Episodes
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In this latest 2020 Baby podcast, Dr Pamela Douglas enjoys a conversation with the co-authors of the remarkable book Mothertongues, Ceridwen Dovey and Eliza Bell. Mothertongues, published in April 2022, is described as an experimental book of bio-autofiction about early motherhood. It blurs the boundaries between different modes of expression - including prose, poetry, theatre and song - to bring the absurdity of motherhood to the page.
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In this podcast, you’ll hear all you ever wanted to know about sleeping baby safely at night! Professor Helen Ball, the world’s leading infant sleep researcher, established the Parent-Infant Sleep Lab at Durham University in 2000. Helen begins this conversation with Dr Pamela Douglas by outlining the trajectory of her professional life, then by addressing the historical forces which have shaped safe infant sleep guidelines internationally. Helen goes on to discuss the positive things that have been achieved concerning infant sleep policies and guidelines in her lifetime and the things she’d like to see changed. Finally, she and Pam look very closely at what the research tells us about how to sleep our babies as safely as possible, with Helen addressing common questions asked by parents, including about formula feeding and sleep, sleeping baby between parents, and the parent who is a ‘heavy sleeper’. Access Professor Ball's full bio here.
Associate Professor (Adjunct) Pamela Douglas is founder of the evidence-based Neuroprotective Developmental Care (or 'Possums') programs (possumsonline.com) and author of The discontented little baby book: all you need to know about feeds, sleep, and crying.
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Missing episodes?
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In this conversation, Dr Sarah Buckley, Ms Karen McClay and Dr Pamela Douglas discuss what you might do to prepare for birth, and what you might expect. In the extraordinary passageway of birth, our mind, body, and spirit embark upon a liminal journey, a heroic journey of great significance in most women’s lives. Sarah and Karen draw on their formidable knowledge of the Australian health system and women’s birth experiences to help you navigate your own way through, so that you feel confident and empowered.
Dr Sarah Buckley is a GP with qualifications in GP-obstetrics and family planning (www.sarahbuckley.com). She is author of the bestselling book Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering: A Doctor’s Guide to Natural Childbirth and Gentle Early Parenting Choices. Sarah has an ongoing interest in the hormones of labour and birth, which culminated in her groundbreaking report Hormonal Physiology of Childbearing (2015 Childbirth Connection, a program of the National Partnership for Women and Families). She has presented at over 120 workshops and conferences in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, the UK, the US and Canada. Sarah is also a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland, where her research is focused on oxytocin and the autonomic nervous system in labour and birth, and the impacts of interventions.
Ms Karen McClay is an experienced midwife and the Director of Calmbirth (www.calmbirth.com.au). Calmbirth was the first Australian childbirth education program to recognise the interrelationship between mind and body in birth. Calmbirth® uses this mind-body connection to help couples replace fear, stress and anxiety about giving birth with the knowledge and skills to birth their baby calmly, fearlessly, safely and confidently. There are now about 100 registered Calmbirth educators in Australia, New Zealand, and France.
Dr Pamela Douglas is a GP-researcher and founder of the evidence-based Neuroprotective Developmental Care (or 'Possums') programs www.possumsonline.com, which offer care for new families facing breastfeeding, baby cry-fuss, and sleep challenges. All NDC programs integrate Acceptance and Commitment Therapy strategies, especially adapted by Possums for the perinatal period to support parental emotional well-being. Pam is also author of The discontented little baby book: all you need to know about feeds, sleep, and crying.
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Most women use a breast pump at some stage during their breastfeeding experience, or many find themselves pumping all the way through. Pumping is demanding work. In this discussion, Pam and Emma explore the role of pumping breast milk, including for increasing supply and returning to work. We explore strategies which support successful pumping, and also discuss problems which might arise and how to deal with them. We discuss when and how you might return to only feeding your baby directly from your breasts, and those situations when pumping might actually undermine your supply.
Emma McCabe is a popular breastfeeding counsellor in New York City, USA, and mother of two. Dr Pamela Douglas is Founder of Neuroprotective Developmental Care (or the Possums programs), a GP-Lactation Consultant, and Breastfeeding Medicine Specialist. She is an Adjunct Associate Professor with the Transforming Maternity Care Collaborative, Griffith University, and Senior Lecturer with the Primary Care Clinical Unit, The University of Queensland, Australia. Dr Pam and her team have developed a new gestalt approach to breastfeeding, which draws on the latest ultrasound, vacuum and MRI studies of breastfeeding biomechanics to support effective, pain-free breastfeeding . Pam is also author of The discontented little baby book: all you need to know about feeds, sleep, and crying.
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Dr Nikki Mills is a New Zealand based paediatric ENT surgeon, who has a special clinical and research interest in breastfeeding and is also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Nikki worked for many years at the Starship Children’s Hospital in Auckland, moving in 2020 to Nelson Hospital in Nelson, New Zealand. In this second episode of an in-depth 3-part conversation, Pam and Nikki continue their deep dive into Nikki’s groundbreaking research. This episode focusses on her histological study of the floor of mouth fascia, her MRI study of infant swallow during breastfeeding, and her endoscopic study of airway and swallow in babies with laryngomalacia. These three studies further clarify the nature of the infant lingual and labial frenula and the biomechanics of breastfeeding. Pam and Nikki continue their discussions about the implications of this research for the clinical support of breastfeeding mother-baby pairs.
Dr Pamela Douglas is a GP who works in breastfeeding medicine at the Possums Clinic Brisbane, with special clinical and research interest in breastfeeding, having first qualified as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant in 1994. Pam is a GP-researcher and founder of the evidence-based Neuroprotective Developmental Care (or 'Possums') programs www.possumsonline.com. Pam is also author of The discontented little baby book: all you need to know about feeds, sleep, and crying
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Dr Nikki Mills is a New Zealand based paediatric ENT surgeon, who has a special clinical and research interest in breastfeeding and is also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Nikki worked for many years at the Starship Children’s Hospital in Auckland, moving in 2020 to Nelson Hospital in Nelson, New Zealand. In this third and final episode of an in-depth conversation, Pam and Nikki continue their deep dive into our biomechanical understandings of infant suck during breastfeeding. This episode considers ultrasound studies of infant suck, and the implications for the clinical support of breastfeeding mother-baby pairs.
Dr Pamela Douglas is a GP who works in breastfeeding medicine at the Possums Clinic Brisbane, with special clinical and research interest in breastfeeding, having first qualified as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant in 1994. Pam is a GP-researcher and founder of the evidence-based Neuroprotective Developmental Care (or 'Possums') programs www.possumsonline.com. Pam is also author of The discontented little baby book: all you need to know about feeds, sleep, and crying.
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Dr Nikki Mills is a New Zealand based paediatric ENT surgeon, who has a special clinical and research interest in breastfeeding and is also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Nikki worked for many years at the Starship Children’s Hospital in Auckland, moving in 2020 to Nelson Hospital in Nelson, New Zealand. In this first episode of an in-depth 3-part conversation, Pam and Nikki take a deep dive into Nikki’s groundbreaking anatomical dissection studies of the floor of mouth fascia, which reveal the true nature of the infant lingual frenulum. They discuss the implications of her studies for the biomechanical model of infant suck during breastfeeding, the diagnosis of ‘posterior tongue-tie’, the decision whether or not to proceed with frenotomy, and the risks associated with frenotomy.
Dr Pamela Douglas is a GP who works in breastfeeding medicine at the Possums Clinic Brisbane, with special clinical and research interest in breastfeeding, having first qualified as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant in 1994. Pam is a GP-researcher and founder of the evidence-based Neuroprotective Developmental Care (or 'Possums') programs www.possumsonline.com. Pam is also author of The discontented little baby book: all you need to know about feeds, sleep, and crying.
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Robyn Fitzgerald is a Melbourne-based midwife, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and NDC provider. She has been consulting by telehealth throughout the lockdown that became necessary again in Melbourne during a second wave of COVID-19 infections. In this conversation with Dr Pamela Douglas, Robyn discusses why the second wave stay-at-home regulations have been particularly difficult for new mothers. Robyn also talks about the most common problems brought to her, and the advice she finds she is repeatedly offering to these courageous women. Pam is a GP-researcher and founder of the evidence-based Neuroprotective Developmental Care (or 'Possums') programs www.possumsonline.com. Pam is also author of The discontented little baby book: all you need to know about feeds, sleep, and crying.
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Despite wanting to breastfeed exclusively, many women find they have been advised to introduce formula by the end of the first week of their baby’s life. How much of this formula use is actually necessary? As Melbourne neonatal paediatrician Dr Danielle Freeman explains in conversation with Dr Pamela Douglas, ‘normal is a very diverse condition’ at the beginning of life! Dani offers important insight into what we can expect to see in otherwise well newborns, and how unnecessary formula supplementation might be avoided. Pam is a GP-researcher and founder of the evidence-based Neuroprotective Developmental Care (or 'Possums') programs www.possumsonline.com. She is also author of The discontented little baby book: all you need to know about feeds, sleep, and crying.
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Bryan Crawford, father of a 1 and 3 year old (also of Longbow Productions), talks with Dr Pamela Douglas about the complexities and uncertainties of being supportive in those early months after the birth of a baby; about how to work as part of the parenting team; and how to step up when the time is right. Pam is a GP-researcher and founder of the evidence-based Neuroprotective Developmental Care (or 'Possums') programs www.possumsonline.com. She is also author of The discontented little baby book: all you need to know about feeds, sleep, and crying.
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Homo sapiens environment of evolutionary adaptedness bathed the infant in rich environmental stimulation, both social and non-social. Because of this, 21st century babies still thrive best in the context of diverse and complex sensory-motor experience, and when loving adults and older children respond to the baby and grow increasingly long and complex social reciprocity chains. The latest neuroscience proposes the primacy of motor development for optimal developmental outcomes. Motor development is enhanced by experiences of postural variability and sensory-motor stimulation from the beginning of life. Dr Pamela Douglas and Honorary Associate Professor Peter Hill reflect upon the potential risks of infant sleep training practices, which problematise sensory-motor stimulation, during a time of social isolation. Pam is a GP-researcher and founder of the evidence-based Neuroprotective Developmental Care (or 'Possums') programs www.possumsonline.com. She is also author of The discontented little baby book: all you need to know about feeds, sleep, and crying.
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Honorary Associate Professor Peter Hill has spent a life-time working to improve health systems both in Australia and in developing countries. Now, as we brace for COVID-19 in Australia and pull together to flatten the curve, Peter reflects with Dr Pamela Douglas about the implications of the pandemic for our health system both short and long-term, and in particular how this applies to service delivery for families with babies. Pam is a GP-researcher and founder of the evidence-based Neuroprotective Developmental Care (or 'Possums') programs www.possumsonline.com. She is also author of The discontented little baby book: all you need to know about feeds, sleep, and crying.
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The current disruptions to, and adaptations of, the health system in response to COVID-19 are an opportunity for a seriously strengthened primary care response to the common problems parents face after the birth of their baby - if we are serious about cost-effective protection of infant developmental outcomes and maternal mental health. This conversation between two Australian GPs addresses telehealth and the urgent need for government to invest in primary care including in post-birth care. Breastfeeding and unsettled infant behaviour problems are subject to widespread inappropriate medicalisation and expensive use of tertiary outpatient visits and residential admissions, in the absence of a co-ordinated, evidence-based, primary care response. Dr Wendy Burton is Chair of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners' Antenatal and Postnatal Specific Interest Group (maternity-matters.com.au). Associate Professor (Adjunct) Pamela Douglas is founder of the evidence-based Neuroprotective Developmental Care (or 'Possums') programs (possumsonline.com) and author of The discontented little baby book: all you need to know about feeds, sleep, and crying.
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Mothers often suffer significant fatigue in the midst of their highly demanding and ever changing occupations and roles, especially when they are primary caregiver which is the norm in most societies. For evolutionary reasons, babies quickly become discontent in interior environments for want of more complex and dynamic environmental stimulation. Considering families' everyday activities and routines, how does a primary carer (or both parents together) manage the baby’s hunger for rich and changing sensory-motor input during a pandemic - and stay sane? Dr Emma Crawford is an occupational therapist and researcher, and co-founder of Fig and Vine Well-being for Little Ones. She discusses this dilemma with Dr Pamela Douglas, GP-researcher and founder of the evidence-based Neuroprotective Developmental Care (or 'Possums') programs www.possumsonline.com. Pam is also author of The discontented little baby book: all you need to know about feeds, sleep, and crying.
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In this time of COVID-19 threat, we want breastfeeding to work for our babies so that their immune system remains as strong as possible. We want breastfeeding to work for women so that life is as easy as it can possibly be in the midst of everything. Fussing and crying at the breast is miserable for both mother and baby - and can usually be prevented or repaired. Emma McCabe, a breastfeeding counsellor in Brooklyn, New York, and Dr Pamela Douglas, an Australian GP-lactation consultant and breastfeeding medicine specialist, discuss three main causes of unsettled baby behaviour with breastfeeds. Dr Pam is founder of the evidence-based Neuroprotective Developmental Care (or 'Possums') programs and author of The discontented little baby book: all you need to know about feeds, sleep, and crying.
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Welcome to 2020 Baby, a podcast for parents and health professionals committed to caring for babies in a way that is research-based and as aligned with a baby’s evolutionary needs as is possible in this incredibly complex, COVID-19 world. Adjunct Associate Professor Pamela Douglas is an Australian GP and researcher, also a lactation consultant and breastfeeding medicine specialist. Mostly she'll be in discussions with others; sometimes she'll fly solo. Pam is founder of Neuroprotective Developmental Care, known as NDC or the Possums programs, an innovative evidence-based approach to the care of parents with babies. You can find NDC or the Possums programs at possumsonline.com. Our health promotion charity educates and accredits health professionals in NDC, and we also offer online consultations by NDC accredited practitioners available wherever you are in the world at possumclinic.com. For parent connection and peer support, we invite you to join PIPPS, a growing closed Facebook community accompanied by a video library of the latest, evidence-based NDC information. Who knows, together we may become a movement for change in early life care!
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The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic hits New York City hard, and Australia, like the rest of the world, battens down. It's vitally important that women are supported to breastfeed their babies in a way that is easy and enjoyable. Emma McCabe, a breastfeeding counsellor in Brooklyn, New York, and Dr Pamela Douglas, a GP-lactation consultant and breastfeeding medicine specialist, discuss two very commonly unidentified causes of breastfeeding problems. Pam is founder of the evidence-based Neuroprotective Developmental Care (or 'Possums') programs and author of The discontented little baby book: all you need to know about feeds, sleep, and crying.
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Now more than ever we want to grow as much enjoyment of our baby as possible. As crazy as it sounds (in a world going crazy), misunderstandings about burps and pukes can make life with your baby much harder than it needs to be. Emma McCabe, a breastfeeding counsellor in Brooklyn, New York, and Dr Pamela Douglas, a GP-lactation consultant and breastfeeding medicine specialist, discuss baby burps, reflux, and misunderstandings about gas and vomiting which can be very disruptive to easy, enjoyable days and nights with a baby. Pam is founder of the evidence-based Neuroprotective Developmental Care (or 'Possums') programs and author of The discontented little baby book: all you need to know about feeds, sleep, and crying.
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The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic hits New York hard, and Australia, like the rest of the world, battens down. This is a conversation recorded Friday 27 March 2020 between Dr Pamela Douglas, an Australian GP-researcher, Emma McCabe, a breastfeeding counsellor in New York City, and Honorary Associate Professor Peter Hill, an Australian academic and public health physician. We discuss the shocking but anticipated arrival of Disease X, living in the epicentre of a pandemic when you are caring for a baby, and the added risks that new mothers face. We discuss how vital it is right now to offer families evidence-based, evolutionary approaches to infant-care.
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Dr Wendy Burton is Chair of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners' Antenatal and Postnatal Specific Interest Group (maternity-matters.com.au). Associate Professor (Adjunct) Pamela Douglas is founder of the evidence-based Neuroprotective Developmental Care (or 'Possums') programs (possumsonline.com) and author of The discontented little baby book: all you need to know about feeds, sleep, and crying. Wendy talks with Pam about the pivot required in the clinical care of pregnant women so that mother, baby, and practitioner remain safe.
