Care For My Child, Evelina London Children's Hospital, London (2025)

17/11/2023

Happy !

is a charity dedicated to supporting parents and carers of little ones that are born early. They provide a wealth of evidence-based information and advice about caring for preterm infants.

Head over to our story to read our new blog post.

12/11/2023

Protect your Herd!

Herd immunity (or community immunity) is the protection from contagious diseases that individuals benefit from as a result of living in a community where a critical number of people are vaccinated. Herd immunity protects vulnerable patients or young children who cannot be vaccinated from vaccine-preventable diseases. Vaccination protects not only the person receiving the vaccine, but everyone else in the community.

Make sure everyone in your community has the facts about vaccines and is up-to-date with their shots. Protect your herd by sharing the facts about measles and vaccine safety with healthcare colleagues, patients, family, and friends.

Measles, also called rubeola, is a serious respiratory illness caused by the measles virus. It is a highly contagious virus that lives in the nose and throat mucus of an infected person and spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Measles can be spread even if the infected person is no longer in the room. Measles can lead to pneumonia, lifelong brain damage, deafness, and death

VACCINATION IS THE BEST WAY TO PREVENT MEASLES. Children need two doses of measles vaccine. The first dose of the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine (MMR) should be given at 12-15 months of age; the second dose is given before a child enters kindergarten (4-6 years of age). Two doses of MMR vaccine are about 97% effective at preventing measles; one dose is about 93% effective.

With thanks to APIC - the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

04/11/2023

Have fun but remember to safe this weekend! Share these child friendly safety tips.

21/10/2023

As we saw yesterday, Skin-to-Skin provides numerous benefits for both mom and baby.
Today we're going to dive a bit deeper into how some of these benefits work. And just a reminder, Skin-to-Skin is not only for newborns - parents can enjoy this time with their babies at any age!

BRAIN HEALTH AND GROWTH:

In recent years, more and more evidence has identified the importance of early Skin-to-Skin touch to optimise newborn babies' neuro-developmental outcomes later in life. The research shows that reassuring touch enables positive neural connections in the newborn's brain, forming the base for the intricate web that will form over the following years.

The smell and touch of a newborn's mother send reassuring messages to the emotional processing unit of the baby's brain, the amygdala, telling it it's safe.
Newborn babies need to feel safe, to help counteract the incredible stress of being born. The baby needs to calm down quickly to ensure that stress doesn't disrupt the brain architecture and alter development. Cortisol, the body's stress hormone, is counterbalanced by oxytocin, often known as the "love" hormone. Skin-to-Skin causes surges of oxytocin in both the mother and baby's brains, connecting their emotional brains (amygdala) with their social brains (prefrontal cortex) - associated with emotions that make you want to approach rather than withdraw.

Skin-to-Skin therefore not only physically builds brain connections, but also establishes emotional and social intelligence going forward. This is also the evidence that proves that "Ferberizing" your child, or leaving them to "cry it out", will do nothing to help them, but
will actually decrease their ability to cope with stress and trauma later in life.

BONDING:

Oxytocin is not called the "love" hormone for no reason. When you have Skin-to-Skin contact with your baby, both of your brains will release oxytocin at the same time, sending a rushing sense of affection through your body, making you fall in love with your child! Looking into your baby's eyes, touching and kissing them will all have this same effect, so get smooching! This will just strengthen the bond you two share all the more.

20/10/2023

Skin-to-Skin is nature's way to ensure that newborns get the nourishment they need.
Skin-to-Skin boosts oxytocin levels and lowers cortisol (science talk for more love and less stress), and increases prolactin, for better milk production and greater breastfeeding success. Multiple processes get "switched on" in both the mother and baby's bodies when Skin-to-Skin contact occurs, STAY TUNED for tomorrow's post about how some of these work.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that all newborns have IMMEDIATE Skin-Skin contact with their mothers straight after birth for at least 1 hour, or until the first feed has been completed at the breast.

This recommendation is for all mothers, regardless of their mode of labour/birth (it is even more important that babies born via C-section get this vital "destress" time on their mother's chest). The only time when babies need to be taken away from their mothers is in emergency situations or when birth weights need to be taken (which can wait until 1 hour after birth). ALL other routine birth procedures can be completed with the baby on the mother's chest.

Benefits of Skin-to-Skin for the MOTHER:
1. Increased milk supply
2. Bonding with baby
3. Brain health & growth
4. Immune system strengthening
5. Faster healing
6. Mental health benefits
7. Placenta delivery (due to oxytocin spike)

Benefits of Skin-to-Skin for the BABY:
1. Helps facilitate breastfeeding (baby in the perfect position)
2. Brain health & growth
3. Sleep regulation
4. Regulates temperature (much better than warming bed)
5. Regulates heart rate
6. Weight gain and blood sugar regulation
7. Analgesia (pain management of birth and post-birth procedures)

20/10/2023

Reflexes enable a newborn to survive in their brand new environment: the world!
Newborns use their reflexes to progress through the birth canal, feed at the breast, and avoid danger or harm.

So, reflexes are the basic reactions to stimuli that enable the most primitive of human activities. As babies move and grow, they will INTEGRATE their primitive reflexes, changing them from involuntary to voluntary actions. These integration points are better known as "milestones"! Some newborn reflexes that should all be present at birth and how to test them:

1. Moro Reflex: integrates by 4 months. Hold baby by the hands and lift him up until his head is about 3cm off the surface. Let go and let baby drop to the surface (like a bed). Baby should startle: arms out to sides, then up around and finally to the midline. Look for symmetry.
2. Suck Reflex: integrates by 3 months. Gently press a clean finger, pad side up, to the centre of the hard palate. Baby should begin to suck.
3. Root Reflex: integrates by 4 months. Stroke baby's cheek. Baby should turn towards your finger and open his mouth.
4. Step Reflex: integrates by 3 months. Hold baby upright with their feet touching a surface. Baby should step or "dance", lifting their feet from the ground.
5. Babinski Reflex: integrates by 9 months - 2 years. Stroke baby's foot upward in the centre from heel to pad. Big toe should extend up and back, other toes may follow or may not.
6. Palmar Reflex: integrates by 6 months. Press into baby's palm. Baby should quickly flex all fingers to grasp.
7. Tonic Neck Reflex: integrates by 6 months. Lay baby on his back and turn his head to one side. The arm & leg on the side the head is turned should extend while the opposite side bends.
8. Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex: integrates by 3.5 years. Forward: bring baby's head to chest. Knees should draw up to body. Backward: Hold baby supporting hips and shoulders, allowing head to extend backwards. Baby's hips should extend back and baby should spread their arms.

20/10/2023

All babies move through these states, some more smoothly than others. Newborns have little control over their state until they learn to manage their states and reflexes.
A parent sensitive to a baby's early cues (Baby Watching) will help the infant to learn to self-regulate their own state, increasing their ability to maintain focus and attention, as well as stay awake and sleep longer.

1. CRYING - The crying state is characterised by loud screams, shrills, facial grimaces, and increased body activities. Preventing this state as much as possible, through Baby Watching, is key
2. ACTIVE ALERT - Active alert/awake is a pre-crying state. Babies are communicating that they have had enough of the present activity and feel overwhelmed by their surroundings. The baby's play or attention shifts from focused to distracted. Happy sounds change to fussy sounds, and baby exhibits facial grimaces and may turn his head away from you. The baby's skin becomes flushed or blotchy. Intervening before baby enters a state of crying makes soothing easier. First try a calm, relaxed soothing tone. Next, gently hold baby's arms against his chest. Then gently pick him up and bring him close to a warm body. Lastly, try soothing techniques such as swaddling, holding, cuddling, shushing, and rocking.
3. QUIET ALERT - In a quiet-alert state, his eyes are bright and wide open, making eye contact with others (focused attention). Baby's facial movements are extensive and his body is flexed and alert with his arms and legs still. Newborns spend only about 15 minutes before and after meals in a quiet alert state. These periods are important because during this time, infants have an opportunity to learn, and parents fall in love. To help baby maintain this state, provide sights, sounds and foods (breastmilk), while attending to cues.
4. DROWSY - Drowsiness is a state between asleep and awake. While drowsy, the body movements are variable, including mild startles from time to time. The eyes are heavy-lidded and open with a dull glazed look, then close. (Continued in comments)

20/10/2023

To assist with early learning, we recommend the "Baby Watching" technique, which is a method that helps a parent learn to respond to an infant's need signals so they can offer a sensitive response.

Baby Watching makes sleep, feeding, and calming easier and reinforces maternal intuition and helps interpret baby behaviour through normal developmental changes.
Through Baby Watching, caregivers can identify initial cues and develop the knowledge to offer the appropriate response. The right response helps the baby develop self-esteem and confidence.

Steps to Baby Watching:
1. STOP - slow down, be present, check in often
2. LOOK - observe baby's state (Infant States will be discussed tomorrow, stay tuned!)
3. LISTEN - for coos, hiccups, spit ups, crying and other non-verbal communication
4. FEEL - observe baby's body temp, body language and tone
5. EVALUATE - "What are you trying to tell me baby?"

Goals of Baby Watching:
1. Self regulation
2. Falling in love
3. Becoming a two-way co-ordinator
4. Problem solve and develop baby's sense of self

20/10/2023

Care For My Child was founded in 2023, by Marie White, a Consultant General Paediatrician; Michaela Smith, a Specialist Paediatric Dietitian / Lactation Consultant & Simon Filson, a Consultant Paediatric Plastic Surgeon, to provide expert information and advice to parents, children and healthcare providers.

We listened to feedback from parents and used our expertise to build a platform for you to be able ask questions and find trusted information from healthcare professionals that will help you manage your child’s health complaints comfortably at home or decide when to seek expert help.

Our information will hopefully demystify the medical world and leave you feeling fully informed and confident when looking after your child.

Care For My Child

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