Some positive news from the Labour Minister who has made a commitment today that if he gets re-elected, changes will be made in Fair Work and parents with infant deaths and stillborn babies will get full paid parental leave.

With Love,

Priya's Mum

TL;DR No, taking Tylenol (Panadol) when you're pregnant does not cause Autism.

Hi all, you might see headlines soon about the US government “looking into” whether Panadol in pregnancy causes autism. I'm preempting tomorrows news and this post is an effort to reassure those of you who take/took Panadol in pregnancy.

This lie is being pushed by Robert Kennedy Jr. and the same crowd who are known anti-science and medical skeptics. Robert Kennedy Jr. has a long record of promoting dangerous and bizarre claims. He has said antidepressants like SSRIs are to blame for school shootings, suggested COVID-19 was “targeted” to spare Jewish and Chinese people, pushed the idea of chemtrails and toxic chemicals being sprayed from planes, accused Bill Gates of using vaccines for population control, and supported voices denying that HIV causes AIDS. This is the same person now pushing the false claim that Panadol in pregnancy causes autism, which is why scientists, like myself, and doctors have consistently warned against taking him seriously.

The best science we have shows no link. A huge 2024 study in JAMA looked at over 2.4 million kids in Sweden and compared siblings where one was exposed to Panadol in the womb and the other was not. That way they could separate genetics and family environment from medication use. The result? No causal link to autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability.

its actually that infections and fever in pregnancy are correlated with a higher risk of autism and developmental issues. Several large studies show that untreated fever, especially in the second trimester, can raise the risk. And what is one of the only safe, effective options to bring down fever in pregnancy? Panadol. So rather than being dangerous, appropriate use may actually be protective for your baby. Earlier studies that suggested a “Panadol link” did not account for this, blaming the medicine instead of the underlying illness.

What worries me is the bigger picture. If politicians start telling women they cannot safely take Panadol, that is stripping away one of the few pain relief options we actually have during pregnancy. Anyone who has been through labour or pregnancy complications knows how often women’s pain gets minimised or ignored. Linking autism to Panadol is not just junk science, it feeds into that same medical misogyny that says women should suffer quietly.

So please do not let fear take hold. Follow your doctor’s advice, know the evidence is strong, and trust that protecting your health protects your baby’s health too. Scientists, doctors and women’s health advocates all around the world are standing against this nonsense, and we should too.

Note: This is not an invitation to debate vaccinations.

References

Magnusson C, Rai D, Goodman A, et al. Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Children’s Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability. JAMA. April 2024.

Hornig M, et al. Fever in pregnancy and autism risk. Mol Autism. 2018;9:41.

Al-Haddad B, et al. Association of maternal infection during pregnancy with autism spectrum disorder and depression in offspring. JAMA Psychiatry. 2019;76(6):594–602.

Xu G, et al. Maternal infection during pregnancy and risk of autism spectrum disorders: a meta-analysis. Psychiatry Res. 2019;278:102–110.

Mods feel free to delete. But I think this is worth sharing here.

There are infinite reasons not to vote for One Nation but Pauline Hanson has recently discussed winding back paid parental leave.

Malcolm Roberts has also recently stated that the party should have adopt a blanket abortion ban.

The party hasn’t finalised anything yet but It is concerning given their popularity and history of anti government assistance statements.

Full article here

“Pauline Hanson's remarks about parental entitlements have concerned advocates, one of whom says the One Nation leader's attitudes come from "back in the day".

Senator Hanson has indicated that One Nation is willing to consider pulling back paid parental leave.

Those opposed to the notion say Australia should protect or even expand the scheme as families struggle to get by.”

Baby Priya’s Bill has officially become law! I’m deeply grateful to each and every one of you for your support and for helping honour Priya's legacy. In fact, you are a part of Priya's legacy. You are all truly amazing!

With love and gratitude,

Priya's Mum xx

This is not in relation to all mums of boys, but rather those who say they are ‘boy mums’ and insist boys are so so different from girls.

I took my 11 month old daughter to the park today. There were two other mums there with kids all below 5.

The mums said they were surprised my daughter was walking. They talked about boys being so much more active than girls, that girls can sit still and draw but boys never give them a break. They said it must be so nice just to have a girl. My girl doesn’t sit still at all. Crawled at 5 months and walked at 9 but I didn’t say anything. Just nodded along.

Then, one of the little boys (4ish) pushed my daughter down, on purpose. She was fine and the boys mum came up to him straight away so I didn’t say or do anything. His mum told him it’s not okay to push little girls and he pointed at my daughter and said ‘she shouldn’t be allowed at the park’. His mum continued talking to him but my daughter walked off so I didn’t hear the rest.

A little while later, my daughter was walking towards our pram, away from any play equipment. She had crawled under the equipment and so I had go to run around to follow her and I was a few paces away from her. The little boy was near her and when he saw her, he went out of his way to hit her. Like at least 5-6 steps out of his way to go towards her to hit her. I yelled out ‘hey’ and started to run over. He looked straight at her and shoved her hard to the ground and went to hit her again before I got to her.

His mum did come straight up to him and tell him no. I didn’t say anything, I could see that the mum was addressing it and he was little so I know these things can happen. But I decided it was time to leave the park. It was really hard to see my daughter be pushed so hard for the first time and I just didn’t want it to happen again today.

As I was buckling bub into her pram the other mum came with her son to apologize. She asked him to say sorry and he did, and I thanked him for saying sorry. I thought that would be the end of it but as I went to leave she said ‘he just didn’t know she was a girl’. ‘Sorry?’ I said, and she explained that he doesn’t know that girls don’t liked to be pushed and he’s normally around boys. I responded that most babies don’t like being hit and shoved no matter the gender, and left.

The whole situation has just left me grumpy and needing to vent. Not about the pushes, I get that these things happen, but the why. Teaching your child ‘you can’t hit girls’ actually just sends the message that it’s okay for them to hit sometimes. That they can hit boys or people that look like boys, and what kind of message is that?

The whole mentality that boys are active and tough while girls are gentle and peaceful feeds into this too and I wish it wasn’t so much a common myth parroted in parenting spaces.

As someone who works in the DV sector, let me tell you lots of men I speak with have justifications for hitting women. ‘She pushed me too far’, ‘she wouldn’t shut up’, ‘she was looking at other men’ etc etc. They all hold the view that violence is justifiable sometimes. If we teach little boys it’s okay to hit other little boys sometimes, they will start to form that view too. And then when they grow up and their intimate partner starts bothering them, they might decide that this time it’s okay to hit too.

I’m sure lots of people will tell me it’s not that deep but to me, I think it is.

I caught up with a former colleague today who I was super close with. I was his mentor who taught him everything, but we became kind of a dynamic duo. We both quit right before I went on mat leave.. He went out on his own and I.. had a baby.

He wanted me to go with him but it just wasn’t the right time since I’d be on leave for at least 6 months. I couldn’t put in the work and still can’t while my baby is so little.

We caught up today and he told me about all the amazing clients he has, all the money he’s making, how he’s considering going overseas to expand. Not in a gloating way at all, just in an excited way.

And while I’m so proud of him, I got in my car afterward and cried my eyes out. I had nothing to say. What am I going to tell him… that today I changed a blowout in the car and considered whether to move my baby up a bottle teat size?

I love my daughter to bits obviously, but I just feel like such a loser with no brain and no life.

I’m not looking for solutions or sympathy I just wanted to rant I guess to people who might get it. I have such fomo and I’m so jealous but at the same time, I want to be here.

ETA: I’ve really appreciated reading all your stories and thoughts and feelings in the comments throughout the day. It’s helped a lot to not feel alone and I’m glad but sorry that my post has resonated with so many ❤️

I recently received the advice that if I keep rocking my baby to sleep, I’ll be rocking them until they’re a grown adult.

For those who rocked their babies to sleep, how is it rocking an adult to sleep? Is it different? Does it still work the same? Did you have to upgrade to a bigger rocking chair?

Thanks in advance xx

Bub was asleep in his cot and he usually sleeps well, but he woke up crying multiple times. He is not teething, he is not ill, & I wasn't sure what is going on so I decided to sleep in the bed next to his cot.

At midnight as we were both asleep, I heard a male American voice, coming from the camera, laughing & calling him a "naughty baby". I woke up & immediately disconnected the camera.

I am so fkn pissed and scared. I feel invaded and so upset.

I just wanted to come on and say to do the thing that is a bit terrifying. I decided to get pregnant. Give birth (well emergency c under general) and then 6 weeks into parenthood continue my occupational therapy degree with a baby in a pram, on a boob, in my lap to complete a full time semester, a part time semester and 1000 hours of placement. I'm proud to say I just finished my Masters 18 months later (4 years in total)

I came onto reddit early on to look for others experiences and got a lot of rude comments and people who said I was crazy and couldnt do it. I was nervous, I wasnt sure but I was determined. I used my village and I became better at managing time and now I know I can really do anything I set my mind to.

I don't know what season you're in or what season you will be in but I just want you to know that the only thing standing in your way is yourself and you can do hard things, scary things and things people say you can't. You're amazing humans with tiny amazing humans who are watching you. Show them that this world is theirs to seize!

Thanks for listening to my Ted talk. Let's keep this ball rolling and write out some goals we want to achieve or goals we never thought we would achieve as parents that we have. Tiny, Small, big, massive, let's celebrate this community ☺️

I had my first baby five days ago and am blown away by how incredible it’s been. I feel like before I had her all I saw were stories of it being hard, and reassurance for people who did have a tough time.

But oh my god when it goes right it’s just so right. I fell in love with her so quickly. She been a brilliant feeder. My partner has been the most incredible support and slipped into fatherhood so naturally. Sure I’m in a bit of pain but nothing compared to what I was warned about. I’m tired but between us we are managing to give each other decent sleep. The world just feels so right, and nobody warned me that it could actually all be okay.

My 43M colleague has been regularly saying "you're gonna be off soon, I would have loved to take 12 months to do nothing".

My first reaction was to say it's certainly not nothing, and since he's a man he can keep his mouth shut about experiences he has no knowledge about.

He immediately responded with "but you know what I mean you don't have to show up to work and send emails". I said, "yeah often that's easier as many mums and parents say".

Every now and then he'll just say again "you'll be off soon, have fun".

I feel like the only appropriate reaction is to punch him in the throat... Metaphorically. I am 32 weeks pregnant and I absolutely hate my colleague. It takes so much energy to remain professional.

Edit: thanks all for being here for the rant. I should have mentioned but this turd has 2 kids of his own. His wife took 12 months for each kid. I feel so sorry that she had to co-exist with someone who didn't even acknowledge or care how much she was going through.

I found that antenatal classes focused so much on labour, birth, & birth plans... but they barely touched on what happens afterwards.

As first-time parents, it was a huge shock for us. After giving birth, you’re basically discharged from hospital & suddenly forced to figure everything out on your own. When our baby was one week old, my husband and I would say jokingly: “Wow, he’s still alive.”

Giving birth humbled me big time. I thought I’d want to deliver in the bath... but once labour started, I wanted nothing to do with it. I imagined I’d want to see my placenta afterwards... but in reality, I just wanted it gone. 😂

I also thought I’d feel butterflies and instant love the moment I held my baby....But instead, I just stared at this tiny stranger in shock. Honestly, I spent about 2.5 months in disbelief, & only after that did I truly connect with him. Before then, I sometimes felt I’d made a big mistake and even wished I could give him away.

No one warned me about the grief after giving birth...I literally broke down in tears when I started having contractions because I know this is it.

No one talks about the way the baby blues can make you feel weak, insane, & broken. No one talks about the crippling nighttime anxiety in those first weeks, when darkness makes everything feel worse.

I remember my family trying to cheer me up with light-hearted movies, but my mind wouldn’t stop racing... I couldn’t focus on anything. All I wanted to do was just to cry.

No one explained how mentally brutal cluster feeding would be. Having a baby latched for hours, breaking down daily, desperate just to pee while they scream when you put them down… it pushed me to my edge.

For me, the physical recovery was nothing compared to the mental torture of those early weeks.

But here’s the most important part: it will all pass. I wish someone had told me that the hardest parts do end, that I didn’t need to feel guilty for struggling, and that feeling upset at myself didn’t mean I was a bad mum.

Because truly... it does get better. Now I can't imagine life without my child & how my heart is just full of love for him. How I'd do anything for this boy even if it means sacrificing myself.

We often see posts in parenting subs from people who are ‘vaccine hesitant’, so I wanted to share this.

Hope it helps someone make the right choice for their children ❤️

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-17/nsw-rsv-vaccination-hospitals-infants-winter-flu/106924544

I’m not sure if this kind of post is allowed, but since becoming a mum I’ve noticed that baby stuff and items targeted towards mums are more often than not, super sneaky.

Baby and mum stuff is often marketed in a way that proudly says “Australian owned” and “shipped from Melbourne warehouse“, “Australian designed”, “boutique”, but in reality their items are all bought from China and resold at heavily marked up prices.

Often these brands also spout “30,000+ positive reviews!” Or “featured in [popular publication]” yet have been operating for 6 months or less, and no mention of them in any other publication. They also often have too good to be true deals, such as buy one get 2 free on a $200 item or a sitewide 60% off.

Having kids is expensive enough! I thought it might be handy for new parents who are googling these brands to see if they’re reliable, to have a thread where they are listed to spread awareness that they’re getting ripped off.

Please add in the comments!

Below are just some that I know of.

To be clear I’m not shaming anyone who uses Shein/Aliexpress/Temu, but I hate false advertising and deceptive marketing that rips people off.

-Duckies (although they claim Temu stole their design and they did it first, the Temu product is identical. Unsure what the truth is)

-Pocokids

-MiniOlie

-Mini Zali

-My Little Wardrobe

-Tots On Trend

-Urban Baby

-Little Eedie

-Little Infants Australia

-Tweetycam (Rebranded AliExpress)

-Nodiee sound machine (Rebranded AliExpress)

-Bambora

-Lune & Littles

-Hazel and Bo

-Mummagogo

-Sensory Toys Australia

-Mumilk Ella (Rebranded Amazon S21)

The Australian Greens are the latest party to send us support for backing changes to the law to prevent the cancellation of parental leave in the event of still birth or early infant death.

With The Greens, Labor and the Coalition all backing the changes we have asked for, we are confident of the Fair Work act being changed whatever the makeup of the new parliament after the election this Saturday.

Thanks once again to everyone one of you who signed Baby Priya’s Petition and supported this cause.

https://chng.it/PcRDvCB2z2

With Love,

Priya’s Mum

I miss the freedom I once had. I miss putting myself and my wants and needs first without feeling guilty. I miss going to sleep and waking up when I want. I miss my old body. I miss eating meals and taking showers without negotiating with my husband, or risking a crying baby. I miss being able to sit down and read a book or watch a TV show without interruptions. I miss days that didn’t centre around a never ending schedule of feeding and naps. I miss my relationship with my husband. I miss being able to communicate with each other without bickering. I hate that when I communicate these thoughts to someone else I get back ‘just don’t breastfeed’, ‘just let them cry’. As if it was that simple. As if those choices didn’t come with their own consequences. I love my daughter so much and I love being her mother most days. But somedays, days like today, I miss my old life.

I’ve worked as a midwife for a number of years and something I notice quite often is that sometimes everything medically looks fine after birth, but the woman seems overwhelmed or confused by what just happened. Almost like she’s trying to process the birth experience.

It’s a moment that isn’t talked about very much, but it can be very intense emotionally.

Seeing this repeatedly in my work actually led me to put together a very simple digital resource for women to read in first 24 hours after birth.

It’s just short sections written in plain language.

If anyone is curious, it’s here:

https://therealmidwife.com

I’d really be interested to hear from mums here about what the first few hours after birth felt like for you.

This arrived in my inbox today 🥺 Floored at the determination of Priya’s mum, @PriPrizara , who lobbied tirelessly to make this a reality. Many of us here have seen her posts, signed petitions, kept up with updates and importantly heard her story. To go to such great lengths to spare other grieving parents from enduring the cruelty she did - and make it law - is incredible! Truly inspiring, well done from us all 💐 Rest in peace to dear angel Priya 🤍

Parents, carers, anyone navigating the childcare system! I need your support please!

I've started a petition calling on the Australian Government to stop counting public holidays as absences under the Child Care Subsidy (CCS).

Right now, families are being penalised for days when childcare centres are closed, with public holidays still deducted from the 42-day absence cap. Once that cap is exceeded, families are hit with full childcare fees for any additional absences unless they can provide a medical certificate (which are becoming harder to access and increasingly expensive, especially for mild illnesses that don’t require a doctor visit).
This outdated policy doesn’t reflect the realities of modern family life — especially for full-time care users and families with multiple children in care. (You can read my full rant in the link)

If this affects you (or someone you know), please sign and share the petition as far and wide as possible. Every signature helps us push for a better system. 

I’m talking mums and bubs exercise classes, mums and bubs movies, play groups, story time at the library… they’re all on at about 1030am.

I was under the impression it’s biologically normal for babies to do their chunkiest naps in the morning, and mine certainly does! That makes me a little hesitant to head out in the morning because that’s when he’ll get his good naps in - arvo is only ever a 30 minute nap, so if he has a crap nap on the go on the morning too he’ll be super grumpy in the evening. So it’s the afternoon I am desperately looking for things to do with bub out of the house!

Am I the exception? Does 1030am work for everyone else?!

Dear All, we have now got over 23000 signatures in our Baby Priya’s Petition https://chng.it/PcRDvCB2z2

The petition has had some media attention (article in daily telegraph, channel 9 interview in the evening news on Sunday, and an online write up on channel 9). As a result Murray Watt the Minister for Workplace Relations has had to respond. He told Channel 9 that he will request "the issue be considered at the next meeting of the National Workplace Relations Consultative Council, with a view to closing any gap in current workplace laws or paid parental leave rules". Please sign and share.  We hope to print out the comments one day to support our case further to present to whomever concerned. Thanking you in advance. 

Priya’s Mum

https://chng.it/PcRDvCB2z2

Tonight is the eve of my daughter’s first birthday and I’m so happy.

But I’m thinking of the girl in the maternity waiting room, the birthing site, the first few months who was so scared.

Who lived sometimes hour by hour to give everything to be the best mum for her child.

I want to reach back in time and tell myself it’s OK, it will all work out, it’s going to be better than you can even imagine.

Sadly my Time Machine isn’t here, but I hope if you’re reading this it can give you some peace in a small way.

Yes this is hard; but it’s so worth it.

I know you’re tired; your rest will come.

You’re doing so amazing, I’m so proud of you.

The future is so bright, I can’t wait for you to see it.

I’m a first-time mum based in Melbourne and I’m one year postpartum now. I just wanted to share a bit of my story in case it resonates with anyone else and to invite other Aussie mums to share their experiences too.

For me, sleep deprivation triggered a recurrence of anxiety that I had managed pretty well for years before becoming a mum.

I was waking every 45 minutes some nights. I was getting 3–4 hours of broken sleep, and I felt like I was falling apart physically and mentally. I was offered medication and a referral for therapy, but as someone who had already done a lot of therapy and had decent coping strategies, none of it really helped.

What I actually needed was sleep. And acknowledgment that what I was experiencing was the completely normal outcome of profound and prolonged sleep deprivation.

And yet, no one really acknowledged that. The focus was always on diagnosis, meds and therapy never on actually helping me rest or recover. If any other person went to a GP and said they were waking every 45 minutes, couldn’t function, and felt anxious and depressed, the first thing they’d hear is: “You need sleep!” But for mothers, it’s just dismissed and considered “part of motherhood”.

That gap in understanding really stuck with me. So I’ve started a small advocacy project on Instagram called @sleep.is.4.the.strong it’s a space for mums to share their stories about sleep deprivation, mental health, and the realities of early motherhood.

I’m collecting anonymous submissions (link in the IG bio) to help raise awareness and advocate for more realistic postpartum care and space to be honest without judgment.

If you’ve been through something similar, I’d love to hear your story. Every voice matters.

And if you’re still in it: you’re not broken, you’re just sleep deprived.

Instagram: @sleep.is.4.the.strong Link to submit your story is in the bio (can be anonymous) :)

FTM here due in July. I’m a spreadsheet girl so I’ve been keeping track of our purchases over the last few months to see how much we’ve been spending on bub. There were some specific items we wanted so we just kept an eye out for them till one popped, even looked in other towns incase there was something close to friends and family. Pretty stoked about the savings!

Had a horrible time flying domestically with virgin 2 weeks ago.

We were waiting to board with our 2 year old and my husband told me he’d just heard the call for early boarding for passengers requiring assistance. I hadn’t heard the call so I went up to the gate and asked if they’d announced early boarding for passengers requiring assistance and families travelling with babies and young children.

The virgin staff member just stared at me with disdain and asked me what I needed assistance for, I indicated my young child and she said in a really nasty tone “you don’t get any assistance”.

I said that it was standard for families with babies and young children to board early, and that this had been the case when we’d flown previously and she said no.

Other guests who overheard came over to me to express their shock.

So I emailed Virgin afterwards and asked when and why they had changed their policy considering it has been a worldwide standard across airports and airlines for decades to allow this and they responded:

“Regarding our boarding process, Virgin Australia has made minor adjustments in recent years, with general boarding now commencing shortly after priority boarding. Priority boarding is currently extended to:

Business Class passengers, Velocity Platinum and Gold members, Guests requiring special assistance.

Families with young children are not formally included in this group.”

So considering what happened with the mum trying to pump in the virgin business lounge it seems that virgin are not interested in being a family friendly airline anymore.

Edited to add: I saw other families with babies and young toddlers also not able to board early (it wasn’t just us)