'You've got your hands full'

Depression: My story, plus why you journalists should speak up if they are feeling down

THE following piece appears in this month's Press Gazette, but isn't online.

I'm posting it here, as well as on my blog for freelance writers, in the hope of further raising awareness that mental illness doesn't have to be 'dirty little secret' - even if when you are in the midst of it, the last thing in the world you'd ever want to do is tell people!

As someone who is fully recovered, I hope my experience and the advice offered here by freelance journalist colleagues, the NUJ and charities, may help others suffering the effects of a mental illness.

I'd welcome any comments at the end of the post, especially from others with similar experiences. Again, I hope this could help show those going through a tough time that they are not alone.

AS I sat on my bed at 3am, sobbing and contemplating throwing myself through the window, I knew I had to seek medical help. Despite thinking everyone would be better off without me, part of me was still rational enough to know I didn’t want to feel like this.

Would you plan to give birth to twins or triplets at home? Couple say hospital denies them "rightful choice"

WITH more than 300,000 views on YouTube, this video has a pretty powerful message.

Questions tackled head on by the producers include:

* So both babies have to be head down for a vaginal birth?

* So all twins should be born by c-section?

* So older mums have to have a Caesarean?

Tips to help get your children into a sleeping routine from You've Got Your Hands Full readers

A WHILE back I wrote about how disappointed I was that when my daughters were younger, we never managed to conquer the 'get them off to sleep and you can have a life in the evenings' challenge.

Commenters offered some excellent advice and shared their stories of how they had mastered said challenge. Now I have been asked for advice from an expectant mum of twins. So it has made me remember that it would be a good idea to bring those pointers together.

A moving YouTube tribute to a much loved daughter helps boost NICU support

THE above video has been posted on YouTube to help remember and celebrate the life of Emily Anne Roberts, who died aged just 19 days and was one of quadruplets.

It's a clear reminder as we so passionately (or dispassionately in some cases) discuss the numbers of babies born together of how special each and every child is.

You've got your hands full on Facebook and Twitter - would you like to join our network?

BECKY has set up a blog network on Facebook for You've got your hands full. If you would like to join, then you can do so here.

This network is another way of bringing families with twins, triplets or more together, as well as other parents who have read and enjoyed this blog. It also helps spread the word about the blog.

You can also join a Facebook group for You've got your hands full here.

Changeling film trailer from YouTube, Angelina Jolie set to attend New York premier

SPECULATION has been rife that Angelina Jolie has been suffering with post-natal depression since having Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline.

I have no clue whether this is based in any truth whatsoever, but now the superstar mum is all set to make her first public appearance at a New York film premier next week.

What's the fascination with twins, triplets or more?

WHAT'S the big deal? What's the point of this blog?

This interesting piece from BBC Online reports on some of the fascination with multiple birth children, especially identical twins.

Here's a snippet:

And in the West twins, triplets and other multiples are a staple of daytime television on shows that are the modern-day take on the freak show.

Poll: Should I ask my daughters' school to put them in different classes next year?

WHEN my daughters started school, there was no doubt in my mind they should be separated.

This was because I believe they need to be seen and act as individuals from day one. Some families may feel four is too young. We had rare moments where Emily cried a little from missing her sister, but overall they were more than fine, and have been ever since - together or apart.

Of course you have to do what is right for your own family and I would never knock anyone for the decision concerning their children as they know them better than anyone else.

Now, as Year Five is approaching, because of reasons too complicated to describe fully, but linked with the number of children at the school, they have been in the same class for the last school year.

How a multiple pregnancy differs from expecting just the one baby

WHEN I was pregnant, I used to wail "I'm scared" every now and again. And when Neil asked me why, I'd say: "Because I'm going to have two babies, waaaaah!"

But looking back, apart from those infrequent emotional outbursts, I think I stayed pretty calm.

I've just found the following in the bowels of my computer - some quotes I provided for a magazine feature while still working on behalf of Tamba. They encapsulate some of the worries of a multiple pregnancy, but also detail extra care provided.

I hope they may provide some comfort for anyone else stuck at the wailing stage. (And as you can see I think the picture on the right was taken when the model was about, ooh, four weeks pregnant...)

Linda Jones, mum of five-year-old twins Emily and Melissa, and a spokeswoman for Tamba, the Twins and Multiple Births Association, said: “Twin and triplet pregnancies can obviously be more difficult than just carrying the one baby, but not all complications of single pregnancies occur more frequently with an expected multiple birth.

Antenatal care will mean more ultrasound screening, tests and investigations and more appointments. It should also include social support and advice, to plan for the extra load before, during and after delivery.

NSPCC Your Family magazine: Focus on bullying

HOW can you nip bullying in the bud if your child is either the bully or the victim? Linda Jones reports. Read more.

* A lovely little boy helped me with this piece, telling me how he was being picked on at school. A massive thanks to him and his mum. They know who they are.