`When we read and recognise our own experience in the words, we know we are not alone’
Sometimes it is hard to share what we feel with others. I have written about certain experiences and challenges which are not uncommon for parents of babies. I have done so in the hope that you can begin to feel understood in the challenges you may face in caring for your little one. If you have any questions, do get in touch.
The importance of Fathers
For many years, Psychologists have known how important fathers are to their children and society is very slowly catching up. For a child to have a good relationship with their daddy means so much…
The impact of baby on your relationship with your partner
There is so much you may miss when baby comes along and there is often a real sense of grief at the life you have lost…
Why is it so hard to cope when my baby cries?
The cries of your baby might feel as if they intrude right into you, shutting down your ability to think. You may almost feel panicked, attacked, or even as if your baby’s cry is an accusation, telling you that you are not getting it right…
Why do I worry so much about my baby dying
When baby is tiny, in the first few months of life, this is a very common thought amongst the vast majority of parents. As your baby grows and becomes more robust, for many parents, the anxiety about baby surviving begins to ease. However, you might find that you continue to worry, or even that these feelings become even more intensified…
Baby’s eye gaze: what does it mean?
Babies look at you as they are most of all drawn to the human face. This is your baby’s way of making a connection with you, it can be an expression of affection and even love, which may feel intrusive or overwhelming if this is something you are not used to…
What is a secure attachment and why is it so important for your baby’s future?
A secure attachment is possibly the single greatest determinant of your child’s future wellbeing. This is because research has shown that it is predictive of so many later outcomes, from how well they get on with others to academic success...
Baby’s secure attachment and why is it so important for your baby’s brain?
The types of experiences your baby has will go a very long way to determining the type of brain that they develop. As a result, the brain your baby forms will be unique to them, based on the very specific sets of experiences that they have, predominantly with you…
Baby’s Sleep and You
I wanted to write about an experience that many parents can have in regard to their baby’s sleep. This is of how you might feel when your baby is struggling to settle. To hear your baby cry, particularly at night can evoke strong emotion...
Baby’s sleep and self-soothing
Your baby’s ability to soothe themselves to sleep has to be learnt. In the first few months this is unlikely, although if you are able to put your baby down awake right from the beginning, it can often help things to go a lot smoother, but this might not always feel or be possible...
Why do I find it hard to play with my baby?
Imagination means permitting yourself to be curious in your own mind, to allow it to wonder. If you manage difficult emotion by doing your best to move it to one side or dismiss it, then allowing your mind to roam freely can be challenging, even threatening for you, as it poses the risk of these emotions surfacing…
Why do I find it so hard to ask for help?
Asking for help means admitting both to yourself and to other people that you cannot do this alone. It might be that growing up, you learnt to hide your vulnerability…
When your baby becomes a toddler
As your baby gradually develops into a toddler, it signifies enormous changes in their development. Your toddler is now able to express their mind more clearly for you, what they like and don’t like becoming more apparent. Alongside this, can emerge a testing of the boundaries you provide…
How can a Therapeutic Playgroup help you and your little one?
Isolation and feelings of loneliness can be keenly felt when you are caring for your little one. This can be for a variety of reasons, not least of which is the absence of another adult to talk to. One solution for some parents are playgroups...
Transformative Endings in a Therapeutic Group
Endings can provoke a lot of emotion for you both, the ending of each group providing both challenge and also an opportunity for change to emerge between you and your child...
How does my newborn baby communicate?
It takes time to get to know one another and to figure out your baby’s cues. Each baby will communicate in slightly different ways. Having said that, there are certain generalities which we can look out for...
Why do I feel I hate my baby
Hate is a strong word, it is not frustration, irritation, anger, or annoyance, it seems as if it is so much more. It can feel as if that is all there is and this is why this emotion can feel deeply unsettling...
Why do I have thoughts of hurting my baby?
If we think generally about why we feel as if we may want to harm another person, it is often connected to feeling threatened. To feel such from your baby may seem perplexing, as your baby poses no threat to your physical safety, which suggests that what you feel may be a threat in some ways to yourself emotionally...
What does my baby need from me?
For a baby to grow up to be an independent adult, they need to have an experience of being safely dependent on someone...
How do I build a good relationship with my baby?
In this article, we will think about how you can help your baby to feel happy, safe and understood by you...