This was a sidebar for the unpublished piece I wrote on childbirth.

There’s no shortage of parenting books and resources available for parents, but here are some of our favourites.

Baby Love is the Australian bible of parenting books. Written by former child health nurse Robin Barker, it’s a practical guide to the first twelve months of your child’s life and covers everything from feeding, sleeping and, yes, even pooping.

If you find yourself fixated on everything that might go wrong during your pregnancy, pick up a copy of What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff. This book provides answers to almost every question you’ll have about your pregnancy in a balanced and reassuring way. Continue reading →

I wrote this article for the Australian Filipina, but it was never published. In a way, this is a kind of apology for being so masungit to my mum when I had my first child.

‘When are you having kids?’ It’s a refrain that many Filipinas are familiar with. Before the ink dries on your marriage contract, family and friends are already anticipating the most rewarding, and most difficult, time in your life. But having children in Australia today is a different experience to what our mothers and grandmothers went through in the Philippines. The average family in Australia has fewer than three children, whereas our parents often grew up in large households with enough siblings to form a basketball team—with a reserve bench. Modern medical care provides more options than home-birthing twelve children, as our grandmothers may have done. Here’s a look at some of the differences you—or you daughters—might encounter. Continue reading →