Diary of an academic mum

Dr Breanne Kunstler (BBiomedSci, BHealthSci, MPhysio, PhD). As parents, when we think ‘solids’ we think 2 things: choking and allergy…oh and a third…copious amounts of mess. As a mum, I want to do all that I can to prevent my 5-month old daughter, Abby, from developing any allergy, including food allergies and related diseases like asthma, eczema etc. To do this, I have been eating peanuts, fish, shellfish, tree nuts (e.g. almonds), taking probiotics daily and working hard to continue exclusively breastfeeding all because I have heard somewhere or from someone that this can help to prevent Abby from developing allergies. I also jumped at the chance to feed Abby peanut butter, egg, fish and other foods because I also heard that she should eat these as soon as she starts solids to reduce her chance of developing allergies. Image 1: Abby loves eating solid foods, especially when she can make a mess. I made some love-heart shaped omelette with sesame oil. Allergens galore! S...

Dr Breanne Kunstler (BBiomedSci, BHealthSci, MPhysio, PhD). Yesterday I went to pick up Abby from daycare with my husband, Ben. It was a really warm day so we walked the short distance to the centre, enjoying the sunshine and chatting about mundane things. When we enrolled Abby in childcare we were asked 'Does your child have a routine?'. Well, no, I don't really think so. It's not like I watch the clock and once it hits 8.04am she must be fed, or changed, or have some playtime, or nap...we aren't strict when it comes to routines. We just respond to Abby's needs when she has them. I think this chilled approach has worked well for starting childcare because the educators get some freedom to do what works for them and Abby. I think this is a good thing; it's good for Abby to experience different ways of doing things. Although yesterday I discovered that there is one thing that I am passionate about Abby not having: a dummy. I walked into the child...

Dr Breanne Kunstler (BBiomedSci, BHealthSci, MPhysio, PhD). I am often asked for my thoughts on the effects of sedentary behaviour, like screen time, on health. I often hear parents worry about the amount of screen time, like TV watch or video game playing, their children get and the effects on their health. They hear from family, friends and the media that screen time is bad for kids and so they feel guilty allowing their children to interact with screens, despite their large and important role in today's society. I thought I'd do some research to see if screen time is really that bad for kids and, if it is, what we (as parents) can feasibly do to reduce it's effects. This is post 1 of a five-part series on the potential impacts of screen time on children. What is screen time? Screen time involves a child interacting or simply watching a screen, other than for video chatting (e.g. Skype), and is a type of sedentary behaviour. Sedentary behaviour is classified as ...

Dr Breanne Kunstler (BBiomedSci, BHealthSci, MPhysio, PhD). WARNING: Too much information for some people in some sections. Read with caution 😮 My daughter, Abby, is my first child and this was my first pregnancy. Abby arrived 2 weeks early on September 13, 2019, weighing 2.94kg and measuring 47.5cm. At 8pm on September 11, 2019, my waters spontaneously broke. Unlike what I thought, it doesn't just come in one gush (Image 1). I had at least 6 gushes over 2 hours (RIP 3x pants and undies!). This happened only 30 minutes after seeing the beginning of my mucus plug dislodge. I thought I was going to have much more time between these two events, wrong! So off to the hospital we went for confirmation that Abby was indeed on her way. The midwives were happy and the plan was to go home, let labour start, and to visit the hospital daily for monitoring. Image 1: What I thought my waters breaking would be like (credit: Reddit ) The next day we visited the hospital. Everything ...