free chapter of book - Flipbook - Page 2
Philippa Murphy — Author
International Postnatal Educator
The perspective and techniques I share
with you here are largely gleaned from
my early career as a maternity nurse in
the United Kingdom and Europe. For six
years I lived-in with families teaching
them how to foster the best care for their
baby, twins or triplets. During these
thousands of hands-on hours, I cared
for babies who were unsettled, with
many of them crying inconsolably from
obvious digestive pain. Mainstream
advice and care offered management
for symptoms, but the parents and I
desperately needed to know the causes
and remedies. Feeling and witnessing
much heartache, and unable to believe
that nature would get this so wrong, I
turned to biology for answers. I also
became a close observer and passionate
student of each baby I cared for. Slowly
they revealed a new understanding. A
new way of nurturing that embraces
intimacy and knowing – still my eyes
water from the beauty they imparted
through their now known, avoidable
pain. I am humbled and thrilled to be
their voice and to share their teaching of
me, with you.
Dr Elizabeth Mangan
MBChB DCH MRCGP RNZCGP
This is a beautifully written practical
guide on how to cope with a desperately
unsettled baby. As a mother of a child
diagnosed with ‘reflux’ I wish I had had
Philippa’s great advice to hand.
Her ‘back to basic’ nurturing techniques
would have made my life and my
daughter’s first few months a lot more
enjoyable, instead of the hellish time I
recall. As a GP I am delighted to find a
medicine-free way of managing the
diagnosis of ‘reflux’.
