Tag Archives: Parents

Vaginal Seeding: Should You Swab Your Baby With Vaginal Fluid After C-Section?

Posted on by
Reply

Swabbing newborn babies with their mum’s vaginal bacteria might boost their early development, according to new research.

Known as vaginal seeding, the process involves transferring vaginal bacteria to a baby after a caesarean section, with a view to improving their gut bacteria.

The process reportedly originated in Australia, however over the years has become increasingly popular in the UK, too – with more and more mums asking for vaginal seeding after a C-section birth.

But there are risks attached – specifically the risk of passing on an infection from mother to child.

What is vaginal seeding all about then?

Previous research has found babies born by C-section tend to have different gut bacteria to those born vaginally.

Vaginally born babies receive their early gut bacteria from the mother’s birth canal, while C-section babies’ microbiota are dominated by bacteria found on the mums’ skin, in breastmilk and in the environment.

While the difference tends to disappear as they age, researchers suggest early gut microbiota is associated with the development of baby’s immune system and could affect their disease risk later in life.

This has led to practices like vaginal seeding – basically, mums (or dads) would rub newborns with a gauze swab containing their mother’s vaginal fluids after birth via C-section.

But there is limited clinical evidence that vaginal seeding is safe and effective.

What are the risks of vaginal seeding?

Doctors have previously warned that the process could put babies at risk of infection – particularly from group B strep (GBS), which can prove deadly in some cases. And according to Jane Plumb, chief executive of Group B Strep Support, testing for group B strep “is rarely available in the NHS”.

“[GBS] is carried by around one in four pregnant women, and although it poses no risk to the mother it can cause fatal infections in babies,” Dr Aubrey Cunnington, a clinical senior lecturer from Imperial College London, wrote in the BMJ.

“There are also other conditions that cause no symptoms in the mother, such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea and herpes simplex virus, that could be transferred on the swab.”

He spoke about how one colleague had to intervene when a mother with genital herpes, who had undergone a C-section and was about to undertake the process.

“Swabbing would have potentially transferred the herpes virus to the baby,” said Dr Cunnington.

What does the new study say?

Researchers rubbed the lips, skin and hands of 32 newborns delivered via C-section with a gauze soaked with their mothers’ vaginal fluids and another 36 newborns with a gauze soaked with saline as blind controls.

Because of the risks attached, the mothers were tested in advance to make sure they were free of infections, such as sexually transmitted diseases and group B strep.

The team found that newborns who received the microbiota had more gut bacteria found in maternal vaginal fluid six weeks after birth, suggesting that maternal vaginal bacteria successfully reached and colonised babies’ guts.

Compared with C-section newborns who received saline gauze, babies with microbial transfer had more mature bacteria in their guts at six weeks old, similar to babies born vaginally.

And no infants experienced severe adverse events during the experiment, according to the study which was published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe.

It could also boost development

The team also evaluated the babies’ neurodevelopment at three months and six months after birth, using a questionnaire.

They asked the mothers if their babies were able to make simple sounds or perform movements like crawling on their hands and knees.

Babies who had been swapped with vaginal fluid scored significantly higher in neurodevelopment at both ages, and their scores were comparable to those of vaginally born babies.

Study author Yan He, of Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, said they now want to determine if vaginal microbiota seeding has the potential to reduce the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in children, such as ADHD, ASD, and intellectual disabilities.

“It is somewhat like faecal microbiota transplantation,” continued He.

“We need more data to understand this intervention and make it more precise. We may eventually uncover what exactly is beneficial in maternal vaginal microbiota, which could enable us to design therapeutics for all infants born via C-section in the future.”

Advice for parents

Dr Cunningham, who cautioned against vaginal seeding, urged mothers considering the procedure to discuss it with their doctors first so that they are fully informed and are aware of the risks involved.

Share Button

After Years Of Infertility, I Got Pregnant At 46. I Had No Idea That Would Be The Easiest Part.

Posted on by
Reply

I turned 51 this year, and one of the many things I’ve learned over the course of five decades on this planet is that our dreams rarely manifest exactly as we envisioned them. We can spend years and years longing for something and then, when it finally arrives, we either don’t realise it or we’re disappointed because it doesn’t look quite the way we expected it to.

I never dreamed that a “normal” family was in the cards for me. It was something that happened to other people. People who were better at finding themselves in the right places at the right times. People who weren’t so guarded with their hearts. People who were unbroken. But a part of me yearned for it. I remember thinking that a loving family must feel like the safest place in the world.

I’d been told, my entire adult life, by a battery of soft-spoken doctors and specialists, that I would never conceive a child naturally. While there were times when I considered alternative avenues to motherhood, ultimately I felt content in my child-free life. I was a dog mom and an auntie, and I relished those roles. I was also a mountain girl: adventuring into the alpine each weekend in my Jeep or on foot to leap into remote crystalline lakes. I loved my adventurous single gal existence and my freedom. I had plans to travel, continue building my creative business so I could work from anywhere, and collect stories that I would one day, just maybe, compile into a book.

One month after my 46th birthday, I missed a period. Though I’d been casually dating someone, I assumed, considering my history, that this was menopause rearing its head at last. A couple more weeks passed and I started to have some other symptoms that were unusual for me. I figured these were further indications that my hormones were changing. But — maybe on a whim, maybe at the urging of my best friend, maybe in a burst of intuition — I bought a pregnancy test at my local drugstore and went into the bathroom at the adjacent Whole Foods to take it.

I sat there in the stall staring in disbelief at a very crisp, clear blue line in the little window on the test stick. Surely this was an error — yet another artefact of my hormones gone awry. I immediately consulted Dr. Google and learned there is a kind of ovarian cyst that can release hormones that mimic the signs of pregnancy. That was it. I was certain I had one of those cysts. I just needed to get the confirmation from my doctor.

That confirmation wouldn’t come. What would arrive was a phone call from a jovial nurse, the announcement that my HCG levels were so high it was in fact possible I was pregnant with twins, and a referral for an ultrasound that would reveal what was now undeniable: I was pregnant. PREGNANT. Impossibly. At 46. With a man who was certain about few things in life save for the fact that he didn’t want to be a father.

The author and her partner, unwitting parents at midlife, in 2023.

Courtesy of Natasha Dworkin

The author and her partner, unwitting parents at midlife, in 2023.

He was a performing circus artist — an aerial acrobat seven years my junior. We’d dated briefly several years prior and had at this point been rekindled for a few months. Our connection was mostly physical and it was far from serious. On our first date, I texted my best friend, “I’m not gonna spend the rest of my life with him, but he sure is cute.” He told me on many occasions that he didn’t want to have kids, and I thought I couldn’t conceive, so we were well-matched, in that regard at least.

Now I had to bestow on him a piece of news that could forever alter the course of his life. I remember driving to his apartment the evening I planned to tell him, half in a daze, almost numb with uncertainty. We had already made plans for that particular night — get pho and hang out at his place listening to podcasts — so I remember him opening the door with a smile, then ducking back inside to grab his coat. I recall that, as usual, he was warm when he hugged me, warm and strong. And he seemed happy to see me. My heart was leaden in my chest as I asked him if we could sit down for a minute before we left. As soon as we did, I began to cry. He put his hand on my knee and looked at me in a way that said, “Hey, whatever it is, I’m here.” You have no idea, I thought.

I managed to utter the words, and he managed to receive them, setting in motion a period that was both miraculous and fraught. I felt stunned, terrified, sad, thrilled, hopeful and humbled all at once. He felt disempowered, grieving for a future he’d envisioned that might not come to fruition in the ways he’d hoped. I think back on that time as both a whirring blur and a slow-motion free-fall.

We attended therapy together, spent hours and hours talking about all the possible scenarios. He promised he’d be there for me no matter what I decided to do, but he also begged me not to have our baby. I came close so many times to assuring him that I wouldn’t, but I always, inexplicably, stopped short. I wondered: If I chose to have an abortion, would I have regrets? And would that experience, and those regrets, leave me forever heartbroken? I also thought about how I’d be in my mid-60s when this child graduated high school, and about the end of those solo summer days high in the mountains, the travels, and the book.

While I’ve always vehemently supported a woman’s right to determine what she does with her own body — and while I was very clear about the choice in front of me — the gravity of that choice, now that it was mine to make, was almost too much to bear. I felt crushed under the weight of making it for the both of us. For the three of us. Crushed and paralysed. In my state, in-clinic abortion is legal into the second trimester, and other options are available until a foetus is viable. I would need every single minute, hour, day, week and month I could get to process my own conflicting emotions, to be counselled, to get clear with myself, to gain some level of certainty that I was making a decision that was truly right for me, that was pure of heart, that was mine.

Ultimately, my choice was to meet my child.

The author and her family.

Courtesy of Natasha Dworkin

The author and her family.

When I finally knew what I was going to do, and when I eventually began telling my friends and family about the decision I’d made, what stood out to them was the unlikeliness of my story. I got pregnant naturally at midlife, after decades of infertility. Their faces lit up with the news that perennially single me would now, along with my soon-to-arrive babe and his inadvertent father, have a family. Congratulatory texts arrived from people I hadn’t spoken to in years, cards came in the mail, packages appeared containing hand-knitted baby blankets and wise, loving notes. People used words like “miracle,” “wonder,” “blessing,” “full circle.” And so much of that was true. It was a wonder. My son was a tiny miracle.

But the journey of the midlife mother is rarely so black and white. No matter which road leads us to motherhood, we each end up in a place where we have to reconcile the woman we spent half our lifetimes becoming with the mother we’ll spend the rest of our lives being. Even after my son was born, big and healthy after an uneventful pregnancy, I found that my identity was still firmly rooted in the soil — for lack of a better word — of childlessness. I still felt like the woman at the party who couldn’t relate to the moms in the corner swapping milestones, like the auntie whose nieces confide in her things they’d never tell their moms, like the single gal sneaking peeks at the handsome dad in the grocery store wearing his baby, wondering about the partner waiting at home, and if it would ever be me.

I still felt like her because I still was her. But I was a mom now, too. This clumsy dance of identities is one of the more profound grapplings of later-in-life motherhood: straddling adjacent chapters, one just beginning, the other not yet closed, attempting in real time to bridge the two. It’s disorienting to lose access to things we’ve always known. But we also get the thrill and delight of peeking into new places in our hearts that we didn’t know were there before and of discovering new pieces of ourselves in the process.

Four years later, I’m a mother and partner, fully immersed in a family of my own. It doesn’t look like the family I imagined. My son’s father and I stumbled from non-exclusive dating into sudden partnership and parenting in a matter of months. Our road to becoming parents together, and eventually a family, has been a winding one, but we are a family nonetheless. We rallied to bring our child into an environment of love and laughter and kindness and mutual respect. Along the way we had to get to know ourselves, each other, and a new vision for what the rest of our lives would look like. We are still growing and fumbling and learning every day but we are among the most devoted parents you’ll ever meet.

And now, I find myself planning different travels, collecting different stories, working on a different book.

One recent weekend, my partner packed me up and sent me off to my cabin in the country on my own so I could write, refresh and connect with the land where I grew up. While I was there, a neighbour invited me to pick apples from her tree. I picked a huge bag full and then brought them back to the city, to my boys, and made a lovely apple tart. It was an offering of thanks for these two magical souls who have become my accidental dream come true.

The author and her son in 2023.

Courtesy of Natasha Dworkin

The author and her son in 2023.

Natasha Dworkin is an agency founder, strategic storyteller, and midlife mama. For more than 20 years, she has helped her purpose-driven clients tell their stories, amplify their impact, and change the world. She now leverages her professional expertise with her personal experience becoming a first-time mom at the age of 46, to help other midlife women make transformative change in their own lives and communities. Connect with her through her website, natasha-dworkin.com, on Substack at natashadworkin.substack.com, and on Instagram at @midlife.mama.

Share Button

Serena Williams Telling Her Daughter She’s Pregnant Is Unfiltered Family Fun

Posted on by
Reply

Tennis great Serena Williams can still serve up entertainment – and now she’s doing it at home.

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion shared a video this week of her telling daughter Olympia that she’s pregnant.

The five-year-old, whom Williams was carrying when she won the Australian Open in 2017, had been worrying about Serena’s weight gain, the athlete explains in the video.

“Remember how you’ve been praying/planning for a little sister or brother?” Williams says to her daughter. “Well, we went to the doctor, and it turns out I’m not getting fat, but I have a baby in my belly.”

“Are you kidding me?” Olympia replies.

“You’re gonna be a big sister,” confirms Alexis Ohanian, Williams’ husband and Olympia’s father.

Olympia shrieks and hugs her mum.

“Oh, my god! I’m so excited!” she says.

She screams again as she sprints out of the room ― where she apparently falls.

“I’m OK!” Olympia yells off-camera.

Williams, 41, has ostensibly been retired since last year’s U.S. Open, and one of the reasons she cited was to grow her family.

But the new video shows the funny exchange in full:

Share Button

Harry Potter Star Bonnie Wright Expecting Her First Child

Posted on by
Reply

The actor famous for playing the littlest Weasley sibling is now expecting a child of her own.

Bonnie Wright, who portrayed Ginny Weasley in the wildly popular Harry Potter movies, said Friday on Instagram that she and husband Andrew Lococo “can’t wait to meet our baby later this year and become parents.”

“So excited to share this beautiful land with them,” she wrote in the caption of her post, which included photos of the pair posing in front of a lush mountainous landscape. “What a wild and humbling journey pregnancy is, transforming to make space for new life.”

The British actor and environmental activist married Lococo last year at The Ecology Center, an organic farm and ecological education nonprofit in California. Their wedding was featured on the website Brides, which described the event on Instagram as a “celebration of love, community, and sustainability.”

Wright is set to become at least the second Harry Potter alum to welcome a newborn this year. In March, Daniel Radcliffe and his longtime girlfriend, fellow actor Erin Darke, announced that they were expecting a child. Earlier this week, the couple confirmed that their baby has now arrived.

Share Button

New Parents – You Can Grab 20% Off Postpartum Essentials With Lola&Lykke

Posted on by
Reply

We hope you love the products we recommend – all of them were independently selected by our editors. Just so you know, HuffPost UK may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. Prices accurate and items in stock at time of publication.

April marks C-section Awareness Month, and Lola&Lykke has pulled out all the stops to honour the delivery method many welcome their children into the world via.

Mums who have undergone a Caesarean section, as well as those who have had a vaginal birth, can now save on all the essentials they need to look after themselves and their bodies during their pregnancy, and postpartum, with the popular parenting brand.

For the duration of April, Lola&Lykke is offering shoppers the chance to get 20% off select items.

Lola&Lykke – which was was founded in 2018 by parents Laura and Kati, after they experienced problems during their pregnancies – offers a range of products to see parents before and after their pregnancy.

The selection of support bands, which includes the Core Restore Postpartum Support Band, as well as the Core Relief Pregnancy Support Belt, are firm favourites.

The Postpartum Support Band in particular is a must have as it provides medical-grade compression on the weakened core muscles, and aims to speed up recovery from childbirth and pregnancy. It was also designed by Finnish physiotherapists, so is safe to use.

Not only does it provide support around the stomach to heal diastasis recti, which is when your growing uterus expands causing your muscles to separate, but also to alleviate any back pain.

The Postpartum Support Band, which is also suitable for those recovering after a natural births, has been designed with comfort in mind, as the band fits to your body without inhibiting any movements.

It comes in a range of sizes, from extra small to extra large, to fit all body shapes comfortably.

The Postpartum Support Band is super simple to wear too, all you have to do is wrap around the target area of your stomach, and secure with the double velcro fastening.

It is free from latex, hypoallergenic and breathable, which means it is super delicate on fragile areas of the body.

<img class="img-sized__img portrait" loading="lazy" alt="The Postpartum Support Band provides medical-grade compression on the weakened core muscles.” width=”720″ height=”1079″ src=”https://www.wellnessmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/new-parents-you-can-grab-20-off-postpartum-essentials-with-lolalykke-2.jpg”>

The Postpartum Support Band is one of the selected items Lola&Lykke shoppers can claim 20% off of, which sees the price drop from £85 to £67, but for a limited time only.

No discount code is required to claim 20% off as it is discounted at the checkout, which makes for super simple and stress-free shopping.

While browsing Lola&Lykke – which is also famed for its bestselling breast pump, plus so much more – shoppers can save on the Hospital Bag Set, which usually retails at £271 has been slashed to £262.

While those who want to secure the Maternity Support 2-Pack, which features the Pregnancy Band and Postpartum Support Band to see you through all stages of pregnancy, can do so at a more purse-friendly £171 down from £180.

With glowing reviews, support from medical experts, and super affordable price tags, these bargain buys are not to be missed.

While on the Lola&Lykke website, you will also find tool kits, tips and tricks, expert advice from professionals, as well as real life stories from fellow parents, so rest assured you are in a safe space to share your concerns or product recommendations.

The maternity label also has a blog about all subject matters, including in-depth detail on C-sections, so you can be well informed about the surgical procedure prior to giving birth, preparation to help in advance, as well as tips on recovery, and everything in between.

Share Button

Jehane Thomas, TikTok Star And Mother-Of-Two, Has Died Aged 30

Posted on by
Reply

TikTok parenting star Jehane Thomas, whose videos of life with her young sons gained a devoted audience, has died at the age of 30.

Thomas had been plagued by migraines and “bouts of illness” recently, but her death on March 17 “was totally unexpected and we are all absolutely heartbroken,” a friend wrote on her GoFundMe page.

“Her two children, Isaac (3, almost 4), and Elijah (1), have been left without their mum,” Alyx Reast wrote.

Thomas, from Doncaster, England, said she was diagnosed with optic neuritis, in which swelling damages the optic nerve, months earlier.

Her recent TikTok videos documented going in and out of the hospital for migraines and other ailments, and her frustration that she wasn’t getting better.

In her last TikTok on March 15, she wrote of an impending surgery while she lay near-motionless in a hospital bed.

“I can’t lift my head up without wanting to be sick and I’m unable to walk. I need to be wheeled everywhere. That’s how bad this pain is.” She later expressed regret that her sons had “grown up” while she was away.

In her last clip of her with the boys on March 13, Thomas playfully rubbed gel into the hair of Isaac while she held Elijah as Ella Eyre’s “Together” played in the background.

Thomas’ videos about packing lunches and cooking advice for kids branched out into balancing parenthood with her budding printing business.

Yorkshire Live have featured several tributes from friends and viewers.

Share Button

This Woman’s Story About A Teaspoon And Post-Birth Constipation Will Haunt You Forever

Posted on by
Reply

A podcast host in the US has revealed how she was so constipated after giving birth that she got a teaspoon and tried to “dig it out” – yeah, reading that sentence certainly wasn’t on our bingo card for this week either.

In their latest episode, I’ve Had It podcast hosts Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan were joined by Jackie Schimmel, host of the Bad Bitch Bible, who just so happens to be pregnant.

Naturally the conversation turned to pregnancy – as well as what happens after the birth.

One thing Welch was incredibly keen to convey to Schimmel is that after giving birth you can become very constipated. Especially if you’ve had pain relief.

Welch said: “You’re going to be more constipated than you’ve ever been in your entire life. And you’re talking nine, 10, 11 days not taking a shit. Nobody fucking talks about this. This is not in the pregnancy advertisement.”

She continued: “That first post-pregnancy shit, for me personally, was more difficult than giving birth.”

When co-host Angie Sullivan, also known as Pumps, agreed, Welch encouraged her to tell her own constipation story. And ladies and gentlemen, this is where things take A Real Turn.

“I was so miserable and I couldn’t poo and I thought I was going to lose my mind. And so I got a spoon and was trying to dig it out with a spoon,” said Sullivan.

She helpfully clarified this was a stainless steel teaspoon – so thankfully not a table spoon. And she didn’t use any lube for her… encounter.

Despite her best efforts, it didn’t work. Sullivan confirmed nothing came out.

After posting a clip of their insightful chat on TikTok, people were keen to share their experiences of that first post-birth poo.

One person wrote: “Can confirm, first dump postpartum you WILL be fighting for your life on that toilet.”

Another said: “Literally same! I was on the phone with a nurse thinking I was going to have to go to ER. What ended up coming out was the biggest turd I have ever seen.”

Constipation is pretty common after birth – with about one in four women suffering. According to Baby Centre there are a whole host of reasons you might be constipated, from not feeling comfortable using the toilet in hospital, to being scared to poo after tearing, as well as the impact of opioid pain relief.

On top of this, your digestive system slows down during labour and any damage sustained to your pelvic floor during birth can make it harder for you to empty your bowels.

According to the NHS, it’s normal to not poo for a few days after giving birth.

To avoid constipation, they advise new parents to eat plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables, salad, wholegrain cereals and wholemeal bread, and drink plenty of water.

When it is time to poo, and if you’ve had stitches for tearing, they advise holding a pad of clean tissue over the stitches while going about your business. The official advice is also to try and not strain.

If you’re constipated and still can’t go after a few more days, don’t reach for the teaspoon and instead speak to your midwife or GP.

A gentle laxative might also help get things moving in the right direction.

Share Button

What Does 30 Hours Free Childcare Actually Mean For Parents?

Posted on by
Reply

Chancellor of the exchequer Jeremy Hunt has finally revealed his grand plans to tackle the UK’s childcare crisis. So what did he actually say?

The top line is that working parents of one- and two-year-olds in England will get to (eventually) benefit from an expansion of the so-called ‘free hours’ scheme – so basically, some of their childcare costs will be paid for by the government.

The chancellor has also relaxed childcare staff ratios and confirmed working parents on benefits will be able to get childcare support payments upfront – and the amount they can claim will increase.

Hunt acknowledged in his 2023 budget statement that the UK has one of the most expensive systems in the world and that, as a result, “for many women, a career break becomes a career end”.

But when we look closer at the detail, what does all of this actually mean for parents right now during a cost of living crisis? And what does it mean for the childcare system as a whole? Here’s what you need to know.

‘Free’ childcare for parents of one- and two-year-olds

Perhaps the most widely anticipated part of the new childcare reforms is that the ‘free hours’ scheme – which all parents of three- and four-year-olds currently benefit from – will be extended so parents of children aged nine months old and over can also benefit.

This means that for eligible households where all adults are working at least 16 hours a week, parents can obtain 30 ‘free hours’ (aka funded childcare) for their children aged nine months and older, per week.

So basically, help with childcare costs starts from the moment maternity or paternity leave ends – a move which Hunt said will reduce household childcare costs by nearly 60%.

But don’t set off the party poppers just yet. The scheme will be introduced in stages – and it’s a pretty slow rollout:

  • Working parents of two-year-olds will be able to access 15 free hours from April 2024,
  • From September 2024, the 15 free hours scheme will be extended to all children from nine months old to school age,
  • From September 2025 working parents of under-fives will have access to 30 hours free childcare every week.

The offering is usually valid for 38 weeks of the year (during school term time) and eligibility depends on: if you are working, your income (and your partner’s income, if you have one), your child’s age and circumstances, and your immigration status. More on that here.

Now let’s be clear, technically these are not always ‘free hours’ because historically they’ve been underfunded by government and parents often have to top up the hours costing them hundreds of pounds each month.

That said, expanding this so more parents of young children can benefit and pay less overall for childcare is certainly a big deal. Particularly for future parents.

The only problem is that for many parents who are currently struggling with soaring childcare and living costs, this will be too little too late.

What do parents currently get in the way of help?

Parents are currently entitled to a few bits of extra help when it comes to accessing cheaper childcare. These include:

  • From the age of two, children from low income families are eligible for ‘free hours’ at nursery in England, Wales and Scotland.
  • When they turn three, all children – regardless of household income – are entitled to a certain amount of these ‘free hours’ per week. In England, every parent is eligible for 15 hours of ‘free childcare’ while other parents might be eligible for 30 hours ‘free childcare’ depending on income.
  • Parents who earn less than £100,000 a year can also get tax-free childcare – up to £2,000 a year – to help with childcare costs.

Money pledged to help childcare providers

The chancellor acknowledged that supply of childcare is dwindling and focused part of his speech on how childminders are a “vital way to deliver affordable and flexible care”.

To encourage more people to become childminders, he suggested the government will pilot incentive payments this autumn – specifically, £600 for childminders who sign up to the profession, which rises to £1,200 for those who sign up to an agency.

Hunt also spoke of the cost pressures facing the childcare sector as a whole – which are making it increasingly hard to hire (and retain) staff while also raising prices for parents.

He pledged to increase funding paid to nurseries to provide ‘free hours’ for two-, three-, and four-year-olds by £204 million from September 2023, rising to £288 million next year.

But those in the industry insist this is nowhere near enough. Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, said: “With the shortfall for current two-, three- and four-year-old offer estimated at around £1.8bn based on government’s own figures, the additional funding announced today is highly unlikely to match what’s needed to put providers on a steady footing.”

The overall number of childcare providers in England dropped by around 4,000 between April 2021 and March 2022, according to figures from Ofsted.

“We know from bitter experience that expansions of so-called ‘free childcare’ without adequate investment are a recipe for utter disaster.”

– Neil Leitch

If the current system is underfunded, those in the childcare sector are extremely concerned about what will happen under the expanded new system.

“We know from bitter experience that expansions of so-called ‘free childcare’ without adequate investment are a recipe for utter disaster,” said Leitch, “and given that many providers rely on fees from younger children to make up for current funding shortfalls, the impact on the sector if the government gets this wrong cannot be underestimated.”

Joeli Brearley, CEO and founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, said while she is “elated” to hear the childcare sector will now receive a significant investment, she is also “concerned” the money pledged is not enough to reduce costs for parents sustainably.

She also said there needs to be a clear and remunerated strategy to attract more educators into the sector, to retain workers and to offer progression opportunities.

“The CBI estimates that to do what the government is planning costs £8.9 billion not £4 billion, so we need to see the detail as to how this money is being distributed and we need to know that the government is investing in these new schemes based on the actual cost to deliver them,” she said.

“Free childcare from nine months is brilliant, but only if there are childcare settings to be able to access this care, without the correct funding there won’t be.”

Childcare ratios are to be relaxed

Another result of today’s budget announcement is that childcare ratios are to be relaxed – in basic terms, this means childcare staff can now legally look after more young children at one time.

At the moment, in early years settings in England, one adult can look after three children under two years old; or four children aged two; or eight children aged three and over.

Under Liz Truss’s premiership, it was suggested these ratios could be stretched further or scrapped, so staff could look after more children at one time.

At the time, some parents aired concerns it would pose a safety issue while members of the childcare sector suggested it would prompt even more staff to leave.

Hunt has now revealed that to offer providers more flexibility in how they operate, he is relaxing staff ratios so a member of staff can look after five two-year-olds at one time – the same as in Scotland. He added these ratios remain optional for childcare providers and parents.

But relaxing ratios is far from ideal when childcare providers are also facing huge demand, and staff are leaving the industry in droves for better paid jobs with less pressure.

Neil Leitch branded the move to push ahead with this decision as “appalling”.

“Yes, parents want affordable care and education, but they also want to ensure that their children are in safe environments receiving quality care and education – something this policy completely flies in the face of,” he said.

Benefit payments will be changed to help parents

The chancellor said people on Universal Credit who are “moving into work or want to increase their hours” will be able to get childcare support payments upfront, instead of in arrears, and the amount they can claim will increase to £951 for one child and £1,630 for two children – an increase of almost 15%.

Currently, working households – or those with a job offer – can claim back costs up to a maximum of £646 a month for one child, or £1,108 for two or more children.

It’s unclear when this new change will come into effect.

Rachel Carrell, founder and CEO of Koru Kids, welcomed the news. “We know that delays in getting Universal Credit coverage for childcare causes major problems for some of our families and any reforms which make the processes smoother are welcomed,” she said.

School wraparound care will be improved

For parents of kids at school, Jeremy Hunt acknowledged there are barriers to working because of challenges accessing wraparound care – for instance, breakfast clubs and after school clubs.

Hunt said the government will fund schools and local authorities to increase the supply of wraparound care, so parents can drop their children off at 8am and 6pm.

“Our ambition is that all schools will start to offer a full wraparound offer – either on their own or in partnership with other schools – by September 2026.”

But journalist and host of The News Agents Emily Maitlis questioned how schools will pay for this. “What are the sums needed to make that work,” she tweeted, “given teachers are already striking because of their workload.”

Share Button

Oh Joy, All The Ways Our Childcare System Is A Complete Bin Fire Right Now

Posted on by
Reply

Britain’s childcare system is on the brink – and parents are feeling the strain more than ever.

Soaring nursery fees, staff retention issues and nursery closures are just some of the issues the sector is facing, with repercussions for childcare workers, parents and children.

Here’s a rundown of all the ways in which the system is on its knees right now – and if one thing’s abundantly clear, it’s that change must happen fast.

1. Childcare costs are horrendously expensive

A new report has confirmed what every parent already knows (and dreads) – that childcare costs are extortionate. According to charity Coram, the average annual cost of a full-time nursery place for a child under two in Britain is just shy of £15,000. To put that into context, annual university course fees are a maximum of £9,250.

Recently, parents were left reeling by news that these fees may rise by a further £1,000 this year because of the cost of living. This is on top of the fact the average costs of childcare have risen by 5.9% in the past year, according to Coram.

The TUC previously warned that the cost of early years care for a child under two could rise to £2,000 a month by 2026. But for some, this is already the case. One dad in London told HuffPost UK he’s shelling out £2,100 per month for his daughter to go to nursery four days a week.

It’s a postcode lottery for many parents. Coram’s report found there are significant differences in the cost and availability of childcare depending on where you live across England.

The average weekly cost of a part-time place for a child under two is 54% higher in inner London (£199.01) than in Yorkshire and Humberside (£129.32).

Parents in the UK face some of the most expensive childcare costs among leading economies, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

There is some help available. From the age of two, children from low income families are eligible for ‘free hours’ at nursery in England, Wales and Scotland. When they turn three, all children – regardless of household income – are entitled to a certain amount of these ‘free hours’ per week.

In Northern Ireland, the picture is different again. There are no ‘free hours’ as such, but all three- and four-year-olds are entitled to a funded pre-school place of at least 12.5 hours per week during term time.

Parents who earn less than £100,000 a year can also get tax-free childcare – up to £2,000 a year – to help with childcare costs. But when the total cost of putting a child in nursery can be up to £15,000 a year, it’s still a struggle for lots of families.

Unfortunately, many women are suffering as a result of such costs. A staggering three in four mums (76%) who pay for childcare say it no longer makes financial sense for them to work, a recent report by the charity Pregnant Then Screwed found. One in four parents (26%) say their nursery bill is now more than 75% of their take-home pay.

This time last year, a survey of almost 27,000 parents with young children found the cost of childcare had driven 43% of mums to consider leaving their jobs.

The sad reality is that women are not just considering this – many do leave. A staggering 84% of the 1.75 million people who’ve given up work to care for their family are women, according to ONS data.

2. It’s actually really hard to get a spot in nursery

It’s got to the point where people are signing up for nursery waiting lists when pregnant – and sometimes even before conceiving a baby – because demand is so high. And those who don’t get ahead end up stuck without childcare, or have to make alternative arrangements, which can often make returning to work very tricky.

Joanna Corfield, head of communications and campaigns at NCT, previously told HuffPost UK they’d been hearing more and more about how working parents are having to think about childcare well in advance of when they need it.

“In some areas where demand is high and provision is low, some families are having to make decisions in the early stages of pregnancy,” she confirmed.

3. Childcare staff are (unsurprisingly) leaving for better paid jobs

With everything else that’s going on, the sector is facing staff retention issues. In October 2021, a Early Years Alliance survey on staff recruitment and retention in the early years sector in England revealed over a third of respondents were actively considering leaving the sector.

Meanwhile one in six believed that staffing shortages were likely to force their setting to close permanently within a year.

The survey also found more than eight in 10 settings were finding it difficult to recruit staff. Around half had to limit the number of, or stop taking on, new children at their setting in the six months prior to the survey.

The average salary of a UK nursery worker is £21,000 according to Totaljobs. But despite the low salary, the job is increasingly stressful – especially as staff shortages mean more pressure on those who are left behind. It’s also resulting in nurseries having to close rooms at short notice, leaving parents in the lurch.

In early years settings in England, one adult can look after three children under two years old; or four children aged two; or eight children aged three and over.

Under Liz Truss’s premiership, it was suggested these ratios could be stretched further, so staff could look after more children at one time – some parents were concerned it would pose a safety issue while members of the childcare sector suggested it would prompt even more staff to leave.

Neil Leitch of the Early Years Alliance previously told HuffPost UK that while childcare settings spend the majority of their income on staff wages, “years of government underfunding has meant that many educators are on little more than the national living or minimum wage”. Because of this, people are leaving the industry for better-paid positions in sectors such as retail and hospitality. And who can blame them?

4. Nurseries are closing at a rate of knots

Nurseries and childcare settings are also dropping like flies – and some organisations suggest it’s only going to get worse because of the cost of living.

The overall number of childcare providers in England dropped by around 4,000 between April 2021 and March 2022, according to figures from Ofsted.

In August 2022, the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) warned that between September 2022 and 2023, we could see record-breaking numbers of closures leading to a “catastrophic” reduction in places.

Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of NDNA, said at the time: “Most nurseries are small businesses and similar to the picture in other sectors, these are hugely impacted by rocketing fuel costs, inflation and chronic underfunding.” Tanuku added that nurseries have also had to pay “unfair business rates”.

The latest Coram survey revealed there’s been a sharp drop in childcare availability across England over the past year, with only half of local areas reporting sufficient childcare for children under two. This was a decrease of 7% on 2022.

5. Disabled children and those from low income households are impacted greatly

One of the alarming findings from Coram’s report is that less than one in five (18%) local authorities in England report sufficient childcare for children with disabilities – a 3% decrease on 2022.

The charity called for improved support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) by introducing responsive funding to improve staff skills and make more childcare places accessible.

In Britain, parents can get help with childcare costs thanks to ‘free hours’. Some parents are eligible for 15 hours free childcare a week for two-year-olds.

All three to four-year-olds in England can get 15 hours free childcare a week (for 38 weeks of the year). And some eligible parents (for example, those on benefits) of three to four-year-olds may also be eligible for 30 hours free childcare a week. It’s a similar picture in Wales and Scotland.

But nurseries are struggling to offer these funded spots. Almost half (43%) of local authorities across Britain report that some or many of their local childcare providers have reduced the number of funded early education entitlement places they can provide.

It’s no surprise this is happening as these spots have historically been underfunded. A 2022 survey by the Early Years Alliance found that for 86% of settings, funding for the three- and four-year-old early entitlement scheme does not cover the cost of delivering places – and around a third (30%) of the providers surveyed said they’re operating at a loss.

6. There isn’t actually a plan (that we know of) for sorting all of this out

While there’s been a lot of talk about how to tackle the nation’s childcare problem from various prime ministers, not much has actually happened to sort the issue so far.

In Rishi Sunak’s first speech of 2023, back in January, the prime minister revealed his educational priorities for the next two years – but his plans for childcare weren’t exactly detailed.

When a member of the press asked about the childcare sector, Sunak responded: “The government and I are completely committed to ensuring good availability and affordability and flexibility of childcare. There’s a consultation that is out at the moment, and we’re in the process of considering – about some reforms – and it wouldn’t be right for me to comment on that now.”

In December last year it was revealed that childcare will be treated as “national infrastructure” – this means local councils will be able to fund it alongside other crucial services like schools, GP surgeries and public transport.

It’s hoped the issue of childcare will be addressed at the spring budget on March 15. There have been murmurings that Sunak is considering extending the free 30 hours for childcare to all parents – not just those who are eligible because they’re on benefits. But nothing has been confirmed as of yet.

What we do know is that changes to Universal Credit will reportedly be announced at the budget, including paying parents on Universal Credit childcare support upfront and increasing the amount they can claim by several hundred pounds.

But for parents who aren’t on Universal Credit, the struggle may well continue if no additional support is provided.

Megan Jarvie, head of Coram Family and Childcare, said: “The need for reform of the childcare system is urgent. As well as eye watering bills, parents are facing widening gaps in availability of the childcare they need.

“As the Chancellor decides his budget, we urge him to recognise the value of investing in childcare – it is a wise investment, enabling parents to work and boosting the outcomes of young children.”

The charity wants to see a reformed system which “prioritises quality, guarantees a childcare place for every child, values the workforce and makes sure that parents only pay what they can afford”.

One thing’s abundantly clear: sorting out childcare should be a priority for the government, as charity Pregnant Then Screwed found 96% of families with a child under three years old are likely to vote for the political party with the best childcare pledge in the next election.

Share Button

Nick Ferrari’s ‘Shocking’ Toothbrush Comments Have Left People Enraged

Posted on by
Reply

As the cost of living crisis rages on, LBC presenter Nick Ferrari has left many angered and shocked after saying people shouldn’t become parents if they can’t afford to buy their children toothbrushes.

His comments were in response to figures released by the charity Beauty Banks and the British Dental Association, which found 83% of secondary school teachers said they or their school have given students toothbrushes or toothpaste.

Responding to this heartbreaking stat, Ferrari said: “If you are a mum – and/or a dad – and you haven’t got money to buy your child a toothbrush, you should never have become a parent in the first place.” Yes, you heard correctly.

The repercussions of oral hygiene poverty are huge and devastating for children.

The new report found one in two teachers said children isolate themselves because of oral hygiene issues, while one in four miss school because of it. One in three have witnessed bullying directly linked to a student’s oral hygiene issues.

Sali Hughes, co-founder of Beauty Banks which donates personal hygiene products to people living in poverty, branded Ferrari’s comments as “shocking”.

She told HuffPost UK: “Suggesting that women who find themselves poor should never have had children, at the very best fails to comprehend the unprecedented scale of financial difficulty for families since Covid, a global energy crisis, recession, and a cost of living crisis that has seen essentials like food and toiletries rise sharply – and unmanageably – in price.

“Circumstances have changed so dramatically for so many families that Beauty Banks has seen a 75% increase in product requests from food banks, hostels and schools, with toothpaste and toothbrushes now being the most asked for toiletries items.”

She concluded: “If Nick Ferrari can’t conceive of such poverty, then he is very fortunate. But this is the demonstrable reality for many modern Britons. I suggest that rather than belittling people living in poverty, and rubbishing frontline teacher testimony, he should listen, try to understand, and affect change.”

Many factors can contribute to people ending up in poverty, including rising living costs, low pay, lack of work, and inadequate social security benefits.

According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, around one in five people in the UK (20%) were in poverty between 2020-21. That’s 13.4 million people. (And this data was compiled well before the worst of the energy crisis took hold.)

It’s believed around one in four children in the UK are living in poverty and, according to the Child Poverty Action Group, 75% of these children have at least one parent in work.

After LBC shared a clip of Ferrari’s response to the report, hundreds of people – including TV host Carol Vorderman – had plenty to say about it, with the former Countdown star calling his language “humiliating”.

There were also plenty of reminders that not every parent is already living in poverty when they have children – and that circumstances can (and sadly often do) change.

Photographer and activist Misan Harriman, who is an ambassador for Save The Children UK, issued a video statement in response to the comments, which he branded “unacceptable”.

“We have to have a duty of care to the most vulnerable in our society and if a parent cannot afford a toothbrush, they are vulnerable. They need help, not criticism.

“As a nation we need to ask ourselves who we are – and I do not recognise any place where parents that are going through hell are stamped on. We have to be better than this.”

Share Button