I often see babies with 'tummy troubles.' Parents of new babies will often express that their baby experiences distress alongside or following feeds. While uncomfortable for baby, it is upsetting for parents too. Irritability following feeds may be due to…
Birth is most likely to be straightforward if your baby has his or her head downwards (cephalic) at the start of labour. Most babies who are in a bottom down (breech) position will turn to a head down position by…
At birth babies have around 200 billion brain cells. There are, however, very few connections between the cells. Connections form most quickly during the first 3 years of a child's life (at a rate of up to 1 million per…
How to care for your baby's skin may not have been something you gave much thought to while you were pregnant. However, babies often develop dry, flaky skin within a week or so following birth. This may be accompanied by…
The midwife has completed your checks, your baby has fed, the paperwork is done, and you're told "You're ready to go home"... What? Really? That's it? You're really letting us go with this little bundle that looks so tiny and…
The Little Book of Self Care for New Mums. I am so pleased to see books like this appearing in our bookshops. We need more of this and less prescriptive parenting guides. My advice: read this, make a little time…
This is a topic close to my heart. One in four women experience loss of a baby in some form - miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death. I am one of those women. As a midwife, health visitor and friend…
'What Mothers Do - especially when it looks like nothing' by Naomi Stadlen. If you are stuck on the sofa while your baby feeds through a growth spurt, up for a night feed or just manage to find a bit…
Having your baby can be a time of great excitement and happiness but it can also bring with it a feeling of real lows. The baby blues can happen a few days after having your baby. Our hormones are raging,…
What is Colic? Colic is defined by episodes of crying for "more than 3 hours a day, for more than 3 days a week". Crying often occurs in the evening. Babies with colic appear to experience 'waves' of abdominal pain. …