Everything links with everything. If anyone in our immediate family experiences health challenges, it almost always impacts dramatically on our productivity and ability to work effectively. So even though this column is normally focused on how to utilise our precious time and energy effectively, my choice of topic today still links back to using time wisely and well, and potentially saving huge amounts of time further down the track.
How many people do you know with allergies? Have you ever wondered why there seems to be so much more of it around these days? In earlier years it was rare to hear of people with allergies, yet today it's so common that whole industries have grown up to support the sufferers. If it's in any family you're closely linked with, how much time, money and inconvenience is consumed every week, and what is the day-to-day impact on the person with the allergies?
At a conference I was speaking at recently, I had the opportunity to listen to allergy researcher and author Maureen Minchin. She has just released the results of decades of research working with families of allergic children and is convinced that a lot of it links back to what we feed our babies, right from birth. According to her research, long-term allergies can be triggered by even just a few bottles of formula when the baby is new-born. (There is much more to it than this this one point, of course.)
Bottle-feeding absolutely has its place - as a backstop - but almost every woman can breastfeed until the baby, if she gets the right information and support. This includes those who choose to go back to work, especially if the workplace is breastfeeding-friendly. (An example of one New Zealand group helping employers and mothers is based in Canterbury).
Thank goodness, New Zealand hospitals, midwives and support systems have come a long way since I had my babies, but ...