Safe Sleep Space

Toddler Sleep…we can help !

Safe Sleep Space — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 05:41:47 +0000

Responding to the communication of babies and toddlers, helps them develop a sense of safety. Research has shown that babies who are responded to when they cry in the first 6 months of life, cry less in the second 6 months of life.
Studies have also shown that babies (10 month of age in the study) were influenced by their parents ‘emotionally available’ when settling a baby for sleep, that is parents who were empathetic and sensitive to the babies, resulted in the baby having longer blocks of sleep, than those who had just a bedtime routine alone. (Teti, D. M., Kim, B., Mayer, G., Countermine, M. (2010). Maternal emotional availability at bedtime predicts infant sleep quality. Journal of Family Psychology, 24, 307-315).
See our new Toddler DVD for more help…….in our online shop and available now

Toddler Sleep…we can help ! is a post from: Safe Sleep Space

Judy Coram – Winner of the AAIMH (Vic) Ann Morgan Prize 2011

TechTeam — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 02:52:24 +0000

I am delighted to be the winner this year of the Anne Morgan prize for my work with ‘The Free Baby’ I am sorry I am unable to be with you in person today but I am still working in Pakistan in a Maternal and Child Health program in a rural community for MSF. I am so pleased however that my daughter Georgie can represent my work today by reading my essay to you all. I want to take this opportunity of thanking my family Tom, Georgie and Pippa for being so understanding and patient with their nomadic mother since I started this work 5 years ago! Soon I will be there to plant vegies with you!

My journey into writing began late in my career when following my first mission with MSF in Thailand I met up with Frances to discuss some of the more challenging aspects of the work. Typical of Frances she left me with the thought ‘Judy, you really must get some of this clinical work down on paper!’

Little did I know then what a lifeline this was to become for me in this work. During my work in Uganda I was able to do several Infant Mental Health interventions in the Nutrition ward of severely compromised infants many of whom were unable to move forward with nutritional supplements alone. This was at times an overwhelming feeling when faced with such hopelessness, deprivation and despair. My writing became a way for me to find a clearer path often in a sea of chaos and was a way for me to debrief myself. More importantly it became an anchor and a lifeline as Frances so graciously provided long distance supervision to me and provided a ‘secure base’ for me to not feel so isolated in this work. It gave me the courage to continue and not despair in the face of so much adversity and deprivation. Her words that infants need to ‘drink in more than milk’ resound clearly when I am working with malnourished infants but sadly this is not well understood by many in the field, and these interventions are often missing from the nutritional units. My work continues with MSF and I am now able to ‘pass on’ some of my experience and understanding of this to the staff. One of my counsellors who is studying psychology, following some Infant Mental Health interventions together, said that it has ‘opened’ up a new understanding for her. Of course as Psychology is a relative new field in Pakistan her university had not heard about Infant Mental Health at all!

So from small beginnings at the Infant Mental Health Group in Melbourne this message is taken to the wider world so that infants do not have to remain invisible to the world. I am grateful to this group for enabling me to have the insights to work in this way and that this knowledge can be taken into the wider communities. How difficult it is though to keep the infant in mind when faced with such deprivation, poverty and despair? So many people affected by the impact of war and displacement from their lands, families and homes and living in such dire circumstances with no access to health care or education. There are so many Salida’s across the world but it takes minimal interventions to sometimes make a difference in some of their lives.

Finally to discuss the dichotomy observed in Pakistan on the role of women and mothers. It is clear that culture strongly overrides religion on this subject.

The following quote from the Quran:

Mother is the name of Paradise, paradise is in her feet. Mother is the name of love, love in her heart. Mother is the name of the knowledge, knowledge is in her lap. Mother is the name of friendship, friendship is in her act, mother is the name of life, life is in her child (Quran vs ).

Mothers are highly respected and revered in the Quran and there are many quotes expounding the virtues of mothers, but as the The Free Baby attests to in the following essay this is not the reality in much of this culture.

A man once asked the Prophet to whom he should show the most kindness. The Prophet replied: “Your mother, next your mother, next your mother, and then your father.” (Sunan of Abu-Dawood) In other words, we must treat our mothers in a manner befitting their exalted position – and, again, revere the wombs that bore us.

The Arabic word for womb is “rahem.” Rahem is derived from the word for mercy. In Islamic tradition, one of God’s 99 names is “Al-Raheem,” or “the Most Merciful.”There exists, therefore, a unique connection between God and the womb. Through the womb, we get a glimpse of the Almighty’s qualities and attributes. It nurtures, feeds and shelters us in the early stages of life. The womb can be viewed as one manifestation of divinity in the world.

Why then are women and children treated in the way they are here?

Thank you again for the honour of receiving this award and especially to Anne Morgan whose work with her bracelet came alive for me when working with malnourished infants!

The Free Baby

Salida (meaning Good Deeds in Pashtu) first came to my attention in the crowded Outpatient Department in a remote Rural Health Clinic in the area of Kutchlak, Baluchistan Province, Pakistan. The room was congested with different ethnic women from the surrounding rural areas, including the Kuchi women with their sad and neglected children. The Kuchi are a nomadic tribe from Afghanistan, recognisable by their brightly coloured, beautifully beaded dresses. This is in such contrast to the Pashtu women,

Judy Coram – Winner of the AAIMH (Vic) Ann Morgan Prize 2011 is a post from: Safe Sleep Space

Hot Topics: Whooping Cough

TechTeam — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 11:24:11 +0000

Whooping cough (Pertussis) is a highly contagious infection of the respiratory (breathing) tract, caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. Young infants less than 6 months of age are at the greatest risk. Complications of whooping cough include pneumonia (lung infection) which is the most common cause of death sometimes compounded by seizures and lack of oxygen to the brain.

Whooping cough is spread through droplets released into the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The disease can also be spread through direct contact with fluid from the nose or throat of an infected person.

Hot Topics: Whooping Cough is a post from: Safe Sleep Space

Essential Baby Sleep tips !

Safe Sleep Space — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 01:30:36 +0000

Soothing Sounds for Sleep…..What we call sleep is really a series of changing brainwaves and these brainwaves have a discernable pattern that varies in duration and intensity over a sleep cycle. Babies have shorter sleep cycles and can wake from one cycle to the next. Using white noise can help babies and toddlers sleep as it corresponds with their brainwaves in order to promote and sustain sleep. The safe Sleep Space Soothing Track is 60 minutes of white noise using the movement of the ocean and fused with the rhythm of powerful binaural heartbeats.
When preparing an infant for sleep times, be aware that infant overtiredness can make it MORE difficult for the infant to settle. Essential baby sleep tip: Avoid overtiredness by watching for tiredness cues such as yawning, grizzling or rubbing of the eyes. Read the cues and prepare the infant for sleep before they become overtired

Essential Baby Sleep tips ! is a post from: Safe Sleep Space

One of the many challenges of parenting is Infant Sleep – or lack there of:

Safe Sleep Space — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 01:22:52 +0000

So ”If I leave them up longer, will they sleep better?”
A tired baby may begin grizzling, may be pale or have a glazed stare, but if that baby doesn’t have the opportunity to sleep, the baby can become active, alert and wide awake again. When a baby becomes overtired it is far more difficult for them to settle to sleep, so do not fall for the trap of thinking “if I leave them up longer they will sleep better”, no they have more difficulty drifting to sleep and often wake frequently. As Dr Kevin Nugent so rightly said, “behaviour is a baby’s language”. The more we look and listen, the more we learn.

One of the many challenges of parenting is Infant Sleep – or lack there of: is a post from: Safe Sleep Space

Join our newsletter

Safe Sleep Space — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:35:08 +0000

Hi Interest in our Safe Sleep Space Approach has grown rapidly over the last year. As a responsive settling technique, the DVD & Book assists you as parents to help your baby achieve sleep in a loving and sustainable way.
Please email us at info@safesleepspace.com.au for more help or join our newsletter which always has helpful tips

Regards
Cindy

Join our newsletter is a post from: Safe Sleep Space

Safe Sleep Space News

Safe Sleep Space — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:46:55 +0000

Need help with Toddler Sleep ? We have now produced a DVD on assisting Toddlers to sleep. The New Toddler DVD features toddlers from 1year to 3 years ( and includes twins!). Our response based approach to settling infants and toddlers is now very widely used around Australia amongst Health professionals and parents. To order your copy of the new Toddler DVD see our online store.
Well what a very busy year it has been for us at Safe Sleep Space. We have conducted many Education Forums around Australia to Health Professionals and parents. We also have the privileged opportunity to speak at all the APNA conferences state wide and will continue to do so in 2012.

Our new online segments of our DVD are now available and these are designed to give an insight into our responsive settling strategies for parents. The DVD and Book package is much more comprehensive and gives step by step guides.

We hope all those beautiful babies are sleeping !

cheers

Cindy & Helen

Safe Sleep Space News is a post from: Safe Sleep Space

Hi from Helen Stevens

Safe Sleep Space — Sun, 24 May 2009 01:20:57 +0000

To all the wonderful families who email me with feedback, I sadly cannot answer you all, but I encourage you to blog so other parents can gain from your experience. Thanks for all your wonderful stories, they really do help others.

Thanks Helen

Hi from Helen Stevens is a post from: Safe Sleep Space

Welcome to the Safe Sleep Space Blog

Safe Sleep Space — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 04:40:12 +0000

There are a number of reasons why your baby can’t sleep. Some babies won’t sleep during the day,or baby wakes overnight or some babies just can’t go to sleep without help. Baby sleep is rated as one of the greatest stressors for parents. When baby won’t sleep, the family doesn’t either. Getting baby to sleep requires an understanding of what baby needs to be able to sleep. The Safe Sleep Space Book and DVD offer guidance to parents and carers that demystifies baby sleep. It is not necessary to use the controlled crying, modified controlled comforting or any other timed strategies to help baby sleep. What is needed is informed parents to help baby to sleep.

For more information relating to your babies sleep patterns and settling strategies using a gentle loving response based approach. Check back regularly for Safe Sleep Space updates and for your Free Information on your baby/child see our HomePage. DVD and Book now available at orders@safesleepspace.com.au

Welcome to the Safe Sleep Space Blog is a post from: Safe Sleep Space

Conference Presentations 2012

Safe Sleep Space — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 11:36:15 +0000

In 2012 Safe Sleep Space will be bringing our upcoming Professional Conference series “Through Sleepy Eyes” to all states in Australia ; for conference dates and Program Details click here.
In response to demand we are now offering more education sessions to professionals and families across 2012…
Recent Presentations: Inaugural Victorian Association Maternal and Child Health conference (Melb), Infant Mental Health & Australasian Marce Society combined conference(Melb), Australian Lactation Consultants Association (Canberra), Practice Nurses Conference (Brisbane). Maternal & Child Health Nurse Forums (St. Kilda Town Hall, Knox Early Parenting Centre, Morland City Council Offices).

Upcoming Forums for 2011 ;
For upcoming sessions watch our Newletter calender. Email info@safesleepspace.com.au with any enquiries or requests for education sessions across Australia.

Conference Presentations 2012 is a post from: Safe Sleep Space