In Hong Kong during the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak of 2003, sustained uncertainty caused daily stress for residents for > 3 months. Expectant women experienced unexpected social disruption and isolation within their day-to-day life that have not been described in their own voice. The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of women who became mothers during the outbreak and the ways in which these experiences impacted their early post-partum mothering. A phenomenological research design was chosen. The participants' responses then led the interview process. As the women's experiences had many similarities, saturation was reached after eight interviews. Four themes emerged: living with uncertainty, intense vigilance, isolation, and disrupted expectations. The participants spoke of disrupted daily routines as they tried to eliminate their risk of contracting this disease, including relationship difficulties with their spouse. None of the women had the birth experience they had hoped for because of changes in hospital practices.

Improving nurses' knowledge of breastfeeding is a modifiable factor that is important in supporting a mother in her decision to breastfeed.

Teacher education issues are high on the policy agenda across Europe. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (2006) is gaining momentum and providing a force for change, supported by many communications both internationally and at European level that recognize how central education is in efforts to develop a more equitable society. In moving towards a more inclusive education system, there is a need to train all teachers to meet the diverse needs of all learners in their classrooms and to work collaboratively with colleagues. Drawing on key documents, this article outlines the policy context and reviews the available evidence supporting the move towards teacher education for inclusion across Europe. It presents the work of the European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education, to highlight some of the opportunities and challenges within its member countries in addressing teacher education for inclusion. Education and training across Europe: The current policy agendaThe OECD report Teachers matter (2005) recognizes that the demands on schools and teachers are becoming more complex, as society now expects schools to deal effectively with different languages and student backgrounds, to be sensitive to culture and gender issues, to promote tolerance and social cohesion, to respond effectively to disadvantaged students and students with learning and behavioural issues, to use new technologies, and to keep pace with rapidly developing fields of knowledge and approaches to student

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This article has been especially written by the journal Guest Editors as an introduction to key issues in making international comparisons regarding inclusive policy and practice. The authors argue that there is a very real amplification of the methodological problems faced by researchers working in comparative education when they consider the field of special and inclusive education. Two 'problem' areas are discussed: (i) the incomparability of terminology -words such as inclusion may or may not have the same meaning when translated into other languages and also other contexts; and (ii) the inherent methodological difficulties within the 'target' population of research in inclusive education -pupils with special educational needs are not identified, assessed or offered provision in the same ways within countries. This means that comparisons of approaches within countries are problematic -and comparison of these countries at an international level becomes extremely difficult. Therefore, the key question is exactly what can be usefully compared?