It's great to see so much agreement from people about this.When I had my first child 20 years ago it was just about the tail end time of people trying to feed every 4 hours and leaving their newborns to cry etc.Then a few years ago, when I was on number 6 or 7,I was horrified to read a Q and A by Gina Ford advocating all this kind of stuff under the misnomer of "Contented Baby" advice.I was even more horrified to find young mothers lapping it up and proudly announcing that their babies were sleeping through,although they were struggling to breastfeed and having to top up with formula.It has made my heart sink to see the advance of this kind of rubbish(which I have never known promoted by any health professional).Babies brought up this way are not content, they are disappointed and resigned to their fate.
This programme kept me up more than my baby last night.It was wonderful to see so much breastfeeding going on and I really admired Grace? for persevering when things were so obviously painful.I'm sure anyone whose had cracked nipples was wincing right along with her,but the advice to keep going was spot on. This programme just makes me want to hug my kids to bits.

Perhaps Claire Verity is one of those semi-educated people who dismiss anything scientifically proven or intellectually above their level out of a complex of inferiority or whatever: "I have done this for 20 years, so it can't be wrong" (yes, it can be!).

It's just appalling how many things she recommends stand again scientific research, NHS recommendations, etc. Nowadays everything in the UK is about health and safety but C4 doesn't seem to care to show such non-sense educational methods. Of course C4s main interest are probably viewer numbers and not changing the world for a better place to be but not indicating at all that Verity's tips obviously put babies at a number of immediate and long-term risks (like pointed out by various previous posters) - hernias, cot death, retarded brain development etc. - is just not tolerable.

This is my seocnd post, i have complained to ofcom and others for all the good it will do. There is a blog on socialbaby.com about this, they knew it was coming and tried to stop it. That said this woman is still working with children without this show. midwives, health workers and paediatricions all disagree with this type of method. I know woman who have tried gina fords routine and been told their babies are not gaining enough weight, to feed on demand whether its breast or bottle. Adults eat when they are hungry, drink when they are thirsty, why stop a baby ?? whats the point and fuss about feeds every 4 hours and sleeping through?? Why have a baby if your not going to spend time with it. How can she expect a baby to sleep alone after nine months in a warm womb with a heart beat constantly for company, movement and always being nourished.
What about these babies human rights which i feel are being abused. That is neglect to leave a child cry and leave it outside.
rant over again and i still dont feel better

I know how you feel annabelle...I keep ranting about this but somehow feel its not enough. This women and any other like her should be stopped.

as a 1st time mum 2 a 4 month boy I watched with absolute horror last nite at that dreadful woman. I was actually shouting at the tv that the new mums should trust their instincts and anything that feels wrong IS wrong. She did in fact make me cry cos she was ruining a fantastic experience for those poor people who will never recapture those 1st amazing days. I for one couldn't keep my eyes off of him when I got him home, they're all too perfect...

I put in a complaint to C4 via their webform, and this morning got the following response. I guess it's going to be the standard reply - anyone else had it?

quote:

Thank you for contacting Channel 4 Viewer Enquiries regarding BRINGING UP BABY.

BRINGING UP BABY is a thoughtful and responsible observation of different methods of childcare. There have been conflicting and different views in this area for many years and it is, without doubt, a valid area for exploration in a television programme. The series is not setting out to promote any particular method of childcare, but rather to explore and contrast them.

All the parents involved were asked what style of child rearing interested them, the methods were then described in general terms, highlighting the guiding principals, each family then chose the method which most closely related to their instinctual choice. Each family reported that they were happy with the childcare method they chose and are still continuing with it.

We can assure you, that we take the welfare of the children in this series, as with all programmes, very seriously. Various medical experts including a GP and consultant paediatrician were consulted and the babies received the usual regular health visitor checks.

Please be assured your complaint has been noted and logged. The log is distributed throughout Channel 4.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact us. We appreciate all feedback from our viewers; complimentary or otherwise.

quote:

Originally posted by annabelle1:
Adults eat when they are hungry, drink when they are thirsty, why stop a baby ?? whats the point and fuss about feeds every 4 hours and sleeping through??

That's so true annabelle1, and it was one of the things that made us reject baby training methods. After all, how many of us "sleep through" the night? We get up if we're hungry or uncomfortable, it's unnatural to expect a baby to be able to do something that adults can't do either.

cant believe that so many people have reacted to thet dreadful woman, i am back at work today as a health visitor and feel very strongly about the advice she gave and how appauling it was, after reading through most comments and speaking to managers etc i do feel this should be taken further and she should not be allowed on screens again. And as someone said earlier about little madeline mccann, its true you cant leave your children alone for one minute even if it is in a back garden! If any one wants to pursue this terrible woman and her methods further then lets get together

This is my final posting on this forum as the more I see/hear about Clare Verity the angrier I get. I have just seen her being hard faced on The Wright Stuff where I'd hoped she might be a little more moderate - but no.

I find it in extremely bad taste that this woman earns her living by breaking every natural instinct out of a new born baby. What a disgusting way to make a living.

Aside from losing out on these precious early days and the joys of parenthood my fundamental issue with Clare Verity and all she advocates is the fact that she assumes a measure of successfully raising a child is its ability to sleep quickly and hence, not disturb its parents. Since when was that the best measure of good parenting or an accurate assemssment of a happy child? Why have a child only to put it to sleep so that life can return to the way it was without a child?

For those parents who think this is right way to spend the first few months with their offspring I would question why you even bothered having children.

Secondly - she assumes that a child demands attention solely to annoy its parents. How can letting your child hear your voice, or see your face or spend time playing or talking or being held or experinceing different sensations be so damaging? That doesn't promote spoilt babies. It's called learning and is our responsiblity as parents. There is a world of difference between spending time with a newborn child who responds to intinct and nature and being at the beck and call of a toddle who does know right from wrong. Again Clare Verity makes no distinciton between these situations.

I would not let that woman within a mile of my precious babies. I urge every parent out there to ensure this woman no longer has a future dealing with the most important little people in the world. She should maybe stick to dog handling or similar.

I think any self respecting dog would bite her...

I am 31 and I am a mother of nearly two months old baby, yesterday I was shocked.. I don't understand where is the achievements of this Ms Verity, what she is paid for???, to settle baby in three months time????- it is obvious, my baby already eats regularly and sleeps through the night with only one feeding(I am breastfeeding)And I've never been cruel to her,like it's shown in this programme, she has as much cuddles as she wants, at the very beginning, breastfeeding her on demand did not harm her nor sleeping in the same room neither waking up every 2 or 3 hours. Every day I watched her how she was changing, developing from new born to who she is now, every day she was doing sth more something better than day before. From last week I have started even going out to evening classes (professional education) I don't understand how having a few day old baby one wants her/his own life back. The maternity leave has been stated to take care of your baby. You must sacrifice yourself for a while but the price will be great. And, by the way, how this cold way of bringing up a baby is when it comes to autistic children?, The situation, when such as small baby is left cruelly alone crying reminds me of extremely pathological families, when mother and father are lying drunk (or after taking drugs) on the bed or floor, and their new born baby is crying somewhere, lonely, unhappy, scared, and finally falling asleep from tiredness caused by crying... How somebody can rely on a method taken from observation cows.. Human is(If) close to monkeys I believe, and monkeys don't do such as things to their babies like that nurse. and one more thing, in 50's &60's they believed that formula is the best nutrition for babies... we know they were wrong, so why you want to trust some old fashion, completely traumatic method of one weirdo, knowing that the bringing up baby's subject has changed so much, so many things have been discovered since than ......

I hope that watching Ms Verity will put plenty of people off her methods,but I think that there will always be people who just don't want to properly understand their children's needs and want to put their own convenience first.You see it in mothers' reluctance to persist with breastfeeding and even in some women's reluctance to engage with preparation for the birth of their babies in the first place,preferring to let the professionals tell them what to do when the time comes.
It is a symptom of a society which doesn't value child rearing as something worthy of time and effort,just something to be got over with and out of the way so that "real life" can continue.We want to see women back at work as soon as possible so women are thinking about detatchment from their babies even before they're born so that they can be handed over to Nursery staff without fuss.
It is very sad particularly for the little children involved in this experiment but let's hope some good comes from it.
I would be interested to know what the attending health professionals made of the 1950s method and whether they advised against it.I'm sure my midwife would have had something to say if she'd called round and the baby was crying outside in the garden on the first day.

quote:

Originally posted by Antonia B:
This is my final posting on this forum as the more I see/hear about Clare Verity the angrier I get. I have just seen her being hard faced on The Wright Stuff where I'd hoped she might be a little more moderate - but no.

I find it in extremely bad taste that this woman earns her living by breaking every natural instinct out of a new born baby. What a disgusting way to make a living.

Aside from losing out on these precious early days and the joys of parenthood my fundamental issue with Clare Verity and all she advocates is the fact that she assumes a measure of successfully raising a child is its ability to sleep quickly and hence, not disturb its parents. Since when was that the best measure of good parenting or an accurate assemssment of a happy child? Why have a child only to put it to sleep so that life can return to the way it was without a child?

For those parents who think this is right way to spend the first few months with their offspring I would question why you even bothered having children.

Secondly - she assumes that a child demands attention solely to annoy its parents. How can letting your child hear your voice, or see your face or spend time playing or talking or being held or experinceing different sensations be so damaging? That doesn't promote spoilt babies. It's called learning and is our responsiblity as parents. There is a world of difference between spending time with a newborn child who responds to intinct and nature and being at the beck and call of a toddle who does know right from wrong. Again Clare Verity makes no distinciton between these situations.

I would not let that woman within a mile of my precious babies. I urge every parent out there to ensure this woman no longer has a future dealing with the most important little people in the world. She should maybe stick to dog handling or similar.

I do not understand what kind of parents use her service????, why they have decided to have achild?? to be trained as soon as he is born?? It's like that baby is sorry that she is living, that she wants something, that she is so small and cannot have it herself....How you can have your 'life back' as soon as possible with such as huge change in your life like the arrival of new baby is, new human being who needs your love, your patience, who needs to feel secure... I do not understand how you as a parent can reject it.

Like many others, I am new to this forum but felt compelled to write after being completely shocked and upset by that woman on last nights programme. I have a six month old baby and ewhen you see other babies being treated like that, I think you can;t help but think 'could I do that?' 'How would I feel'? TO think of doing those things to my baby made me feel really sick - I hd to go upstairs afterwards and pick him up and cuddle him - it reduced me to tears. I can;t get that image of that little girl in her cot, two days or so old being filmed by a night camera, crying herself to sleep. It makes me go coled - i laid awake for hours thinking of her and all the others who have gone through this barbaric system.

It is a strange psyche that if something costs a lot then it must be good or successful - £1,000 a day for her advice? Like someone else has said I would pay that and more to keep her away.

I echo all the views already expressed here.

As any mother knows, once you have a baby you join a 'club' - people can tell you how you will feel but what you feel for your baby no-one can ever prepare you for. How can someone who has never been through that tell someone else how to look after their child?

It is a sad state we have got into that we believe that just because someone is 'popular' or considered an 'expert' and they tell you something, that we believe it must be true.

SHe makes my blood boil, her lack of compassion, care and attention for these precious infants astouds me. The way she w3as handling them was abhorent. I have read with interest this mornging all the comments and it is somewhat heartening to hear a lot of people feeling the same way. It is rare for a TV programme to make me feel the way that did.

I am all for getting her out of business any way we can. She measures success by her ceebrity clients and driving around in her convertible BMW - how sad.

I loved the other ladies gently empowering those other women to care for their babies with their own instincts, instead of treating them as though they were in some sort of Army boot camp.

I could go on all day about her, but much of it has already been said. I just had to vent off somewhere as I have been giving her way too much of my energy!

I think that we just have to look to the animal world to see how they look after their offspring - they keep them near tohtem all the time, and let them find their way gently and in their own time. You would never find a dog or cat or any other animal letting it;s young suffer like those babies suffered last night.

In a way I feel for the parents, but if they weren;t happy they should have stopped it and her. They will never get those moments back - it all goes too quickly anyway and to be denied cuddling adn bonding with your child in their first few days is torture.

It has been proven in some research that babies who are left to cry it out don;t ask for help when they are older because they just assume it won;t come.

I believe in doing what feels right, and if it doesn;t feel right then don;t do it. I also believe you can;t love a baby or anyone too much.

Sorry for the rant - like a lot of you I was incensed by her.

PS - sorry for all my spelling mistakes in the above post!

quote:

Originally posted by JEMIMAMAMA:
I hope that watching Ms Verity will put plenty of people off her methods,but I think that there will always be people who just don't want to properly understand their children's needs and want to put their own convenience first.You see it in mothers' reluctance to persist with breastfeeding and even in some women's reluctance to engage with preparation for the birth of their babies in the first place,preferring to let the professionals tell them what to do when the time comes.
It is a symptom of a society which doesn't value child rearing as something worthy of time and effort,just something to be got over with and out of the way so that "real life" can continue.We want to see women back at work as soon as possible so women are thinking about detatchment from their babies even before they're born so that they can be handed over to Nursery staff without fuss.
It is very sad particularly for the little children involved in this experiment but let's hope some good comes from it.
I would be interested to know what the attending health professionals made of the 1950s method and whether they advised against it.I'm sure my midwife would have had something to say if she'd called round and the baby was crying outside in the garden on the first day.

'It is a symptom of a society which doesn't value child rearing as something worthy of time' if it's a symptom of society, which is sick, which may end up with sth bad in the future it should be forbidden by law. What was shown yesterday, according to all recent findings on babies development, hardly looks like normal, healthy, right behaviour towards baby

The physiological and neurological damage that the 50's woman is advocating is unbelievable. I worked in Romania for several years with children who had undergone privation and neglect from infancy. I have follwed their progress now for 15 years.

They all continue to suffer from the effects of lack of a responsive, warm, loving, caring and holding significant carer in their infancy and childhood. One who would have responded to their needs.

In infancy the infant has not yet developed the cognitive capacity to think how to manipulate another person. That part of their brain has not yet developed. They are expressing their differing needs when they cry, smile, turn away etc....in response to another person - this is not manipulation. If she feels manipulated then maybe she needs to reflect on where these feelings come from in her own past...

The 50's women needs to read up on the research of the neuorscientists Chugani and Chisholm who have neurobiological evidence of the impact of this lack of touch and loving responsiveness that she is advocating, through neuroimaging adopted Romanian children. I.e. atrophy of the brain(a virtual black hole where the brain hasn't developed) in the orbitofrontal cortex (the social functioning part of the brain)and behavioural presentations of quasi autistic tendencies (M, Rutter, T, O'Connor).

In my expereince these presentations are due to the lack of attuned, responsive, playful, holding interaction which she is now advocating. This will ultimately support the formation of an insecure attachment (J,Bowlby)and later adult insecurities and anxieties.

Please Channel 4, show the neurobiological and physiological impact of her advice. Read up on Margot Sunderlands 'Science of Parenting' and Sue Gerhadt 'Why Love Matters'. The neglect and institutionalisation in Romania is a prime example of the impact of a lack of attachment as John Bowlby's theory illustrates.

For the health of our children we need people like her and Gina Ford to be challenged by the scientific experts and shown to the country through the media. Welldone for showing this programme though, it demonstrated the current debate on child rearing

PS These children in Romania all learnt not to cry... why cry if no one will respond?

WOULD LOVE TO HEAR WHAT THOSE PERANTS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT PAYING STUPID AMOUNTS OF MONEY WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN SPENT ON THEIR CHILDS FUTURE INSTED OF SPENT LEARNING TO NEGLET THEIR NEWBORNS?????

I have had my rant on another thread so will not repeat it here but it is safe to say that I will be making a formal complaint regarding this programme. I have read C4's official response to any complaints which has been posted on another thread so I know what they will say, however, I would be interested to hear what Ofcom would have to say if they received enough complaints to instigate an investigation.

Let's all show CV that loving, cuddling, and being close to your child is the way that nature intended.

quote:

Originally posted by Golden Mole:
Dr Spook's middle ground seemed the most normal. Leaving babies outside and to bawl seems cruel, can't see that woman winning many parents over.

I am taking part in the programme and am following the Dr Spock method which is really suited to our lifestyle. Our mentor, Dreena, is absolutely brilliant. In my eyes she's my fairy godmother. She really helped me find my feet in the early days and we are still in regular contact now. I wonder if any of the other parents are still in touch with Clair Verity?