CatherineMom's Blog

Cakes Online Dublin is Ireland’s first web-based bakery, producing sweet treats since 2002. Based in Tallaght, they specialise in cakes for birthdays, christenings and wedding showers and also make cupcakes and mini desserts. We were lucky enough to try two of Cakes Online’s speciality birthday cakes, both of which were personalised with the MummyPages logo and looked incredibly tempting...

A new survey has found the average teen between 12 and 15 receives almost €30 pocket money every month, with the majority being spent online. The survey by Danske Bank also found that nine in 10 young teens and pre-teens shop online and that these purchases are taking place without assistance from parents. While some of the teens save a portion of their pocket money, most of it is being spent on...

Ask.fm, a website linked to three teen suicides, has announced a number of new safety measures. The site will now include a visible ‘report’ button, a larger number of moderators and an extra website for parents. Ask.fm, which allows users to leave anonymous comments about other users, was implicated after three teens took their own lives following abuse and bullying campaigns while using the...

In her new book, Expecting Better, economist Emily Oster has criticised common pregnancy advice after analysing health studies and journals. She claims that woman can drink plenty of coffee, dye their hair and even have a glass of wine a day. Oster began investigating the standard rules given to expecting mothers when she became pregnant herself three years ago. She claims that the research she...

Kim Kardashian: Kim Kardashian finally appeared in public following the birth of baby North West in June. She was spotted at an L.A. medical facility on Wednesday along with Kanye West, baby Nori and their nanny. The new parents appeared to be incredibly happy, with Kim fresh faced and glowing. We can’t wait to see the first official pictures of their newborn. Nadine Coyle: On Thursday we...

A pregnant mother has lost her case against the Health Service Executive after it refused her application for a home birth. Kilkenny lecturer Aja Teehan had a child by Caesarean section six years ago and her application was denied on the grounds that there were increased risks associated with natural birth after a C-section. While the expectant mother provided medical evidence that she was a low...

Mums appear to be starting the Back to School shop early this year in an attempt to grab bargains. Tesco has reported a 75% increase in the sale of schoolbags compared to the same period last year. This year’s most popular schoolbags are those portraying well-known characters and animated films, with Hello Kitty, Monster’s University, Marvel Heroes and WWE all in the Top 10. Tell us what you...

TV3 has announced its autumn schedule and included among some very promising shows (At Home with the Healy-Raes, can’t wait!) is The Great Irish Bake Off. Following the success of the British version, TV3 will pit Irish hopefuls against each other in a ‘bake off’ that will push their skills to the limit. The ten home bakers will have their tasty creations critiqued by the show’s judges...

Spanish research published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing claims the onset of breast cancer can be delayed by up to a decade by breastfeeding for over six months – but only in non-smokers. The study of 504 breast cancer patients aged 19 to 91 found non-smoking women who breastfed for at least six months were diagnosed on average at the age of 68.4. This was more than a decade later than...

New research shows the rate of emergency caesarean sections among Irish mothers is nearly twice that of Eastern European women who have babies in Ireland. The research, carried out by UCD and the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), also found that Irish women giving birth are more likely to be obese, to smoke and to have induced births. The authors of the report point out that there is...