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Wednesday afternoon's news in under 5 minutes.

 

We’ve rounded up all the latest stories from Australia and around the world – so you don’t have to go searching.

1. Instagram bans breastfeeding photography account on National Breastfeeding Week.

A photographer who specialises in capturing new mothers has been unceremoniously banned from Instagram.

Melissa Jean Wilbraham, a resident photographer at the Sunshine Coast hospital, frequently posts photographs newborn children, as well as mothers breastfeeding and giving birth.

Image: Melissa Jean Photography Facebook.

Over the weekend, Melissa received this message from Instagram:

“Your account has been deleted for not following our terms. We’re unable to restore accounts that are deleted for these types of violations.”

What’s more, the ban arrived on the first day of National Breastfeeding Week.

The photographer, who also runs her own business, told Daily Mail Australia “[i]t was like being punished for celebrating the miracle of life.”

While social media supporters rallied together to have the ban on Melissa’s account lifted, the photographer and breastfeeding advocate has a message for the “haters” who troll her images:

“Going forward I’m more passionate about it than ever,” she told Daily Mail.

“I’m definitely not going to allow the negative [people] to make me conform to what they want.”

2.  Young women are the ‘most stressed’ group in Australia.

Research confirms that young women are the most stressed group in the population.

Fairfax Media reports that the National Australia Bank wellbeing index released last month revealed that women aged 18 to 29 recorded the lowest wellbeing, a result of financial, work and time-related stress.

Pscyhologist Mandy Deeks told Fairfax these stresses are related to a lack of feeling connected.

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instagram bans breastfeeding photos
Young women are the most stressed. Image: iStock.

“Women get their wellbeing from the relationships they have with others. Our connections give us our identity and values,” she said. “If we don’t have that connectivity, then our mental health does start to suffer.”

Professor Deeks also said young women often feel guilty when things aren’t “perfect”.

“On the surface, it’s like they have it all and then that makes women feel guilty because they’ll say ‘but I’m so lucky, I have this great partner, I have a great job’.

“They’re happy on the surface but underneath they’re worried about when and how they should do things,” she said.

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“…We want everything tied nicely with a bow. That puts a lot of pressure on yourself because you start to lose confidence.”

3. The Pill can cut your risk of cancer.

New research has found that taking the contraceptive pill can significantly decrease a woman’s risk of cancer in her uterus.

The study of 27,000 women found that the longer a woman is on the pill, the lower the risk of developing cancer of the endometrium, or uterine lining.

instagram bans breastfeeding photos
The Pill. Image: iStock.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports 2,500 women are diagnosed with this form of uterine cancer each year, and 400 of them die.

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While the pill has previously been linked to a slight increase in the risk of developing other types of cancer, Professor Karen Canfell from the Cancer Council said this research proved the benefits outweighed the risk.

“[T]he good news is, it is a relatively modest and transient risk, so it goes back to normal within 10 years,” Professor Canfell told SMH.

“I think if you look at a woman’s overall lifetime risk of developing any cancer, the benefit in terms of ovarian and endometrium cancer outweighs the transient risk in terms of breast and cervical cancer.”

4. Man calls police after cat eats his bacon.

A man in England has called an emergency operator with the complaint his girlfriend had fed their cat his bacon.

The very confused operator asked the man if he wanted to press charges against his girlfriend or the cat, to which he replied “both.”

“It’s not a criminal offence to let your cat eat your bacon,” the operator said. “And we don’t arrest cats, I’m very sorry.”

Listen to the ridiculous call here:

Do you have a news tip? Email us at news@mamamia.com.au.

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