What I normally do with magazines is flick through the pages, check if something catches my eyes then start reading that particular article. Well not this time! I had to read every single word of Mother & Baby from pages 1-162 even the ads. Speaking of which there are hundreds of ads in this issue (Oct/Nov 2012 – 25 years celebration) ranging from pharmaceutical products to food and fashion. Here is the low down of its content:

• 50x 1 page ads (this does not include story-related advertisements)
• 4x 1/2 page ads
• 5x 1/3 page ads
• 46 pages of parenting related articles without ads or any other type of promotional items
• the rest are 70 pages of stories promoting items such as books, fashion, baby accessories and furniture

To be honest, I was bored with this magazine. Sure it had some interesting information on things related to parenting such as the new Dad and Partner Pay (DAPP) from the federal government or a website about booking cabins and camp sites . But most of it was general information that I could have easily found on the Internet. In fact, most of the stories/articles were rehashed from what people already know – organising a children’s party, looking after newborn and planning for the birth of your baby. However, there was a story about a woman who had Gestational Breast Cancer that I thought was quite interesting. According to the article, about 200  women experience pregnancy-related breast cancer every year in Australia.

It’s interesting to note that there was an article about judgmental mothers and dealing with unwanted parental advice. But who’s judging who? Seems to me this whole magazine is also finding fault in your own parenting. Take for example the fact that it does not have any ads for baby formula products, but a number of ads for breast pumps and breastfeeding. In other words, it’s giving you the message that to be a great parent/mum you have to breastfeed. How about those women who may not have enough breast milk to feed their newborn. Should they let their baby starve for the sake of being a ‘great’ parent/mum?

Overall, a light magazine to flick through at the doctors/dental surgery. If you must buy it, do so because you like looking at the glossy colourful photographs of gorgeous models with their beautiful babies. Otherwise, spend the money on a cup of coffee for yourself and an ice cream for your little one.