Breastfeeding can often take time to settle into - for many reasons - so don't be disheartened if you run into problems that you would like some help with.

Sometimes women aren't supported enough with breastfeeding during their hospital stay and can be exposed to conflicting advice that is not evidence based. Many women are discharged home before their milk has come in enough to satisfy their baby too. So, without the right help as you go along, breastfeeding can derail with the emergence of blistered nipples, engorgement, and a frustrated crying baby.

It doesn't have to be this way.

Breastfeeding should not be painful to you, nor frustrating to your baby.

The Possums approach is grounded in biology, science and evidence - not someone's opinion or the teachings of tradition. It has transformed the lactation support we offer and we would be delighted to share it with you.

If you are bottle feeding, we can share with you some lovely ways to make every feed a close and pleasurable experience for both you and your baby.

Whichever way you choose to feed your baby, we can help you to be confident your baby is taking the milk she needs and doing so in a way that maximises the release of 'feel good' hormones associated with feeding, just like breastfeeding.

We do this by showing you various forms of what is called 'paced feeding', tailored to your individual baby's needs, where the way you offer the bottle and follow her cues about her interest in drinking is key. Just as adults vary the pace of their food intake in order to enjoy it, babies do too. We do not force babies to drink or finish a bottle as this creates negative associations for them around feeding. Instead, we encourage frequent flexible feeding in response to your baby's hunger cues, working with your baby's behaviour to keep the sympathetic nervous system dialled down and the feed pleasurable.

Babies who require special feeding bottles or assistance to take a bottle are supported in this way too.

It is normal for babies to cry, but when it seems to be excessive, or associated with feeds, the most immediate thing to rule out is whether there is an underlying problem with feeding that hasn't yet sorted itself out. We can help you to determine if your baby is crying because he is hungry, and whether he is being held at the breast in a way that supports efficient milk transfer to his satisfaction.

Sometimes though, after the initial weeks, it can also reflect the emergence of another type of unmet hunger: the wanting for greater stimulation and nourishment to the rapidly developing five senses. Babies will fuss when they are wanting to see more, to experience more and be stimulated by movement and soothing touch.

There are many reasons why babies cry, which you can explore under the Unsettled Baby tab.

Our approach is tailored at keeping the sympathetic nervous system dialed down for healthy neuro-development. We can help you to identify what your baby is communicating with their crying or fussing and explore some evidence-based strategies you might like to try.

Welcoming twins and triplets into the family brings significant change to the routine of everyday home life.
Newborn Home Care can assist you to manage the needs of your babies and support their feeding and settling.

Often one sibling is a little smaller than the other and may have particular concerns in relation to weight gain or behaviour around feeding and settling. We can help you with this. Similarly, you may be feeling right across your babies needs and just want a pair of hands to help out for a while. We can help with this too.

Twin feeding support is also available.

Multiple births are a joy, but they require a reasonable degree of co-ordination to meet the competing needs of each infant in the way you want. Looking after yourself is vitally important too, particularly in trying to organise life around you so that you get enough sleep.

We are here to support you, so call and have a chat about how you are going and what we might be able to do to help.

Babies who have spent a long time in a NICU may have quite particular and special neurodevelopmental and medical needs. Your baby may still require support such as home oxygen, tube feeding or complex medications, which we can help with. She may sleep fitfully, be difficult to settle, or squirm a lot with her feeds.

Call us to have a conversation about how we may be able to assist you with your baby's individual needs and support any medical plan that may be in place.

Even if none of the above applies to your baby, you may simply be feeling anxious. We can have a chat with you about supporting your own well-being during this transition by using simple yet effective strategies of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. This process helps parents to centre themselves in the moment and make new memories with their baby that leave the NICU behind.

Babies vary greatly in the amount of sleep they take during the day. Some will have high sleep needs and others low. When it is on the lower spectrum, most parents will agree they can cope - providing night sleep is working for the family.

The work by Dr Pam Douglas (NDC Institute) in the domain of baby sleep, encourages parents to turn their attention away from populist models of 'sleep training’ and instead, give recognition to the biological drivers of sleep in their baby. Sleep is not something that a baby is taught to do. She will do it in response to a rise in sleep pressure, which is curbed during the day by naps of varying duration, before rising strongly at night when her circadian clock registers the day's end.

Your baby may, however, need your help to synchronise with these drivers and we can help you explore ways of doing this to suit your family.