The Discontented Little Baby Book Paperback – Import, 20 September 2021

Great help to parents with fussing babies. I hated the term colic because it seemed to lack discovery of what the baby is trying to communicate. We are told that babies cry to communicate their needs. The book covers commonly diagnosed issues/their likely over-diagnosis as well as some really simple possible issues.

As a biologist and a first time parent, I wanted well-founded reasons for all of my parenting decisions. I tried to work towards the usual recommendations: drowsy but awake, eat-play-sleep, wake windows, average newborn sleep needs of 14-17 hours, space feeds evenly, don't overstimulate them when they're fussy, etc.And I was exhausted. I thought I knew what my baby wanted, but she cried most of the time unless I disregarded the official advice. But I told myself feeling overwhelmed and anxious was just part of caring for a newborn, and that I needed to be more consistent.My instincts told me to feed her to sleep (we both felt drowsy after a feed, and why should I go against what we're biologically wired to do?), to let her contact nap during the day, to walk her around where she can see things when she's fussy instead of getting her into a dark & quiet room. And my experienced mom friends said most of the "official" rules didn't work for their kids either. But my instincts and my friends aren't published authors! How could they be more accurate than the acclaimed experts I learned from in books and online?!Finally, after hearing Possums recommended by people in the subreddit r/sciencebasedparenting, I started reading the Possums blog. It was intriguing. Maybe taking my baby outside to see the trees when she fussed in the evenings could actually help her sleep better?! I wasn't ruining her developing brain by carrying her around the house with me when I "should" be shushing her in a dark room?! And there are legitimate scientific studies that show this?!After reading enough blog posts, I spent the $10 for the Kindle book and read it all in two days during contact naps. My stress melted away with each new chapter. It was a relief to understand why the "expert" advice wasn't working: it was from outdated philosophies not backed by studies, or it was meant for much older babies. My instincts were telling me exactly what I should be doing for my baby's current developmental stage.While taking care of a newborn is still hard work, I now feel more confident and relaxed. We go about our days and the baby sleeps when she's tired. We open the curtains and start making regular household noise at the same time every morning, but other than that we adjust feedings and naptimes based on what her body tells us each day. I'm able to enjoy her more just being present with her, not worrying that she's supposed to be asleep and that I'm failing as a caregiver because I can't get her to relax enough to sleep.Every parent's favorite book is probably the one that told them what they already thought, so maybe I just like it because it affirmed my pre-existing preferences for daily rhythms. But it's more likely that I like it so much because it starts with good science and uses it to form a philosophy, and it matches what I see in the world around me. Everything else I found started with a philosophy and cherry-picked studies to support it (or cited other authors who agreed with them, and didn't provide actual research citations), which is not a good scientific method, and it didn't match the real-life experience around me very well either.I could go on and on about the incredible information in this book (like the pH of spit-up, or cavitation that makes milk-champagne during a really good suck&swallow), but I'll stop myself here.

A autora acredita que ao invés de "forçar" o sono de bebês, deveríamos manter os bebês com estímulos interessantes, pois muitas vezes o que falta é estímulo mental para essas mentes que estão aprendendo em velocidades incríveis - estímulos que envolvem sair com o bebê, levá-lo junto para suas atividades diárias.Ao final de cada capítulo relata um caso de paciente que estava com problemas diagnosticados por outros profissionais como "você precisa fazer esse bebê dormir", "esse bebê tem refluxo", e que na verdade tinham outros problemas, como problemas de amamentação - ela fala muito sobre como nossa sociedade mudou e agora as mulheres têm bebês sem terem pessoas próximas que lhes ensinem como amamentar, e muitas vezes os bebês acabam chorando muito porque simplesmente... estão com fome.

The discontented little baby book shows how the evidence supports parent’s instincts around feeding, sleeping and responding to crying, with clear recommendations and compassionate real-life stories. Dr Douglas aims to help parents enjoy their babies as much as possible. As the title suggests, this is a book that deconstructs much of the advice parents are routinely given and offers evidence-based, holistic (viewing mother’s health, baby’s health, feeding, sensations and sleep as interrelated and inseparable) and straightforward guidance.Although this is not an academic work, it is based on Dr Douglas’ 15 years of research and practice as an Australian GP and IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant). There are selected references for each chapter and an index.Douglas takes a common parenting issue, looks at the advice parents often receive, applies the evidence and gently supports the parent to find a way forward that is right for them. For example, a mother comes to see her with a 4 month old who wakes frequently in the night. Parents are often told that encouraging daytime naps will lead to better nighttime sleep and the mum has been struggling to follow this advice. In fact, Douglas’s analysis of the biology of sleep shows that this recommendation is mistaken. Furthermore, she recommends that babies sleep in the same room as their caregiver, including daytime naps.What is most striking about the case studies is the quality of Douglas’ non-judgmental, compassionate, information-giving. She sets the standard for all the interactions parents should expect from professionals by demonstrating gentle, respectful and empathic support. For example, she may suggest an alternative response but reminds parents, if it doesn’t work for them, they can always go back to what they’re currently doing.Douglas carefully challenges a number of traditional pieces of parenting advice such as ‘babies should not be fed to sleep’. The science clarifies what a parent innately knows; that falling asleep with a full belly is a biologically driven need. Her evidence-based recommendations are simply stated. For example, ‘you don’t have to teach your baby to sleep, simply remove any obstacles to healthy sleep’. She clarifies that the real issue with delaying responses to babies’ cues is that it leads to confusion in communication between baby and parents, which affects parents’ confidence. Support for the mother’s wellbeing is central along with the acknowledgement of the interconnectedness of feeding, sleeping and the mother’s mental health.If you like having your understanding challenged and your instincts confirmed; you will love this book.As a UK postpartum doula this is an invaluable tool for empowering new parents to trust their instincts.

I recommend this book to everyone! It’s an easy to read and understand book. Evidence based and incorporates low stress suggestions to ease stress in the early days/ weeks/ months of motherhood.