The doc replies

I have a small birthmark on my back. It’s not big but I wondered if the NHS does surgery to remove it.

We do not tend to remove skin lesions for cosmetic reasons on the NHS. If this is a birthmark and has been there for a long time and hasn’t particularly changed or isn’t causing any problems, I usually wouldn’t recommend removal. If you are quite self-conscious about this and it is causing you upset then sometimes there are some treatments that can be available privately to deal with these types of lesions. I’m a new mum and am struggling to get my baby to settle at night. Do you have any tips?

General common sense things like keeping a fairly quiet, darker environment at night and having more lively interactive lighter time during the day can help. Most babies will want to feed overnight and making sure that these times are quiet and in relative darkness can help. Rocking babies often seems to settle them at night, however, they can then become accustomed to it. Some parents notice babies settle with a bit of background noise – the washing machine in the background, for instance.

I’m a nibbler – I tend to eat lots of small things during the day, instead of one big thing. Is this less healthy than having big meals?

If you eat a small amount often throughout the day, but it is healthy food, then provided your weight is stable and you are not over- or under-weight this should be absolutely fine. If you are grazing on unhealthy food instead of proper balanced meals then this could has a problem for your health.

Unfortunately the Doc can’t directly respond to each query, or guarantee a reply.