Showing results by narrator "Alice Allan" in All Categories

A startlingly large number of women who want to breastfeed have to stop before they are ready, leaving them feeling a range of negative emotions, including grief, anger, guilt, shame, and frustration. They often blame themselves. But in a society that places little value on breastfeeding and mothers' feelings, their painful stories are often swept under the carpet to the detriment of women's mental health and experience of new motherhood.

How and when babies eat their first solid foods can be an exciting stage for new parents, but it can also bring confusion and anxiety due to conflicting advice and opinions. When should babies have their first sold foods? What should it be? How much? Is milk still important? Does any of this really matter? Why Starting Solids Matters aims to help listeners find answers to these questions by exploring the science behind the headlines. It provides a gentle introduction to the importance of the first year and beyond for the development of long term healthy eating habits and weight.

Many babies are fussy and spit up milk, and in recent years, it has become common for them to be diagnosed with reflux and medicated with antacids, thickeners, and acid suppressants. However, research tells us that reflux is normal in young babies and that many of the symptoms associated with it may in fact be misunderstood baby behaviors rather than clinical symptoms of gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GORD).

Many parents worry about their child's sleep, and parents of new babies are often exhausted - but there is hope. This realistic, reassuring, and refreshing guide to sleep looks at sleep for both parents and children, and aims to empower and encourage parents to feel calm, confident, and compassionate in their parenting. It strikes a balance between prioritizing infant and child mental health and attachment, and being compassionate about the reality of raising a family in today's society, with social support and understanding often in short supply.

In modern maternity systems, one in four women have their labor induced. Why Induction Matters provides a comprehensive, evidence-based guide to this common intervention. The induction process is explained in detail, and reasons for offering induction are discussed. Options related to inducing labor or choosing to wait are explored, and women's experiences are included throughout. The book aims to help parents make their own informed decisions about induction of labor.

Many parents struggle with sleep when their children are babies - and there are hundreds of books on the subject - but what happens to night-time parenting when you have a toddler or older child and the strategies that may have worked for your baby no longer seem to be helping? Older children's sleep is often complicated by factors which cannot be addressed simply by optimising a nap or tweaking the bedtime routine, and parents can feel frustrated and confused when their older children continue to wake at night or find it hard to settle.

The Positive Breastfeeding Book cuts through the anecdotes, giving you clear, no-judgement, non-preachy, evidence-based information to help you make the right decisions for you and your baby. It will help you understand how breastfeeding works, and supports you in developing strategies to make sure that whilst you're looking after the baby, you're getting taken care of too.

Research shows that "normal" infant sleep is not what most experts claim it is. In fact, many of today's sleep "problems" with young babies and children predominantly occur in the developed world. In Why Your Baby's Sleep Matters, renowned gentle parenting expert Sarah Ockwell-Smith demonstrates how nurturing babies at night helps their brain development, and covers the topics every parent of a new baby will need to know about, including naps, SIDS, night weaning, and coping with your own exhaustion - and even dealing with advice and criticism from others.

As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, pregnancy and maternity services underwent a rapid transformation in an attempt to deal with transmission of the virus and the growing pressure on healthcare services. In a climate of fear, and with many unknowns about the virus and the risks to pregnant women and their babies, restrictions and hastily implemented policies often overrode years of work to improve maternity care, with devastating consequences for new families.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: when adopted midwife Mariam embarks on a project to protect an abandoned premature baby, she is forced to face her own abandonment years before. Time is running out before the baby is sent to the orphanage. Mysterious characters from the city surrounding the hospital will be crucial in determining the baby's fate, as will a workaholic British doctor with whom Mariam finds herself falling in love.

For parents of babies with feeding difficulties, the journey to a diagnosis of tongue-tie and the challenges involved in accessing treatment can be long and arduous. Information is often conflicting, and professionals do not always agree. Why Tongue-tie Matters aims to steer a course through research and practice to explain how tongue-tie impacts feeding, when you should suspect tongue-tie, and how to access assessment and treatment.

Nearly all babies in the UK receive formula milk at some point during their first year of life. Yet finding independent and factual information about formula feeding can be surprisingly difficult, as much of the material available to parents, carers, and health professionals is generated by the formula industry for marketing purposes. How can parents make properly informed decisions about which brand to choose, how much to feed and when, and how to prepare products safely? Infant feeding specialist Shel Banks tackles all these questions and many more.

Evidence continues to increase on the practical and emotional benefits of babywearing, both to parents and their children. Among many other benefits, babywearing can help parents bond with a new baby and facilitate both breastfeeding and the care of the baby's older siblings. Babywearing also has benefits for society at large. Children are more securely emotionally attached, and there is evidence of a link between the reduced incidence of postnatal depression and babywearing.

The first three months of your baby's life, sometimes called the "fourth trimester", is a transitional phase, in which each of you is processing the birth experience you shared and acclimatising to a new way of being. It can be hard to interpret your new baby's behaviour. In Understanding Babies, experienced movement specialist Ania Witkowska looks at what your baby needs to thrive, and how they show you they need it, revealing how you can tune in to your baby so that both of you can relax and enjoy your new life together.