parenting

Anne Buist, professor of women's mental health at the University of Melbourne, said we were struggling to support women with severe mental health issues.

"Maternal suicide is actually the leading cause of maternal deaths," she said.

"We've managed to treat infections, we've improved our ability to bring blood pressure down, but we are still battling to get on top of these really serious mental health problems."

However Professor Buist said having a mental illness did not mean you could not parent; it may just mean you needed extra support.

You may feel that your kids are sending you to an early grave, but parents live longer than childless people, especially once they reach 80, found a study in Sweden — and the longevity edge becomes greater as parents get older.

Tell me more:

This week, she asks: could so-called 'baby brain' actually be a helpful affliction? Is it time for women doctors to ask for a pay rise? And, when will Australia give three-parent babies the green light?

The upside of 'baby brain'

I'm definitely not the first woman to think she's lost her mind after having a baby, and thanks to the kind people at Nature Neuroscience, I can now rest assured that not only is this totally normal but, ultimately, helpful.