Covid19 can be a nasty business: some will require and receive medical treatment, or even hospitalisation. Others may have mild or unpleasant symptoms might well have to learn to rely on home treatments, with general medical advice available online.  Some herbal remedies can be very effective in soothing and alleviating the miseries of feeling ill. Let’s look to the garden and store cupboard.  There are many herbs with very useful properties.

In this strange and uncertain new world of Covid-19 one thing is certain: we are all going to have to be more self-reliant and look after our health and well-being for ourselves, especially when we might feel rather lonely and alone. Let’s think about our immune systems.

Jane Gordon, columnist and author, remembers the first 'granny' night with the new baby Edie.

We found the following information from the UK NHS, Canada, Taiwan and Japan.  We hope you find it useful.

Please don't forget these three important actions:

NEVER FORGET TO WASH YOUR HANDS THOROUGHLY AND REGULARLY.

MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING - KEEP AT LEAST TWO METRES APART (EXCEPTING PEOPLE YOU LIVE WITH)

SELF-ISOLATE IF YOU'RE OVER 70 OR HAVE UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITIONS

Jane Gordon is a mum of three, interviewer of many a celebrity, author of several books and, of course, newspaper columnist but she faced a serious predicament when she became a granny... 

A doula? What on earth's a doula?  It is close to doolally? Or maybe a girlie doodle? No. Definitely note. It's someone who helps with birthing and they're becoming very popular with the stars - Nicole Kidman and Jessica Biel  among them - and many more 'ordinary' mums. We asked Sarah Johnson, who has been a practising the art for nearly two decades, to explain why. Oh, the word 'doula' comes from ancient Greek and means 'woman's servant' so you can see why they could be useful.