia. Most are not adequately warned about what it is, how long it lasts, or when it becomes a problem. Here is the full picture.
Your Pelvic Floor After Birth: What Happened and What to Do About It
Leaking when you laugh is not your life now. The pelvic floor can recover, but it requires the right exercises, starting at the right time, done correctly.
Newborn Sleep: What's Normal, What Isn't, and How to Survive It
Newborns sleep 14-17 hours per day but almost never when you want them to. A clear-eyed guide to newborn sleep science, safe sleep guidelines, and the truth about sleep training.
Induction of labour: Frequently asked questions
Meeting your baby for the first time
My team for birth and labour
Opioids (pethidine/diamorphine/meptid)
Oxytocin (known as synth or syntocinon)
Planned (elective) caesarean birth
Positions for labour and birth
Understanding Your Newborn's Cries: A Practical Field Guide
Your baby has exactly one form of communication and uses it for everything. Here's how to read what they're actually telling you.
Second stage
Self-hypnosis/Deep relaxation techniques
Skin-to-skin contact
TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation)
The show
Third stage
Tips for birth partners
Understanding perineal tears
Anxiety in Pregnancy: When Normal Worrying Becomes Too Much
Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in pregnancy and is significantly underdiagnosed. What it looks like, who gets it, and what actually helps.
Ventouse or forceps
Vitamin K for newborn babies
Water
What happens if I go into preterm labour?
What happens if my baby is born prematurely?
When pregnancy goes beyond your due date
When to call your midwife/maternity unit
Why might I be offered an induction of labour?
You: straight after birth
Your baby: straight after birth
Your waters breaking
16 weeks
25 weeks (first pregnancy only)
28 weeks
31 weeks (first pregnancy only)
34 weeks
36 weeks
38 weeks
40 weeks (first pregnancy only)
41 weeks
After 18-20 weeks gestation
After 37 weeks gestation/When expecting labour
Alcohol
Anomaly scan (18-21 weeks)
Antenatal appointments schedule
Bonding With Your Baby: When It Doesn't Happen in the Golden Hour
Not everyone feels instant love. Not everyone cries with joy in the delivery room. This is more common than you think, and it does not mean anything is wrong with you.