Infant Mental Health | Spiritual Birth

Articles Aware Parenting Babies and Children Spiritual Midwife Spiritual Parenting October 14, 2022November 17, 2023 by Marianne Littlejohn

Infant Mental and Emotional Health for Midwives and Health Professionals

Medical and health professionals need to be able to support good infant mental and emotional health and recognise problems

Birth in South Africa February 18, 2022March 8, 2022 by Marianne Littlejohn

Pregnancy in the Time of Covid 19

Stress during pregnancy affects the development of the baby before and after birth. Covid 19 has increased the stressors to pregnant women, and needs to be mitigated by increased support systems and strategies.

Articles Pregnancy and Birth Information March 3, 2011October 12, 2011 by Marianne Littlejohn

The Origins of Infant Mental Health

Lack of nourishment may retard fetal growth, it may also lead to an increase in the production of cortisol, a hormone produced in response to stress, which in prolonged concentrations may affect brain cell differentiation (3). Effects in the first three months of pregnancy may be harmful to the development of the brain, including memory centres and areas of emotional responsiveness, such as the hippocampus

Articles June 19, 2010July 22, 2016 by Marianne Littlejohn

Bowlby’s Attachment Theory: A Therapeutic Perspective

Attachment is defined as the lifelong need human beings have for affectionate ties with significant other human beings. It is a biological necessity for Human Beings to have a secure attachment relationship. The development of the brain and emotional regulation capacities depends on this attachment from late pregnancy to at least 2 years of age. Infants who have been responded to sensitively and held frequently and affectionately during the early months, cry less towards the end of the first year and are able to play happily and explore their environment.