Really moving hearing @theJeremyVine show on newborns in lockdown. As a paediatrician with a specialist interest in infant behaviour and feeding, I think there’s been a huge and understandable increase in parental anxiety. 1/

I’ve been trying to increase the length of appointments for these families so we can have a truly therapeutic consultation addressing all their concerns. As a society we already had a very poor understanding of normal baby behaviour, exacerbated by parental isolation 2/

As a parent myself, my heart aches for those experiencing new parenthood with no warm circle of nurture and companionship. Hats off to @LLLGB @AssocBfMothers @BfN_UK and all the parenting support groups who have worked so hard to support in these challenging times 3/

@sunilbhop and @RCPCHtweets have been working to ensure children are not forgotten in this pandemic, but this is one of the other areas of collateral damage. We owe it to these babies and their families to turn our focus on supporting and nurturing them. 4/

In the meantime, paediatricians like me can contribute by providing our expertise and skill in supporting families. We can help our GP colleagues by seeing these families as quickly as efficiently as possible. 5/

We already knew that 1 in 6 babies under the age of 12 weeks were seen by a HCP with a feed/cry/sleep problem (data from 2001) at a cost of £65m a year. Often unnecessary prescription of specialist milk and medication which wouldn’t be used if we had a better understanding 6/

of infant behaviour. But also important to spend time listening to parents and not just telling them facts. This honours their lived experience and respects the fact that parenting can be really really tough. 7/

I said to Professor Ball of @BasisOnline1 recently that what parents really need in the clinic room is not a dr but an anthropologist ( @AunPalmquist @DrTomori and @Quinnanthrowman may agree!). But perhaps an anthropologically informed dr is the next best thing 8/

In the meantime please let me signpost parents and clinicians to @BasisOnline1 website, @ilana_abc excellent article https://www.paediatricfoam.com/2019/03/cry-baby-cry-part-1/ (and the sequel) and @Mammaeblog https://www.carolsmyth.co.uk/breastfeeding-resources/posts/2020/august/breastfeeding-normal-baby-behaviours-in-an-abnormal-society/ for starters 9/

And let me remind clinicians of what new parents have live through this year and the bereavement of losing normality. I say all the time to parents that there is no such thing as a neurotic parent, we are supposed to focus on our babies’ well-being. 10/

The baby may well be normal, but the times are not. The experience of parenting is not. I can’t give worried parents a hug, a biscuit and a cup of tea as a peer support group can. But I can use my ears and knowledge to help them through this strange time. /end

Several respondents to this thread have flagged up the vital role of health visitors in this time and I apologise for omitting this in the original thread. Any redeployment or reduction of health visitors risks parent-infant physical and mental health. It’s an invaluable service.