Baby talk helpline

Hands up if you use the internet to source health information? You are not alone, most people do it.

If you're planning to have children, about to give birth or want advice on navigating the first twelve months of your newborn child there's plenty of information on the web.  

But how can you tell what's credible and what's untrustworthy?

This issue of Stayin' Strong looks at Pregancy, Birth and Baby - an Australian non-government service for people seeking advice, counselling, support or information on pregnancy, childbirth and baby's first year.

As well as having an online presence Pregnancy, Birth and Baby provide a 24-hour helpline, the only one of it's kind in Australia.

"Some of the things that people will call us about for counselling include emotional distress during pregnancy and after they’ve had the baby," says Dianne Zalitis, the clinical governance co-ordinator for pregancy, birth and baby services at Healthdirect Australia.  

"We get questions about parenting issues, housing, financial support [and] our contacts for other services such as drug and alcohol or maternal child health services," she told Stayin' Strong.

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby is free, confidential and can be accessed by women, partners or family members seeking assistance on any issues related to pregancy, childbirth and bub's first twelve months.  

What's the number?

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby              1800 822 436

Healthdirect Australia                       1800 022 222

If you wish to speak to someone in your preferred language you can call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450 or call staff at the helpline can arrange an interpreter.

Did you know one in eight men experience depression?

Depression isn't the same as feeling sad for a bit.  

It's when you feel sad, irritable, moody or have trouble sleeping or concentrating for more than two weeks.   Or it may be losing interest in work, sport, sex, going out or the other things you used to enjoy. Sometimes it's having negative thoughts like feeling worthless or that life is not worth living. 

Men generally put off getting any help when it comes to their health needs so as not to appear weak or dependant on others to handle the situation.  With depression, you need to ask for help because it won't get better on its own.  

Knowledge is power

Depression is common.  As many as 3 million Australians are living with depression and anxiety.  It's a good idea to learn the signs for you, your mates and family.  

Beyondblue has developed an anxiety and depression checklist you can fill out to gain a better understanding of what's happening.  It's not a diagnosis, you need to see a health professional for that.  Beyondblue also have a list of where you can go for help.  

Wanna talk?

Beyondblue support service     1300 22 4636

Lifeline                                      13 11 14 

Suicide Callback service           1300 659 467

Contact 000 in an emergency or at immediate risk of harm to themselves or others.  

Arthur Bin* gets the juice on fat in his first writing assignment for the Brisbane Indigenous Media Association.

Hello you mob, me Arthur here.

These mob at BIMA bin ask me to write an article for you mob to read.  I don’t know what for? They must be getting sick of my voice on radio or what?

Anyway now, I’m sure they bin ask me cause I look healthy and got proper sexy figure. Plus I’m proper deadly writer! Solid!

No good now, I bin tell them I’ll write something for them so I bin research and hop on that internet and I bin come across this thing called Intra-Abdominal Fat.

I always thought we only bin have one type of fat in our bodies but no good, there’s more. The one type of fat that everybody know is called (it proper big word) subcutaneous fat. That the one that bin under your skin (people bin call them love handles).  I used to have them love handles before I got my proper sexy figure. 

No good now, this Intra-Abdominal Fat, it bin coat your organs (not organs like a piano but organs inside your body) and it poses the most health concerns.

Them medical and scientific mob are trying to work out the links between Intra-Abdominal Fat and Chronic Disease.  What they do know is that even the smallest deposit of this type of fat, it bin increase your risk of proper serious health problems.

Anyway now, I bin come across this proper deadly website that gives you tips that can help reduce your risk of Intra-Abdominal Fat and Chronic Disease.

Go to the Swap It, Don't Stop it website here and you can be on your way to a proper sexy figure (like mine) and a healthier lifestyle.

You can also talk to your GP, health worker or medical service for some proper deadly information. Awwww Solid!  

The Stayin' Strong project is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.  Read more.