Babies All Wrapped Up - Dr Claire Winstanley

Bristol based GP Dr Claire Winstanley has just released her first all encompassing baby book for information on dealing with pre and post birth questions and problems. 

Aimed at first time parents, this is the book all current parents will wish they'd owned years ago; containing a perfect balance of invaluable tips and professional advice from a senior medical practitioner. 

'Babies All Wrapped Up' is an invaluable source of information for nervous parents-to-be; taking them through the necessary stages of pre-birth, birth and post-natal care (not only for mum and baby but dad too). 

Written in a warm accessible format, this book offers support of a practical, emotional and physical nature. Dr Winstanley has also spent three years painstakingly researching the best medical advice from a wealth of midwives, paedriatricians and specialist consultants, resulting in a brilliantly informative but heart warming manual.

What then, is different about this book?
Dr Winstanley offers succinct information in easy-to-find chapters; taken from her years of experience as both a senior GP and a mother of three, herself. The book provides both essential medical information and also tips on the smallest detail to help first time parents in an accessible way. Most importantly, it fills in all the information gaps left by other baby books on the market.

Dr Winstanley said: "I wanted to produce a quintessentially invaluable manual for the first time parent without losing any of the warmth and cosiness felt when a baby arrives”.

Approved by paediatricians, health visitors and midwives, this book should be any new mum's first port of call before that little bundle arrives.

DragonWeb Publishing Ltd

Top 5 Baby Sleep Tips for Christmas

Sleep is one of the big topics when it comes to babies. How to make sure your baby is getting enough of it and how to manage the lack of sleep new parents suffer from as a consequence. Whole books have been written on the topic but one thing all the experts agree on is that a rested baby is more likely to be a happy baby, so it follows that helping your baby get the sleep they need means more fun and relaxation for you and your baby.

Without trying to write a book on the subject Solvej Biddle, mum of 2 and owner of quintessential travel brand Content&Calm has teamed up with baby sleep specialist and midwife Vicki Scott RM to create a set of top tips to help your baby get the sleep they need over the busy festive period.

• The single most important tip is to help your baby to settle himself to sleep. If he can go to sleep by himself in the first place, he’s much more likely to be able to resettle during the night or during his daytime nap.

• A darkened environment is essential for many babies to sleep, especially as they get older. When your baby comes into a light sleep during the nap, if it’s dark he or she is more likely to resettle himself back and continue to have a longer and more restful sleep.

• A familiar environment is very important when away from home, staying with family or friends over Christmas. The more you can do to make your baby feel safe and secure, the more relaxed they will feel and more easily they will sleep. We call these sleep associations: darkness, familiar bedding or toys, whichever you usually use. All these help your baby to know that it’s sleep time and so to settle more easily. So no matter where you are, once in his cosy, darkened cot he’ll feel able to sleep.

• If you can, use the holiday time to recharge your own batteries too. If you’re lucky enough to have extended family or friends around over Christmas, give them a chance to bond with your baby while you catch up and enjoy the occasional lie in or daytime nap.

• When you go away, of course it’s a holiday for your baby too. However too many late nights and early mornings will take its toll on all of you. Babies are much happier, more able to have fun when they get enough sleep and all this adds to your enjoyment too!

The north’s first specialist independent baby clinic opens in Yorkshire this month

Based at the renowned Good Health centre in Roundhay, Leeds, the private clinic is run by Milk Matters, an organisation specialising in solving early parenting problems such as distressed babies and babies with feeding or sleeping problems.

Charlotte Young, 33, from Halifax, who runs Milk Matters, has been working with mums and babies to help solve their problems since 2003.

Charlotte, who also writes popular parenting blog Analytical Armadillo, said: “Mums come to us when they are at the end of their tether.

“Babies with colic or reflux, feeding problems, wind or excessive sleep disturbances can be very distressed and unsettled for long periods of time. All of this adds up to distressed parents too.

“We focus on the whole of the situation and believe that by assessing all of the possible contributory factors – mum, baby, birth and what has happened since – we can better understand, and therefore identify the problem, rather than just medicating symptoms.

“Using our keen observation skills and taking a detailed history, we can help parents understand what baby is communicating. And we’ve literally had overnight results.”

The clinic will be open to anyone who has problems from birth to one year, whether they are breast or bottle fed. It is the natural progression for Charlotte, who has spent seven years helping babies via home visits, helplines and online.

Charlotte is a certified breastfeeding counsellor who has undertaken extensive further training to specialise, and will be joined at the clinic by other practitioners if the case demands. This includes Independent Lactation Consultant Ann Dobson, a well-known specialist in treating tongue tie.

Lucie Biddle , 32, from Liversedge, is just one of the mums helped by Milk Matters. Lucie said: “Louie is my third child and he was seven months old when I contacted Milk Matters back in July.

“He was not only a very frequent feeder but would also get very distressed. He would wriggle, squirm, writhe, arch his back and fight me until finally becoming so distressed and hysterical that I had to stop feeding and cuddle him until he calmed down.

"He would be sick so much after each feed that I had to cover us both with a bath towel. But because he was gaining weight, the health visitor and doctor didn’t seem concerned; he prescribed Gaviscon for reflux and we were sent on our way.

“He was never settled, crying so hard while trying to feed that he often stopped breathing for a moment. He never slept for more than a couple of hours at a time and would have several screaming fits each night.

“After trying an osteopath, raising the mattress and all the usual tips given for reflux, I turned in desperation to the internet and found an article by Milk Matters. I contacted Charlotte on a Friday and she came over the same day; even though it was a bank holiday, Charlotte booked us in for a further appointment on the Monday.

“The affect on Louis was instant. He slept twelve hours that night and is now sleeping well during the day. We have no hysterical screaming fits at all. I can’t believe how we managed for so long.”

To contact the Milk Matters Baby Clinic call 0845 26 99 574 or visit www.milkmatters.org.uk

Happiness is all in a Cuddle: HUGGIES® Natural Fit release Oxytocin survey results

Parents should have as much cuddle time as possible with their newborns. Because new survey results released today by HUGGIES® Natural Fit and Netmums, revealed that almost two-thirds (62%) of new mums are unaware of the benefits of the hormone Oxytocin, when caring for their little ones.

Reassuringly though, over half (55%) strongly believe cuddling is the key to encourage a stronger bond with their baby but 22% do not know why.

HUGGIES® Natural Fit’s independent spokeswoman, Dr. Carol Cooper says: “Oxytocin has long been dubbed the cuddle or love hormone and is produced in high levels during both cuddling and breast feeding.

“Becoming a mum for the first time can be a daunting task. It’s therefore important that more mums are aware that there are so many more benefits to cuddling your baby.

“In fact, research by the Basel’s Institute of Psychology claims mothers with high levels of Oxytocin adapt to motherhood far easier and are less likely to suffer from post-natal depression. Postnatal depression can last up to two years post birth which indicates that the more tactile contact a mother has with her child, the better for both parties.”

The research also revealed that while more than half of mums (52%) cuddle their baby immediately, 42% believe that they should wait so that the baby does not expect immediate attention.

Dr. Cooper comments: “Research has shown that babies who aren’t comforted when they need it actually become more demanding, not less. Parents eventually discover from experience, that there is very little to be gained by waiting for a baby’s cries to reach a crescendo - babies that have reached this point are much harder to pacify.

Dr. Cooper also speaks of the wider social implications associated with a lack of physical affection: “Evidence shows that the part of the brain, known as the Orbitofrontal Cortex, may not mature properly in babies who do not receive enough affection. This region of the brain is still mysterious, but it acknowledged as being vital to decision-making and emotional processing.

“It’s clear that mums are already building a bond with their little ones through a cuddle but I do hope this survey shows all mums that there are many more benefits beyond the initial feel-good factor of a cuddle.

“To put it simply, where there’s mum with high levels of Oxytocin there is a happier mum and a baby getting lots of cuddles and the best start in life.”