UK NEWS

MUMS SURF NET TO GET HELP WITH BABY

ONLINE: The internet is becoming an invaluable tool for new mothers

Tuesday October 2,2007

By Victoria Fletcher, Health Editor

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NEW mothers are shunning family and friends and logging on to websites for tips on bringing up baby.

Eight out of 10 first-time mothers say they prefer surfing the net to picking up the phone to ask pals or relatives.

A new poll of 4,000 mothers found that the internet is becoming an invaluable tool for new mothers – especially in the middle of the night when they feel there is no one else they can disturb.

While new mothers traditionally turned to their own mums for advice, one in five are now clicking on to parenting forums in the early hours if they are concerned about their newborn’s health.

They said they found the internet was a useful source of medical advice for minor ailments. But the main reason they gave for choosing the net above family and friends was that they found more comfort in being able to chat to mums in the same boat.

Nearly half are becoming so internet-savvy that they would like to have an online blog to share their experiences and photographs with friends and family.

The National Childbirth Trust runs a website where mothers can email a panel of experts for advice. Its manager, Prakash Patel, said: “As people’s support networks change and the importance of the internet grows, we can understand how more parents are using the web for information and support.

“Our online helpline is very popular as parents know they can ask our panel any question and we’ll guarantee to answer.

“We’ve seen an increasing number of parents visiting our website for good, reliable and trustworthy information.”

Eileen Hayes, of Your Family magazine, said: “Having a baby has always been a stressful as well as an enjoyable experience.

“Mums today face a lot of different pressures that their own mums may never have had to worry about – such as having to return to work in a few months or being far from family and friends.

“When I had my first baby I was a long way from my family. I’d have loved to have the technology to talk to other mums at any time of the day or night.”

The survey was carried out by the organic baby food manufacturer, Hipp.