Mr Stone said Dr Woods’ appointment followed an extensive internal and external process and demonstrated the importance clinical leadership as part of Bupa’s strategy to be the most customer-centred healthcare company.

“We’re thrilled to have someone of Nic’s calibre and experience join Bupa at such a transformational time for the health sector, bringing both deep clinical expertise and business leadership to our Executive Team,” Mr Stone said.

Nic joins Bupa from Calvary Care most recently as National Director of Digital Health & Technology (Chief Digital Officer) where he led the technology team across all Calvary Care services, and he was part of the Executive Leadership Team.  Following more than 20 years in clinical medicine and digital health, Nic continues to champion digital health to improve access, affordability, and better patient outcomes.

“Nic is a known and dedicated leader in the clinical community. He’s passionate about improving community health and clinical outcomes and embracing new technologies and medical advancements to meet the future needs of patients.

“As CHO, Nic will be responsible for clinical oversight across our APAC business working closely with our clinical leaders and our hospital partners to drive better health outcomes for our customers,” Mr Stone added.

Nic’s career includes time as Chief Medical Officer with Microsoft, an executive role at Cerner, and years of clinical practice in Emergency Departments, Urgent Care Clinics and General Practice, across New Zealand, Australia, and the UK.

Bupa Asia Pacific CEO, Nick Stone said: “GPs are the backbone of our health system and it’s vital that Australians are able to access healthcare whenever and wherever they need it.

“We welcome initiatives that help ease cost of living pressures and provide timely and convenient access to healthcare, which we know can be real barriers for all Australians,” Mr Stone said.

“Being able to access doctors via telehealth at any time of the day helps take some pressure off busy hospital emergency departments while promoting preventative healthcare. We also know that general practice is under pressure in Australia and additional opportunities that increase flexibility for doctors are a key way to attract and retain GPs.”

Mr Stone said Bupa had already boosted its telehealth services with three 24/7 telehealth consults per policy for eligible health insurance customers as part of its digital health platform, Blua.

To date, 69% of Blua telehealth appointments have been resolved during initial consultations, with just 2% or less directed to emergency departments. Currently, more than 90% of all Blua consultations are carried out via video which enhances the quality and safety of interactions.

Mr Stone said: “Since the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth has quickly become an established part of Australia’s health care system, making better use of practitioners’ and patients’ time.

“Usage patterns indicate Blua Online Doctors is increasing access to primary care out-of-hours and at times when patients might otherwise visit their local emergency department instead,” Mr Stone added.

For more information about Blua please click here.

There were 25 finalists celebrated on the night who were nominated under the categories Family, Pet, Lifestyle, Personal and Wellbeing, along with a People’s Choice winner and an Overall Winner.

The night’s top award went to Rebecca Gawthorne for her blog, Nourish Naturally.

Rebecca was awarded Overall Winner and won the Wellbeing category award.

Rebecca’s blog takes her clinical experience as a dietitian and nutritionist and helps to promote a realistic and achievable approach to healthy eating and nourishing your body naturally.

Rebecca was extremely honoured to be recognised for this year's Bupa Blog Awards .

“I was so excited for the Bupa Blog Awards. It was such a nice surprise to be a finalist and I definitely wasn’t expecting to win.

A record number of more than 16,000 people voted for their favourite blog across all categories for the People’s Choice Award.

Calley Gibson of Life of Pikelet took out the People’s Choice Award and Pet category for the amazing work as Australia's premier Rescue Ambassadog.

Life of Pikelet challenges the stigmas associated with rescue dogs and has rehomed over 50 foster siblings and assisted with the rehoming of hundreds more.

Calley said that winning two awards tonight was a massive surprise and she is looking forward to working with Bupa and other bloggers next year.

"I was expecting to come away with two sore feet - not two awards!

“I’m very excited to be able to become a part of such a great community and gain further support, knowledge and networking. It'll be great to experience this with people that understand and know what I’m doing," she said.

Angie Maddison from The Little Mumma took out the top prize for the Families category for her blog.

Angie is a mum of three and writes beautifully and candidly of her family’s experiences in a relatable, warm and authentic way.

The Lifestyle category winner was Jemma Mrdak for her blog A Stylish Moment for women on a path of confidence, creativity and ultimate style. It's a go-to for all things wellness and lifestyle for women.

Personal category winner for this year is Annie Love from Mumma Love.

She’s a mum to three boys, and navigates parenthood with Leukaemia, Down syndrome and grief through her blog. The beautifully candid blog is all about family, grief, rollercoasters and all the love stories woven in between.

Congratulations to all the 2018 Bupa Blog Award finalists and winners!

Jenny Yuen, Bupa Marketing Content Planner and judge, said it was tough competition and hard to judge and select winners for each category this year.

"It was incredibly difficult to judge and select this year's winners but we loved everything from their amazing writing to their unique perspectives on what it means to live healthier, happier lives.

"All our winners do incredible things for their online communities, and we're so pleased to be able to recognise and celebrate them," she said.

This year was the fifth year of the Bupa Blog Awards, recognising people outside of Bupa who have a strong influence on their community’s health and wellness.

This talented group of award winners will be invited to join Bupa’s exclusive influencer program, with free webinars, workshops and insights from those who have successfully navigated the blogger and influencer space.

They’ll also receive opportunities to work with Bupa on marketing campaigns throughout the year.

To help grow their influencer platform to improve the health and happiness of their online community, winners from each category have been awarded $1,000.

Our People’s Choice winner, Life of Pikelet, takes away $2,000 and $3,000 goes to our overall winner Rebecca Gawthorne for her blog Nourish Naturally.

Find out more about the awards and all our fantastic Bupa Blog Award finalists on the Blue Room.

#BupaBlogAwards

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2018 Bupa Blog Awards finalists announced

2017 Bupa Blog Award winners announced

Bupa Blog Awards finalists announced for 2017

CEO Tracy Adams says it's a step in the right direction as a key focus for the organisation is to encourage early help seeking behaviour. 

“By addressing emotional wellbeing issues early, more serious mental health concerns can be averted before they escalate,” Ms Adams said.

Kids Helpline says the issues tweens are most concerned about are varied. 

“Young people in the 10 to 14 age group tell us they experience issues ranging from anxiety, problems sleeping, online addiction, anger issues or mood swings through to self-harm, eating disorders, depression and thoughts of suicide.

Mental health was the most common reason kids and young people contacted Kids Helpline for counselling in 2017 (26%), followed by family relationships (18%), emotional wellbeing (17%), suicide-related issues (16%) and dating and partner relationships (10%).

Bupa has recently partnered with Kids Helpline to sponsor the Kids Helpline @ School Wellbeing program, free counsellor-led sessions delivered in the classroom to primary school students around the country.

The program is designed to increase resilience and encourage help seeking by children, using early intervention to help set children up with the tools they need to look after their emotional wellbeing into the future. To find out more about the schools program or to get your school involved visit www.kidshelpline.com.au/school.

There was a significant gender gap in terms of who was reaching out for help in 2017, with 74% female, 24% male and 2% intersex, trans or gender diverse.

Ms Adams said the complexity of issues reported to Kids Helpline over the last 20 years has grown substantially with more children and young people needing longer term support.

“In 2017, 64% of all contacts were from children and young people who had contacted Kids Helpline before, and were receiving occasional or ongoing support,” she said.

“More complex issues have also meant the total counselling time with young people has risen significantly, increasing by 72% in just 10 years.

“Duty of Care sessions where emergency interventions are required also continues to rise, increasing by 40% from 2013-17.”

For more information on the Kids Helpline@ School Wellbeing program and to register your interest click here.

Kids Helpline is Australia’s only free, private and confidential 24/7 phone and online counselling service for young people aged 5 to 25 – call 1800 55 1800 or visit www.kidshelpline.com.au.

The full 2017 KHL Insights Report can be found here.

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Kids Helpline and Bupa to take on mental health and bullying in schools program

Only 7% of Australian's are "healthy", are you one of them?

One in seven new fathers experience high levels of psychological distress and as many as one in ten experiences depression or anxiety.

But, too often dads are overlooked and the health and wellbeing of the baby and mother are prioritised.

SMS4dadsSA has been developed by the SA state government with the Family Action Centre at the University of Newcastle, as a result of the success of SMS4dads – a national study which has been running since 2015. So far 520 dads around the country have taken part in SMS4dads, and 92 per cent said they found the free text service helpful.

The aim of the text messages is to help fathers understand and connect with their baby, access health advice and support for themselves, and to help them support their partners.

Those who take part can expect:

• Texts with information, tips and links to other services help dads understand and connect with their baby and support their partner.
• To hear the ‘voice’ of the baby, eg, ‘Talk to me about anything, Dad. Your words will help my brain development’
• Suggestions like: ‘Find ways to tell your partner they’re doing an amazing job. This is really important to them.’
• Links to online resources and prompts for dads to monitor ways they are looking after themselves – like exercise, diet and social connection.
• A three weekly check-in text to see how dads are travelling and if they’re struggling, linking them to specialist assistance.

SMS4dadsSA is part of a new five year mental health plan by the SA government to build a more resilient, compassionate and connected community.

The broader government plan is called the South Australian Mental Health Strategic Plan 2017-2022.

“Mental illness impacts on individuals, families, the community and the economy,” says Health Minister Peter Malinauskas.

“The path forward to improving mental health is not a responsibility solely borne by our public hospitals. Instead of focusing solely on acute care, we need to act early on the signs and symptoms of poor mental health before people reach a crisis point.”

Initially the free text messaging pilot in SA will involve 250 men, with recruitment starting in early 2018.

SMS4dads project leader, University of Newcastle Associate Professor Richard Fletcher said the program worked because it was easy to access, private and provided practical solutions.

“Many fathers believe their main role is to provide for their family, which can place extraordinary pressure on their shoulders. Often, their own mental health is the last thing dads think about," he said.

“It can be hard to engage men, especially when it comes to mental health but this approach, using the latest digital technology, is convenient and appeals to men.”

If you’re based in SA and your partner will be at least 20 weeks pregnant by March 2018, you can express your interest here. If you’re living in another state, you can sign up to take part in the national SMS4dads program here.

If you’re a new mum, check out mummatters, an online tool developed by Bupa and lead researchers and specialists at St John of God Burwood Hospital and the University of New South Wales. The online program helps mums monitor and look after their emotional wellbeing during and after pregnancy.

There’s also a wealth of free guidance, support and inspiration available for new or expecting parents on Bupa’s First Thousand Days website.

UP NEXT: New research – Unborn babies ‘predict’ the world they will live in

The two-year pilot starts this month and will see the health insurer partner with Hatch Private Maternity, a group of private obstetricians located at South Brisbane, to provide more certainty for expectant parents.

This partnership will be the first of its kind in Australia to provide a gap free private maternity experience.

The gap free maternity program includes three appointments with a Hatch obstetrician throughout the customer’s pregnancy. All other visits throughout their pregnancy will be with a midwife and the baby will be delivered by a Hatch obstetrician at Mater Mothers’ Private Hospital.

After the arrival of the baby, the customer will receive two standard appointments at Hatch – one with a midwife at three weeks and one with an obstetrician at six weeks. Customers will still incur costs for services not directly related to the midwifery and obstetrician fees, such as anaesthesia and sonography.

Addressing Affordability

Current out of pocket costs for maternity care provided by a private obstetrician can be as much as $10,000, and with affordability being a major concern for many families, this is often not a feasible option.

Dr Dwayne Crombie, Bupa Health Insurance Managing Director, said piloting a gap free maternity program is one of the innovative ways Bupa is looking to deliver value for money for its customers.

“Whenever I talk with our younger customers they say maternity cover is one of the big drawcards for private health insurance, yet on average they have out of pocket expenses of up to $10,000,” Dr Crombie said.

“We believe that this delivers the expected level of quality of care while allowing new parents to focus on their baby rather than worrying about a bill,” Dr Crombie said.

Bupa will run this pilot in Queensland with the hope to expand nationally.

“One of the challenges for us will be rolling it out at scale. it's good to see though that private obstetricians are willing to change in response to community expectations,” Dr Crombie said.

Increased options

Hatch Private Maternity CEO Nicole Hastie said “We are excited to collaborate with Australia’s leading health insurance group, Bupa, to increase maternity care choices for Brisbane parents.

“Brisbane parents can now access high quality private pregnancy care with the benefits of a private hospital delivery, with no out-of-pocket cost for their specialist obstetric and midwifery care.

“Hatch is committed to first class pregnancy care for our women with the added benefit of no out of pocket Hatch costs for Bupa customers.

“A big part of Hatch’s success is the professional collaboration between our obstetricians and midwives in delivering holistic care to our women. We have an absolute commitment to improving clinical outcomes for pregnant women, their babies and their families. Hatch demonstrates that evidence based, high quality private care can be delivered affordably”, said Ms Hastie.

More information can be found at www.bupa.com.au/hatch

Bupa Australia's Chief Marketing Officer, Jane Power, said the Little Moments Matter campaign aims to improve the health and wellbeing of Australian families by giving families simple suggestions on how to improve family connections and in turn facilitate one million moments of family connection.

“Our research shows that almost half of all parents were worried they don't spend enough quality time with their kids and that parents care most about the emotional wellbeing of their kids,” Ms Power said.

“Studies also tells us though that we shouldn't put added pressure on ourselves as parents to find more time to plan bigger gestures. In contrast, we should be making the most of the little everyday moments we already have together as a family to connect, talk and laugh; these are some of the best ways to nurture family connection and wellbeing.

“Our Little Moments Matter campaign is a three-year program of work which supports our ambition to make a difference to families by facilitating one million moments of family connection.

“This is an ambitious target, but we've got some exciting activity planned over the coming months that will enable Bupa to guide, support and inspire families to understand the value of little moments and help them to connect, while also helping us build emotional connections with customers, drive brand love, and consideration of our products and services,” Ms Power said.

The first of these is the Bupa Family Challenge, an eight-week program designed for busy families which provides a new challenge each week that will help you turn the little moments of family chaos into opportunities to talk, connect and improve your family’s health and wellbeing.

View our campaign video here.

It involved reviewing outcomes from 13 trials and almost 3000 babies born before 37 weeks' gestation. It found evidence that delayed clamping reduced hospital mortality by a third.

“We estimate that for every thousand very preterm babies born more than ten weeks early, delayed clamping will save up to 100 additional lives compared with immediate clamping,” said the University of Sydney’s Associate Professor David Osborn, the review’s lead author and a neonatal specialist at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

“This means that, worldwide, using delayed clamping instead of immediate clamping can be expected to save between 11,000 and 100,000 additional lives every year.”

The review involved two international studies which were coordinated by the University of Sydney’s National Health and Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Centre.

It’s been approved for publishing in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

“It confirms international guidelines recommending delayed clamping in all preterm babies who do not need immediate resuscitation," said Prof. William Tarnow-Mordi, senior author.

Bupa Medical Officer and General Practitioner Dr Kate Haggar says the results are extremely promising.

“We already use delayed cord clamping for full term babies due to the associated benefits for infant health and nutrition. This study takes it a step further by looking at the potential benefits to very premature infants born at less than 30 weeks gestation.”

“Currently the data is looking at the short term outcomes for these infants, but longer term outcomes and follow up are apparently planned. This may include looking at the long-term growth and development in these infants into childhood.”

Belinda Hutchingson AM, Chancellor of the University of Sydney, has experienced the emotional rollercoaster of preterm birth first-hand, and says research into this is invaluable.

“This is a cause which is very important to me, with my own granddaughter born at 28 weeks. She is now a vibrant three year old but I know many others don’t have such a great outcome which is why research in this area is so vital.”

Dr Haggar says it’s important to remember that in the case of babies needing immediate resuscitation, delayed clamping isn’t necessarily the best option.

“While delayed cord clamping, after a minute or more, appears to have benefits at any gestation, if a baby is struggling to breath and get oxygen, then immediate clamping is still a critical part of the resuscitation process.”

For information, tools and inspiration to help guide you through your First Thousand Days, from conception until a child turns two, click here.

UP NEXT: New research - unborn babies 'predict' the world they will live in.

mummatters is an online health tool developed by Bupa in conjunction with experts and mums for perinatal care. It empowers women to test their own emotional wellbeing during pregnancy and in the first year after birth, and can also be used to pick up signs of prenatal and postnatal depression.

The Federal Government is releasing new guidelines for perinatal mental health this week and mummatters complements those.

It includes a clinically validated screening tool for depression along with resources and information to support women to seek help if they need it, and to build their mental fitness in the perinatal period.

mummatters is free and available to all women who are pregnant or who have recently had a baby.

You don’t need to be a Bupa member to use mummatters.

What is perinatal depression and how common is it?

Perinatal depression is a medical condition which can occur anytime from conception until the baby is one.

When we use the word depression, we’re talking about someone who might have no motivation to do daily activities, they may feel like they are in a very difficult place. They may have poor energy, poor self-care, have difficulty maintaining their daily relationships or performing tasks at work.

Perinatal depression affects about 100 thousand Australian parents every year.

Both men and women can experience perinatal depression although its statistically more common amongst women.

Approximately 1 in 10 women experience depression during pregnancy, this increases to 1 in 7 after birth.

Why do women need to look out for their mental health/emotional wellbeing during pregnancy?

Self-care for mums and mums-to-be is really important for the health of the woman and their baby.

This includes looking after both physical and mental health. Pregnancy and the first year after birth is a time of enormous change. This can be exciting but, at times, stressful as parents adjust to a new lifestyle and the needs of a young baby.

Keeping track of emotional wellbeing, building ‘mental fitness’, and making sure women have the support they need will help them to navigate these changes more easily, which in turn will support the healthy development of their baby.

What is the Postnatal Risk Questionnaire, and how did it come about? 

The PNRQ was developed by Prof Marie-Paule Austen, the Director of the St John of God Health Care’s Perinatal and Women’s Mental Health Research Unit and Head of Perinatal Mental Health at the Royal Hospital for Women and her team.

Prof Austen is one of Australia’s leading researchers on perinatal mental health.

She developed the tool to better meet the need for effective screening for depression during the perinatal period.

How do people access the PNRQ?

The PNRQ is already available online for free through mummatters, the online tool developed by Bupa in conjunction with Prof Austen and her colleagues.

The PNRQ has been adopted by the Commonwealth government as the recommended screening tool in the soon to be released Australian Clinical Practice Guideline for Mental Health Care in the Perinatal Period.

As such, it should be implemented in primary healthcare settings to all women in the ante and post-natal period.

However, these are guidelines only and what is done by the individual health professional may vary.

What’s your advice to women who are pregnant who haven’t yet stopped to think about their mental wellbeing?

Pregnancy is a time of lots of physical changes. With all the focus on your body and the development of your baby, it’s easy to forget about your emotional wellbeing.

Even if you’re feeling good, it never hurts to invest in staying well by building your mental fitness to increase your resilience.

To access the PNRQ or check your emotional wellbeing go to:

www.bupa.com.au/mummatters

The study, which initially involved 62 children has provided the strongest evidence yet that a cure may be possible for deadly peanut allergies, providing hope to thousands of Australians living with allergies every day.

"These children had been eating peanut freely in their diet without having to follow any particular program of peanut intake in the years after treatment was completed," said lead researcher Professor Mimi Tang.

Natalie Flanjnik’s 13-year-old son Joel was diagnosed with an egg and peanut allergy when he was a baby. She’s been watching the study with interest, and says an effective treatment would be amazing.

“Now, if we’re out and he’s forgotten his EpiPen, he sometimes won’t eat because he panics. It’s just this constant worry.”

Reprogramming the immune system

The peanut allergy study involved splitting the children into two groups. Some were given a placebo, while others were given a combination of a probiotic (Lactobacillus rhamnosus), together with peanut protein, every day for 18 months. The peanut protein quantity was gradually increased over time.

The treatment was designed to reprogram the immune system’s response to the peanut protein.

The results at the end of the original trial in 2013 were extremely promising: 82 per cent of children who received the probiotic and peanut oral immunotherapy (PPOIT) had become tolerant to peanuts and could eat them without a reaction, compared to just four per cent from the placebo group.

Now, four years later, a follow up study published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health has found that the majority of those children who gained tolerance (80 per cent) are still able to eat peanuts as part of their normal diet – indicating this potential treatment could have long lasting effects.

“The importance of this finding is that these children were able to eat peanut like children who don’t have peanut allergy and still maintain their tolerant state, protected against reactions to peanut. We are now examining whether these beneficial effects of our novel treatment have also resulted in improved quality of life,” said Prof. Tang.

“These findings suggest our treatment is effective at inducing long-term tolerance, up to four years after completing treatment, and is safe,” she said.

Ten-year-old Olivia became involved in the trial when she was just two and a half. Previously a small bite of a peanut butter sandwich would cause her lips to swell.

Her mother Tanya May says being part of the PPOIT trial changed her life.

Allergies on the rise

According to the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, the prevalence of food allergies has risen 350 per cent in just the last 20 years – and peanut allergies have increased at the greatest rate. Peanut allergies affect around 1 in 50 children , and in some cases, can cause a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) which can be deadly.

Bupa GP Dr Tim Ross says the new research is exciting because it opens a new range of possibilities when it comes to desensitising people to allergies.

“Using probiotics to desensitise people to allergies is quite a new approach,” he said.

“Most desensitisation up until now has been injections in the arm. Particularly for kids, being able to take something like this orally is much easier. There is much work going on at present looking at the interaction between the gut and metabolism, inflammatory response and immune response. This study is an example involving the immune response.”

While there is no proven explanation so far as to why allergies are on the rise, scientists have a few possible theories which they’re looking into, which include:

• Hygiene: less exposure to infections in early childhood may be associated with an increased risk of allergy

• Delayed introduction to foods such peanuts, tree nuts or egg in young children

• Changes in the way we process food

Dr Ross says there’s a popular theory that the increasing use of disinfectants and sterilisers in the home could be playing a part.

While the results of the study are promising, larger clinical trials will need to be undertaken before a treatment is made available to the public, which is likely to take years.

Professor Tang hopes this could open the door to finding treatments for other food allergies too.

“This is a major step forward in identifying an effective treatment to address the food allergy problem in Western societies,” she said.

The top 10 causes of acute parenting injuries were related to everyday parenting activities such as picking children up from the floor, lifting them out of their cots, balancing them on the hip and hunching over when breastfeeding, which can all place severe strain on parents’ back muscles.

Dr Tim Ross, Bupa GP, said that new parents are at potential risk even if they’re fit and healthy as so many are sleep deprived in the early years of parenthood. Nearly half of those injured (44%) said a lack of sleep was a major factor contributing to their injury as they were too tired to notice that they were not bending correctly.

“It’s not surprising that over half (59%) of parents say that looking after children is more physically demanding than work,” Dr Ross said.

“All the bending, lifting and twisting to get children in and out of prams, cots and car seats takes a physical toll, often in the form of bad backs, creaky knees and more serious injuries such as herniated (so-called 'slipped') discs. These can be painful, take a long time to recover from, and can potentially have long term health impacts.”

Having a good posture and learning how to lift and carry a child properly reduces the risk of injury. Bupa has created a guide to help remind parents of the safest way to lift children.

Based on online searches in the UK, Australia, Spain and Hong Kong in 2016, the research shows parents around the world are looking for support and advice to allay their doubts and fears.

In Australia, if you’re wearily wondering what it will take to get your baby to sleep, you’re not alone.

There are almost 40,000 searches annually on “full night sleep” or “how to get baby to sleep” ranking near the top of our searches.

“How to get pregnant” is the next most popular search(34,800) followed by “how to be a good parent”.

With all the recent talk of gender selection of newborns, Australian parents-to-be are searching more than 30,000 times a year on average for how to conceive a particular gender, however there are equal searches on girls and boys.

Australian parents also turned online for concerns they may not be comfortable discussing with friends and family, including “how to cope with the stress of being a parent” and “I hate being a parent”.

Globally, “how to get pregnant” was the most searched term, while other common search terms included “how to deal with teenagers”, “how to deal with post partum depression” and “breastfeeding tips”.

Dr. Tim Ross, a Bupa Australia GP and a dad, explains: “Every parent worries and feels anxious at some point. As parents, we all put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be the perfect mum or dad, but the truth is there’s no such thing as a perfect parent.

“Accepting you’ll get things wrong is key to being a happy parent. It’s important to create a safety net around you and prioritise yourself a little to help deal with the anxiety and uncertainty of being a parent”.

On International Day of Families (15 May), Bupa is launching The Imperfect Parent, a guide with advice and top tips to help mothers and fathers to embrace faults and doubts. The guide also provides advice on how to deal with the anxiety of being a parent and mitigate the stresses of the idea of parental perfectionism.

The top tips for imperfect parents, featured in Bupa’s guide include:

1. Accept you’ll get things wrong: No one gets parenting right the first time, or all the time for that matter! We all make mistakes. Chastising yourself for them isn’t going to help you or your child. Accept that you can’t always make the right decision – there’s no such thing as a perfect parent. You and your baby will learn as you go.

2. Give yourself headspace: These days life is so fast-paced it’s hard not to get frazzled. We juggle multiple priorities - trying to be outstanding at work, being a good friend, keeping a tidy home, keeping fit and stocking a full fridge. When it’s all getting too much, practising mindfulness can help you remain calm.

3. Be good to your body: For your wellbeing and that of your child, parents need to exercise regularly and eat well. Gentle exercise outside and fresh air can improve your mood – and if you have a little one, it can help your baby to sleep – winning! For busy working dads and mums, it’s important to have a healthy, balanced diet to help banish tiredness. Eating at regular intervals, not missing breakfast, cutting out sugar and eating iron-rich foods such as red meat, seafood and dark green vegetables will help keep you energised.

4. Plan your day around small goals: Finding that you can no longer fit everything into your day can come as a shock but the key to keeping your sanity is first to accept this – and then take back as much control as you can. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Plan your day around mini goals that you can achieve, while trying not to feel guilty when putting off tasks that can wait.

5. Build your support net: Postnatal groups or local new parent clubs are great ways to meet new friends and reduce feelings of exclusion and loneliness, particularly if relatives aren’t close by or you live in a remote area. Friendships are important because they’re good for your health, improve your happiness, reduce stress and boost your self-confidence.

6. Don’t take yourself too seriously: Few would argue that it’s a serious responsibility being a new parent but everyone has funny or embarrassing moments they’d rather forget. If you don’t laugh about it, what’s the alternative? Many studies have been undertaken on the healing power of laughter. So, try to take pleasure in the company of your children, however embarrassing they’re being. Or share the moment… we’ve all been there.

7. Look at the bigger picture: Sometimes you’re so focused on your child that it’s hard to put your parenting into context. We worry over everything our children will face, from walking to school to the state of the planet. Understand that all parents are in the same boat, and let your kids discover the wonders of the world for themselves.

8. Confront your fears: Fear can threaten to overwhelm us. The key is to address your fears and anxieties. If you’re a new parent and worry about your baby’s health, ask medical professionals for advice. You will feel better when you act.

9. Treasure the time with your baby: Babies don’t stay little for long – even if those first sleepless nights may seem like the longest hours of your life. Enjoy and treasure your time with your baby, but also remember it’s okay not to love every minute of it. None of us likes everything we do all the time, so why should being a parent be different?

10. Ask for help: Accepting help isn’t a sign that you can’t cope. You know your child best, but the little one will be fine with other people you trust like grandparents or close friends. It’s the perfect opportunity to get some ‘you time’, as well as ‘couple time’ with your partner, which is something equally as important.

The Imperfect Parent, by Bupa is available here

Notes to editors:

The research was complied by media and marketing agency Mindshare, and commissioned by Bupa based on Google searches in 2016.

Mindshare used a variety of propriety and search research tools to understand how people within the UK, Australia, Spain and Hong Kong are using search to find out more information about parenting.

Parental Doubt keyword search terms (How To, Tips, Shouldn’t I, Do’s and Don’ts, etc) cover all aspects of parenting from conceiving, breastfeeding, nutrition, baby sleep patterns and attitudes towards parenting. These keyword search volumes highlight that search is a widely-used tool to help reduce uncertainty about being a parent.