No hangovers! My sober parent survival guide
Do parenting and alcohol go hand in hand? In my experience, yes! When my son was born, nearly 11 years ago, I remember thinking how much I'd enjoyed not drinking during pregnancy. Sober socialising (for the first time in my adult life) was easier than I'd thought, and I loved hangover-free weekends. I pictured myself as a calm, glowing, alcohol-free new mother, and resolved to stay sober.
That lasted until a friend offered me a glass of champagne to toast the birth. I soon realised that, from NCT drinks to bonding with other mums, to decompressing after a stressful bedtime, alcohol was just as present in my life as it had been pre-parenthood, if not more so. And it was very normalised; the #sendwine and
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Telegraph
35 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Teacher killed himself after taking unlicensed hair-loss drug in Dubai
A teacher obsessed with not going bald killed himself after switching to a potent anti-hair-loss drug, an inquest heard. Sam Applegarth, 31, who had no history of mental health problems, hanged himself in Dubai after starting an 'online' prescription course of dutasteride, a drug not licensed for hair loss in the UK. The PE teacher, who had first sought help for his hair loss aged 22, had used British National Formulary drugs minoxidil and finasteride for years without any side-effects. It emerged during the hearing that there were no known 'suicidal ideation' side-effects from taking dutasteride – a drug primarily used to treat an enlarged prostate – because there had been a failure to report such feelings in men taking the drug. Mr Applegarth was raised in Outwood, near Wakefield, West Yorkshire, and after working for the Rugby Football League took up teaching science and PE at Minsthorpe High School. He had been concerned over his hair loss since 2015 and visited Dr Bessam Farjo at a trichology clinic in Manchester. Underwent hair transplant Dr Farjo told the hearing at Wakefield coroner's court that although Mr Applegarth visited for consultations and advice he was never prescribed any drugs. The doctor told coroner Oliver Longstaff he was aware that Mr Applegarth had started taking minoxidil, which is on sale over the counter at pharmacies, and later took doses of finasteride, and had been happy with their effects. He then underwent a successful hair transplant at the Farjo Hair Institute in Manchester. The teacher had his head tattooed to give the appearance of hair and also had platelet-rich plasma treatment. 'He was happy with the overall appearance after the tattoo,' Dr Farjo told the inquest. The teacher last saw Dr Farjo in July 2024, two months before he flew to Dubai, and he was still taking the tablets and was also using camouflage products to conceal his hair loss. 'Exaggerated view' Mr Applegarth was advised by the doctor to undergo cognitive therapy to alleviate his anxiety about going bald. 'He was a young man with an exaggerated view about how big an issue his hair loss was,' added the doctor. 'I had no concerns he was having any side-effects from the drugs.' Dr Farjo said 'suicidal ideation' is one recognised side-effect of taking finasteride but if a patient had not experienced those thoughts while on the drug they would not suffer those after the drug was out of their system. Dr Farjo added he was unaware the teacher had begun taking dutasteride, which he described as 'more powerful' than finasteride. Mr Applegarth had no history of mental illness or self-harm and was a 'bright and happy individual', according to the doctor and the PE teacher's family. But he was found hanging in his apartment by a work colleague on Sept 19 2024 – just five weeks after arriving in Dubai. He left no suicide note and a post-mortem found no alcohol or drugs in his system. Mr Longstaff registered a finding of 'suicide'.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Protest at housing association in King's Cross after baby death
The death of a 15-week-old baby who lived in a Camden flat, managed by housing association Notting Hill Genesis, led to a protest outside its headquarters on Mohammed died in February and his parents believe damp and mould contributed to their son's death. They said "no one helped" from the housing association, after repeated requests for Franco from the organisation said: "We know this is a complex situation and will continue working with the relevant authorities as they conduct their investigations."An inquest, opened by St Pancras Coroner's Court, into the baby's death has been adjourned and is due to conclude later this year. Akram's mother, Aiat Mohammed, described her son as a "happy, playful baby". His father, Abdushafi, says he hoped for him to become a doctor. In late February, their baby son started struggling to breathe. His father took him in his arms and ran to hospital. Mrs Mohammed said: "I was trying to tell myself everything is going to be OK. I was trying to calm myself."There were more than eight doctors and more than five nurses around him."Akram's parents believe "longstanding mould and damp" in their flat contributed to their son's death. Akram's father said: "The house was mouldy and damp and I tried to explain to them many times but nobody helped."The coroner has yet to conclude the cause of death. Paperwork seen by the BBC shows repeated requests from the family, and the charity the Pillion Trust, to address damp and mould in the the family launched a complaint in 2024 to the housing association, Notting Hill Genesis admitted their "standards have fallen for not being more responsive" and offered £175 in compensation for a late response, lack of communication and for being chased on damp and mould taken by the family's legal team a week after Akram's death show mould and damp present in the one-bedroom home. Mrs Mohammed said Akram struggled with the conditions."If they just fixed those issues maybe he had a chance to live," she said."When he was just months old I started to notice he had difficulty breathing. He could (would) breathe very, very loudly. But eventually the problems got bigger and bigger."She added: "Nobody would stay there. Even for a minute. You couldn't breathe there. You would feel it in the air. The air was mouldy." The family lawyer Mark McGhee said they have been told by the coroner's officer the pathology report stated the medical cause of death was acute pneumonia due to a late-onset Group B Strep infection and dilated cardiomyopathy, a type of heart muscle disease. The BBC has not independently seen the document. Akram's mother said: "We all know a person with pneumonia can't live in a mouldy house."The family's solicitors launched a disrepair claim against Notting Hill Genesis, and an independent survey of the flat, carried out by TLB Services found the housing association failed in its duty to ensure the property was "fit for human habitation".It found mould in every room and "defective" extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom were "causing excessive airborne moisture".The survey advised £3,055 of repairs to be carried out, including washing the mould and fixing the extractor Hill Genesis said they conducted a thorough mould wash following reports of damp and mould in April 2024, which removed mould from the added, in October 2024, the month prior to Akram's birth, Mr and Mrs Mohammed reported further issues of damp and mould, which the housing association was working to resolve. Mrs Mohammed said: "I would say my baby's death was avoidable."All we wanted was a healthy environment to live [in]."Akram's parents said they have been supported by the school, of their two other children, and charities since their son's Franco, the chief executive of Notting Hill Genesis, added: "We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Akram Mohammed. "We will continue to support the family in any way we can during this difficult time."No determination has been made by HM Coroner as to the cause of Akram's death, and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment further or to speculate at this time."A Camden Council spokesperson said: "Akram's death is a tragedy and our thoughts are with his family at what is a very sad time. "We have been in regular contact with Notting Hill Genesis who assure us they are working to identify a suitable home for the family."
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE He always got headaches... but this time was different. I was told my son, 8, would die 20 hours later
When Ashlee Dahlberg's eight-year-old son Liam got off the school bus last month and complained of a headache, she thought little of it. Prone to allergies, these were a fairly regular occurrence for her middle child, Ashlee told the Daily Mail, and so she gave him some ibuprofen as usual. Your browser does not support iframes.
