Vol 11 Issue 3
FOCUS ON: Key concerns for parents in the first year
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Breastfeeding the baby to sleep
- Prolonged crying
- Reading to children to combat poverty
- Colic and the infant microbiome
- Facilitated play groups for parents from different cultures
- The Self Worth After Birth project
- Being therapeutic when you aren’t a therapist
Author: Mary Nolan
Author title: IJBPE UK Co-Editor; Emerita Professor of Perinatal Education, University of Worcester, UK
Description: Mary Nolan, IJBPE Editor, describes this issue’s focus on supporting and educating parents about some of the common challenges of early parenthood.
Author: Nikki Antenucci, Olivia Adams, Mariana Cerqueira, Hannah Dugoni, U’nek Clarke, Tracy M. Vozar
Author title: Nikki Antenucci, Research Assistant and WePlay! Facilitator; Clinical Psychology Graduate Student at University of Denver, USA*
Olivia Adams, Research Assistant and WePlay! Facilitator; Clinical Psychology Graduate Student at University of Denver, USA*
Mariana Cerqueira, Co-Developer and Facilitator of Nosotros Jugamos; Predoctoral Intern University of California San Francisco, USA
Hannah Dugoni, D.C. WePlay! Facilitator; Postdoctoral Fellow in Perinatal Psychology at Children’s National, USA
U’nek Clarke, D.C. WePlay! Facilitator; Lead Perinatal Behavioral Health Specialist at Children’s National, USA Kelly L. Elliott, Principal Investigator and Facilitator of DU WePlay! Team; Research Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology at University of Denver, USA
Tracy M. Vozar, Co-Developer and Facilitator of WePlay! D.C.; Clinical Director Perinatal Behavioral Health at Children’s National; Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Pediatrics, GWU School of Medicine and Health Sciences, USA
* Equal Contributions
Description: In this paper, we share cultural adaptations of facilitated play and psychoeducation caregiver- child support groups, WePlay! and Nosotros Jugamos. Originating in Denver and expanding to Washington, DC, the programs prioritize caregiver-driven, flexible, inclusive, and culturally responsive approaches. Future group considerations include a year-round, open-group format and tailoring offerings for specific populations, such as military families and those receiving inpatient services. WePlay! and Nosotros Jugamos are also excited about the possibility of international expansion. This outreach reflects a commitment to dynamic, participant-centered programming that evolves based on feedback and regional population needs.
Author: Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, Christelle Langley, Jianfeng Feng, Yun-Jun Sun
Author title:
Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology, University of Cambridge, UK
Christelle Langley, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, UK
Jianfeng Feng, Professor of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Yun-Jun Sun, Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Description: Researchers have noted that ‘economic hardship diminishes parents’ ability to interact with and socialize children in ways that are beneficial to their well-being’ (Guo & Harris, 2000:431). Heckman (2006) noted that children’s emotional and social development is tied to their family circumstances and determined well before they enter school. One of the tasks of practitioners working in the first 1000 days is to explain to all parents, and especially those living with financial disadvantage, that reading to their babies and toddlers is one of the best kinds of play, and supports the development of language, of social understanding and of fine motor skills. Parents with low literacy can be encouraged to talk about the pictures in their children’s books, making up their own stories. There are many sources of free or inexpensive books (libraries, charity shops, The Book Trust) where parents can find age-appropriate material for their children. (Editor’s note)
Author: Holly Morse and Anneka Bell
Author title: Midwifery Lecturers, Swansea University, UK
Description: Breastfeeding and sleep are inextricably linked, biologically and socially. For survival, newborn infants require feeding around the clock. Doing so facilitates an optimal milk supply and proximity to the mother for protection. However, in Western societies, breastfeeding mothers face a conflict when culturally pervasive messages suggest that breastfeeding to sleep (at some unspecified point) becomes a ‘bad habit’, creating an undesirable dependency of the mother’s own making – ‘a rod for your back’. As such, mothers are often faced with their desire to continue breastfeeding while simultaneously experiencing pressure to sleep separately from their baby, space feeds and encourage self-soothing. Often this results in early cessation of breastfeeding owing to a lack of support and accurate information. The first part of this article will look at the context for the breastfeeding and bedtime issue and how it impacts mothers. The second part will highlight the key information around the benefits of breastfeeding at bedtime and during the night that can be shared with parents to educate and reassure them.
Author: Jessica Johnson
Author title: Senior Instructor, Capstone College of Nursing, The University of Alabama, USA
Description: Infantile colic can be distressing for infants, parents, and providers. Infants with colic display prolonged periods of inconsolable crying. This creates stress in families at a critical time in bonding and development. Furthermore, colic does not have a known etiology or standard treatment outside of reassurance and coping strategies for parents. The etiology of colic is likely multifactorial; however, recent evidence has demonstrated a relationship between colic and the gastrointestinal microbiome. The purpose of this article is to summarize the available information about colic’s link to the gastrointestinal microbiome so that providers can equip parents with the knowledge and skills to care for their infant with colic appropriately.
Author: Robyn Ball & Lucy Bire
Author title: Robyn Ball, Infant Mental Health Practitioner and Circle of Security Facilitator, Lucy Bire, Retired Midwife and Maternal and Child Health Nurse; Peer Supporter for the Circle of Security program
Description: Lucy and Robyn have created an e-book called ‘Baby Brain Growth’, which Robyn presented last July at the World Association for Infant Mental Health (WAIMH) conference in Dublin. The book is dedicated to the memory of Kyle Taylor, Robyn’s daughter Erin’s partner, who was born with the condition gastroschisis and passed away in January 2023. Kyle fulfilled his life purpose to have a family of his own. His daughter, Sophie Helena, was born in August, 2022. Due to Kyle’s health, he wasn’t able to work, so in the early months, Kyle was either sitting on the couch watching over Sophie as she slept beside him, or standing close with Erin gazing at her. These few months are a priceless gift that Kyle gave to Sophie.
Author: Arnault-Quentin Vermillet, Christine E. Parsons, Joshua C. Skewes
Author title: Interacting Minds Center, Department of Clinical Medicine and the Department of Culture, Cognition and Computation, Aarhus University, Denmark
Description: There is a general consensus that crying makes up a substantial proportion of infants’ early communicative repertoire. The authors examine what is currently known about the range of ‘normal’ crying. This is difficult to establish because of the wide variability in cry patterns recorded from healthy infants even within the same families. In addition, across countries, cultural differences in parenting practices and expectations are also thought to shape the amount of crying infants do. Nevertheless excessive crying is a cause of distress for many parents and some strategies for coping are put forward.
Author: Julie Ribaudo
Author title: Clinical Professor of Social Work, University of Michigan School of Social Work, USA
Description: This article explores the ‘ways of being’ (Pawl, 1994) that promote an alliance between the parent and provider and illuminates the concept of ‘parallel process’, otherwise known in Infant Mental Health (IMH) work as the platinum rule, ‘Do unto others as you would have others do unto others’ (Pawl, 1994:23). Parallel process illuminates the interconnected nature of providing for a parent what we hope parents can provide for their infant (Weatherston & Ribaudo, 2020). Often, parents who struggle the most to provide for their infant’s emotional and relational needs have not had reliable experiences of their own needs being met. By offering emotional containment and care, practitioners across a spectrum of perinatal services can be a source of healing and, thus, therapeutic.
Author: Dr Jonathan Sher, Prof Sir Harry Burns, Prof Clare Cable, Dr Linda de Caestecker, Prof John Frank, Dr Miles Mack OBE, Prof Mary Nolan, Prof Judith Stephenson, Dr Philippa Whitford MP, Andy Wynd MBE
Author title:
Prof Sir Harry Burns - Former CMO for Scotland; Faculty of Science, Strathclyde University
Prof Clare Cable - Chief Executive & Nurse Director, Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland
Dr Linda de Caestecker - Visiting Professor of Public Health and Health Policy, University of Glasgow
Prof John Frank - School of Public Health & Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh
Dr Miles Mack OBE - Past Chair of the Royal College of GPs Scotland and the Scottish Academy
Prof Mary Nolan - Editor, International Journal of Birth and Parent Education
Dr Jonathan Sher - Founding Partner, Scotland’s Coalition for Healthier Pregnancies, Better Lives
Prof Judith Stephenson - Co-Chair, UK Preconception Partnership & Co-Director NIHR Policy Research Unit in Reproductive Health
Dr Philippa Whitford MP - Breast Surgeon and Member of the UK Parliament
Andy Wynd MBE - Former Chief Executive of Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland
Description: Neural Tube Defects are major congenital malformations that cause fetal deaths or serious lifelong, life-limiting disabilities. They can, however, largely be prevented by the simple measure of ensuring that women of child-bearing potential have a sufficient intake of folic acid prior to pregnancy. DR Sher et al discuss how in the upcoming revision of food regulations, the UK Government has the opportunity to prevent the vast majority of NTDs. Yet, despite criticisms, it continues proposing an inadequate approach.
