What exactly is Childism?
In short it’s about the discrimination of children in our society. It’s about the fact that child rights should be human rights, and yet children are treated in ways we would never imagine treating an adult.
Category Archives: Birth
Read the introduction to ‘Beginnings’ for free
I’m delighted to share with you the introduction to my new book ‘Beginnings: A Guide to child psychology and development for parents of 0-5 yr olds’.
Second Time Mother Guilt – The Emotional Toil of Welcoming a Second Baby
One of the toughest things about becoming a mother for the first time, is learning to cope with feeling guilty. We feel guilty if we don’t ‘love every minute’ (nobody does by the way!), we feel guilty if we lose our temper, we feel guilty when we desperately need a break away from our children, we feel guilty about parenting choices we make, or those that were made for us and we feel guilty about not doing enough self-care. We just can’t win. Physical exhaustion and sleep deprivation aside, the guilt must be one of the worst things about new motherhood. First-time mother guilt is hard, really hard. The second time around, you have the same guilt you had the first time around and so much more. The good news is though, that it is normal. You’re not alone.
What is Gentle Parenting – an Excerpt from The Gentle Parenting Book
Let’s get this out there right now. Gentle parenting isn’t permissive parenting. For those who are new to gentle parenting, perhaps practitioners of more mainstream methods, the most common criticism is relating to supposed permissiveness. They are wrong. Boundaries, limits and discipline play a crucial role in gentle parenting. If you do not discipline your child how can you be truly respectful of them?
What is Gentle Parenting?
What is Gentle Parenting? In my opinion it can be summed up with just four words: 1. Empathy 2. Respect 3. Understanding 4. Boundaries 1. Empathy Parenting with your child’s feelings in mind as much as possible. Using empathy (or what some psychologists call ‘mind-mindedness’) to gain insight into your child’s behaviour and using empathyContinue reading “What is Gentle Parenting?”
How to Heal from a Traumatic Birth & Bond with Your Baby
Bonding issues are so common but so rarely discussed in our society, there is such a stigma attached to a new mother who isn’t head over heels in love with her newborn. Commonly these feelings appear after a traumatic birth experience and it is with this in mind that I am writing this post. TheContinue reading “How to Heal from a Traumatic Birth & Bond with Your Baby”
Preparing for Birth – 8 Tips for an Easier Labour.
With my first baby I was determined to do everything right and have the ‘perfect’ birth. I went to NCT classes, read the monthly pregnancy magazines and watched every birth programme I could on TV. I wrote a three page long birth plan, that at best was hoping for miracles, and my bag was packedContinue reading “Preparing for Birth – 8 Tips for an Easier Labour.”
Top Ten Babymoon Tips – AKA How to Enjoy the Time after Your Baby is born.
I always thought the term babymoon sounded a little bit odd, the sort of thing only hippies would do, locking themselves away from the rest of the world with their babies for days after the birth. I wanted to show my baby off to the world, I wanted to get back to normal and mostContinue reading “Top Ten Babymoon Tips – AKA How to Enjoy the Time after Your Baby is born.”
Big Babies – Birthing a Macrosomic Infant – Part 2.
This is part 2 of a two part blog on ‘big babies’ please CLICK HERE for part 1. So What are Your Birth Options with a Big Baby? Having birthed four big babies myself and through my involvement in the birthing scene ever since, I have come to conclude that if you are carrying a suspectedContinue reading “Big Babies – Birthing a Macrosomic Infant – Part 2.”
Big Babies – The Curse of (mis) Diagnosing a Macrosomic Infant Part.1
Thousands of women are diagnosed with suspected big babies (or ‘macrosomia’ to use the medical terminology) every year, but this one simple label can have a profound effect on their birth. Obstetric consultants often take the results of growth scans as gospel, scheduling elective C-Sections or inductions as a result of them, but how accurateContinue reading “Big Babies – The Curse of (mis) Diagnosing a Macrosomic Infant Part.1”
Sarah Ockwell-Smith 