Womb2World Mindful feeding specialist & Antenatal educator

26/01/2022

07/11/2021

The lighting that your baby/child is exposed to in the run up to bedtime has a HUGE impact on their sleep. Recent research has shown that those exposed to bright light in the hour before bedtime release 88% less melatonin (the main sleep hormone) than those in a dim environment. The picture I have shared here is about the worst environment for sleep, not only is there a bright light next to the baby, but also a blue light - aka melatonin killer!

What does this mean practically?

1. No TV (or other screen exposure) for the hour before bedtime begins )eg if bedtime starts at 7 and they’re asleep at 8, then turn the TV off at 6).

2. Don’t use your main living area lights for the hour before the bedtime routine begins. Use a dim, low watt lamp (old style incandescent bulbs are much better than energy saving ones) or a Himalayan salt lamp (note these are NOT suitable for use in the bedroom or during the bedtime routine though!).

3. Don’t use your main bathroom light during baths/teethbrushing. Use battery operated fairy lights or fake candles instead.

4. In your child’s room, don’t use regular lighting at all (even a lamp unless it has a red bulb in it). My favourite bedtime light is the Lumie Bedbug, which has much lower levels of blue than any other nursery light and can be dimmed down to a warm peach and left on all night as a nightlight).

5. Throw out any nightlights/sleep trainer lights/thermometer lights/light projectors in your child’s room that use white, blue, green, purple or pink light (like the baby in the picture accompanying this post). They are all bad for sleep!

Lighting REALLY matters when it comes to sleep!

For my top pick of lights to use to aid sleep see:

https://sarahockwell-smith.com/sarah-recommends/

Read more about the scientific research here:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180305160151.htm

24/09/2021

https://inews.co.uk/opinion/sleep-training-babies-cause-distress-research-1199132?ito=facebook_share_article-top&fbclid=IwAR0WRkLVSUArsAZJR7G8N5sQSnflKaNrDeplOhM4WxepXM6Eqow7EOeZ3Pk

True responsive care means adjusting to what babies need

04/08/2021

If women had better knowledge and more support during birth and the post-natal period, many breastfeeding problems that new moms encounter would be preventable.

There is a need for health care systems to support breastfeeding from the start. Without being educated and supported, mothers cannot properly weigh the advantages/disadvantages of breastfeeding vs. formula feeding and they can’t make a true informed decision on how to feed their baby.

Research indicates that marketing of formula has a negative effect on breastfeeding practices. For example, advertising formula in doctors offices before the baby is even born lowers the rate of breastfeeding among the women that see this. After child birth, marketing of formula can deter exclusive breastfeeding. It has also been said that women who receive discharge packs which include formula are less likely to be breastfeeding at 10 weeks Postpartum than those who do NOT receive them. We need to stop handing moms ready to feed formula and start educating and supporting them.

Breastfeeding is not only nutritionally rewarding for a growing baby, but it also provides significant health benefits to the mother. Access to breastfeeding information and resource is SO critical, and especially important in less-developed countries.

Mothers should also be informed and educated on donor breast milk and where to access it when in need. Donor/human milk banks play an important role in promoting breastfeeding and increasing breastfeeding rates. Newborns may receive donor milk because of preterm birth, failure to thrive, allergies, infectious diseases and more. Access to donor milk among populations with high risk of poor health is extremely important.

Nursing moms need the support of family members, employers, policy makers, public health professionals, and communities.

World Breastfeeding Week aims to highlight the huge benefits that breastfeeding brings to the health and welfare of babies and mothers. It’s put in place with the goal to improve the health of babies and promote, protect and support the rights of women to breastfeeding anywhere.

14/07/2021

These parenting practices aren't radical - they are the biological norm for our species.

But they don't make money. Separating mothers and babies makes money. So that's what we are taught to believe is the norm.

I'm here to put a spanner in those works and educate and support as many parents as I can on what biologically normal infant sleep, feeding and behaviour looks like and empower them to parent responsively and instinctually.

If you do any of these things with your child, you are not alone, nor are you doing anything wrong. These are all normal, natural and extremely common parenting practices all over the world.

24/06/2021

They are two healthy babies, three months old, both exclusively breastfeeding and, believe me, neither the one on the left is obese, nor the one on the right is undernourished. They are variations of normality! Most likely, when they start crawling, the one on the left will slim down a little and the one on the right will gain muscle mass.
Do not compare your child to other children.
Each of us is different.

30/05/2021

Morning lovely ladies, I’m relaunching my business now my availability is much clearer with home life. Please take the time to share my page and also do a review if you’ve used me in the past...I’d be most grateful 💖

04/02/2021

Before detachment, must first come attachment. Before independence, must first come dependence. .

A huge amount of parenting advice for 0-5 year olds focuses on fostering independence. This independence is supposed to come when they are encouraged to be away from parents; be that on play dates, in groups and activities (in pre-Covid times), at nursery and preschool and in their own rooms at night (all night).

Only this isn’t how independence happens. You cannot teach (or force) a child to be independent if they are not ready to be so.

Independence implies that the child is done with being dependent. It implies that they are ready to leave the safe ‘hold’ of their parents. That they have the confidence and understanding of the world to no longer have any fear of what it may hold. .

Independence is a developmental milestone that is built firmly on the foundations and security that dependence brings. Without this groundwork, any seeming independence is fragile and superficial at best.

No young child can ever truly be independent, even the most seemingly independent ones. It is normal and necessary for them to still be dependent upon us. The best thing we can do is to allow this dependence and equally allow their growing independence (when they are ready). By neither refusing, preventing, or forcing a connection with ourselves, we encourage true independence – then and only then.

For more on separation anxiety - and why it is such a normal (and important) phase of development, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqw5XuzMFAY

10/09/2020

Breastfeeding isn't easy, and that's ok – new parents can handle the truth.

22/05/2020

With this beautiful weather it does always create a problem for parents and babies alike! Our bodies naturally sleep better in cooler environments as our metabolism cools down which encourages us to fall asleep.
So what do you do when it’s hot outside?
I would always keep the sleepingbag but make sure the tog is correct for the temperature of the room and remove the baby grows/vests if required. If it’s super hot, you may end up just doing a nappy and a 0.5 tog for instance.
A few tips to cool down a room;
🌟 Open a window but keep curtains drawn and keep the door closed
🌟 If there is no window and the room is stuffy, open the door to the room so there’s some air flow (turn off the landing light and close other doors to help block out the light)
🌟 Keep the blackout curtains during the day so it helps block the sunshine
🌟 Have a fan in the room
🌟 Place a cold, wet hand towel onto the fan so it blows cold air
🌟 Similar idea- get a bowl full of ice and place it in front of the fan so it blows misty cold air around
🌟 Make sure bed linens are made of pure cotton
Have you tried any of these? Did they help? Let me know in the comments and feel free to add your own!