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Hey Partners! Here's How to Get Us Hot Under The Collar

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You know those calendars where sexy men are doing housework? I can do one better, and it’s not just men doing the housework in real life.

Sure, people with and without appendages can cook and clean, and in most cisgender opposite-sex couple households, it’d be long overdue for men to do more of these things.

Yet to me these are the minimum of adulting, not what’s going to get me hot under the collar.

So what does?

When I hear my giggling child say “s…

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Is It Time For A Royal Commission Into Birth?

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Today Western Sydney University Professor of Midwifery Hannah Dahlen posed two questions of her social media audience in response to 2021 update of the “Australia’s Mothers and Babies” report, released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare last week.

The first question, “what the hell are we doing?”, comes on the back of the following 2019 statistics from the publication last week.

As of 2019, Australia’s caesarean birth rate is now 36% (and 37% for first time mothers and birth par…

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Mothers As A Foghorn For The Family's Needs: Why It's Not As Simple As Telling Fathers To "Step Up"

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“My doctor was lovely but they didn’t get it. They suggested therapy and yes, it might help, but I already know what I need to do to look after myself. I need to read a book in the sunshine, with more than five minutes between interruptions. I need to go for a run, regularly. I need to sleep for ten years. And above all, I need my husband to deal with his own sh*t so he can actually parent instead of me doing everything for everyone and him being a passenger in this family.”

I receive multiple …

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Research Update 3: Fertility, Menstruation, COVID-19 and Vaccination

Below is the transcript of the video and audio research update I recorded on 20th Sept 2021 on the topic of fertility, menstrual changes, COVID-19 and vaccination against COVID-19. This information is information only, and does not take the place of individualised advice and consultation with your medical team. I hope you find this useful, and please feel free to share this resource with anyone you think might be interested.

***

Hello, my name is Anna Cusack, I am an author, a doula, Certified…

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How I "Get So Much Done"

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“How do you get so much done?”

I give answers like “well my house just stays filthy” and “I get my ideas in order while mothering then smash them out when I get time”, but really what I want to say is this:

  1. A lifetime of white, middle class, cis-gender, heterosexual, generally mentally well, neurotypical, sans-physical disability, local family, partnered, non-traumatic life experience-related privilege; and
  2. My partner parents.

If the first point sounds like you, and you have a partner an…

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Support services and resources for expecting, new and experienced fathers.

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This resource was compiled for Australian Men’s Health Week 2021 but was most recently updated in 2024. Text in quotations marks is copied directly from the website shown. You are welcome to print or distribute this list providing you reference www.annacusack.com.au or @annacusackpostpartum as its source.

www.howisdadgoing.org.au
This is the Dad-specific branch of panda.org.au (Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia). It includes mental health resources for expecting and new dads, info o…

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Please, No Gift Cards

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I love that you’re thinking of me Babe, but please, don't give me a gift card this Mothers’ Day.
I adore that want to give me the gift of choice, but honestly I am choiced out enough as it is already.
“What’s for dinner tonight?”
“Do I wake her from that awkward 6pm nap?”
“Is this sniffle enough to keep them home from day care, and if so, how will I manage that conference call?”
I literally cannot fit one more decision into this brain.
Don’t get me w…

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Top Tips for Partners Post-birth

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The number one question I get from partners in post-birth prep session is "What can I actually do when the baby's here?"
Here are my top ten tips for expecting partners and supporters.
1. Be there.
Take as much leave as you can, skip Friday drinks and soccer training. Your reassuring presence is supremely valuable.
2. Be her bodyguard.
Some visitors are energy vampires. Keep an eye on the clock and wrap up visits if she's fading. It's also on you to step in i…

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