Bumpanxiety

29/04/2026

29/04/2026

29/04/2026

10/04/2026

08/04/2026

Rupture and repair are a natural part of every relationship.

In the Circle of Security, a rupture happens when a caregiver is temporarily unable to meet a child's attachment needs — and repair is the moment they find their way back to each other.

No relationship is without rupture. But every repair teaches a child something profound: the connection between us is strong enough to hold.

What does repair look like in your relationships?

04/04/2026

Understanding Triggers vs. Glimmers

02/04/2026

It’s Autism Everything Month — awareness, acceptance, and appreciation. I know this can be a month that leads to collective groans for many of us (myself included), so each year I run a mini-series that focuses on action. This year I’m bringing back our infographics and articles that highlight concrete steps we can take across different areas of society. This graphic focuses on ways we can make the world more inclusive for Autistic people, from challenging stereotypes and listening to Autistic voices to advocating for inclusive policies and practices.

To go deeper into each of these actions (and why these specific ones matter), you can read the full article on our website.

02/04/2026

CONTAINING DISTRESS: How to help your baby even if you can’t stop the crying

🌿 Parents often say to us that there’s nothing they can do to help their crying baby. While you may not be able to stop the crying, there are absolutely things you can do – things to help your baby feel safe and reassured.

💛 Sometimes babies feel frightened, overwhelmed and out of control. It can be distressing for them to feel such powerful emotions when they are only beginning to experience the world.

💙 It can also be distressing for you to witness their distress – it is hard not to be affected by it.

✨ At these times, you are able to help your baby get her sense of meaning and contain her distress when you identify and reflect on her emotional state. Thinking about her experience provides containment and helps a baby feel safe. Of course, your baby will also need you to soothe her by holding her close, swaddling, speaking gently, rocking her and any other strategies that work to calm her. But in all of these actions, an attempt to reflect on her experience and empathise can be felt by her as containing.

🥹 Your efforts to ease the crying may not bring about a consoled baby – she may remain distressed. At these times, your understanding and hanging in there with her can be very reassuring, even when she remains distressed. At these times, she will experience that you do not leave her alone to deal with her difficult feelings.

🙌 Tolerating your baby’s distressing feelings, as well as your own, helps her cope. If she repeatedly experiences your ability to identify with her distress and to tolerate it, she comes to learn that distress can be tolerated. Containing her this way helps her learn to contain and soothe herself over time. She learns that it is possible to tolerate the distress she is experiencing which helps her feel safe. She learns that bad feelings pass and good feelings can return. Leaving yourself as open as possible to understand what she is communicating and then responding appropriately gives your baby the experience of being understood and comforted. This is containing for her.

✅ Download your own copy of this illustration from our website. Written, developed and created by Dr Bronwyn Leigh for the Centre for Perinatal Psychology,.

👉 Check out the full series of resources in our Speaking for the Baby campaign on our website:
Centre for Perinatal Psychology: https://www.centreforperinatalpsychology.com.au/resources/speaking-for-the-baby-campaign/

🫶 Original illustration by Jess Racklyft for the Centre for Perinatal Psychology

16/03/2026