Your poor mum isnt the only one - almost every mum I come across lately has been told to do similar to their babies -and Im talking VERY young infants. While this was probably all your mum would have been taught, there is now lots of evidence re cortisol levels being raised by leaving babies to cry and this apparently can alter brain physiology too by upsetting the cortisol response - ie this early stress response can predispose people to over react to stress in the future.

Its all a bit tricky isnt it? Kids arent cakes - but like cakes, it takes a bowlful of ingredients - lots of influences to get them to "turn out". Some early stress is beyind our control - ie early medical care, but with the evidence that is coming up - not to mention how it upsets mothers, its a very sad state of affairs when we deliberately babies to unecessary trauma by leaving them to cry - so they "learn".

I have just been interviewed by the Herald Sun (Melbourne) on this topic- watch next week for the article.

Pinky
----- Original Message ----- From: "Judy Chapman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Friday, December 03, 2004 9:48 AM
Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Fw: [ababcnet] Crying could cause brain damage (news.com.au report)



Interesting article.
My older brother has trouble showing emotion. Mum told once how
she got him into routine by letting him cry. She kept going in a
checking on him but he had to learn. That was 54 yrs ago.
Cheers
Judy

--- barbara glare & chris bright <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:


>
> Crying could cause brain damage
> By Robin Yapp
> 01 December 2004
>
> LEAVING children to cry without offering any comfort could
cause lasting
> damage to their brains, it was claimed yesterday.
>
> British psychologist Professor Margot Sunderland said high
rates of
> depression and emotional problems in teenagers may be the
result of
ignoring
> their distress earlier in life.
> Persistent distress as a child could lead to lasting changes
in the brain,
> including shrinkage of an area that links its emotional and
logical sides.
> Expert opinion has been divided over the years on whether
parents, to
> encourage a regular sleep routine, should leave babies and
toddlers to cry
> until they fall asleep rather than rushing to their side.
> Professor Sunderland's book, for which she reviewed more
than 700
scientific
> papers, said this was potentially dangerous advice.
> "The blunt truth is that uncomforted distress may cause
damage to the
> child's developing brain," said Professor Sunderland, who is
director of
> training at the Centre for Child Mental Health in London.
> "If you ignore a crying child, tell them to shut up or put
them in a room
on
> their own, you can cause serious damage to their brains on a
level that
can
> result in severe neurosis and emotional disorders later in
life."
> The dramatic claims are the latest chapter in one of the
most hotly
debated
> areas of child care.
> Some experts, such as child psychologist Dr Penelope Leach,
say parents
must
> take the attitude that "baby knows best" and encourage
mothers to follow
> their maternal instincts to cuddle their child when he or
she cries.
> But Gina Ford, a leading maternity nurse, said parents
should stick to
> schedules for feeding and sleeping in order to help get
children into a
> routine and should resist picking up a crying child during
sleep times.
> Professor Sunderland said brain scans showed that stress
early in life
could
> shrink an area of the brain called the corpus callosum.
> This is a bundle of nerve fibres which connects the brain's
right
> hemisphere, which is associated with emotion, to the left
hemisphere,
which
> is associated with logic.
> "Parents should never try to persuade their child out of
feeling a certain
> emotion," she said.
> "It is important to prove to them you are empathising
through the time you
> give them and the language and facial expressions you use.
> "If your child is upset, you will increase rather than
reduce their
feelings
> of stress by not taking their upset seriously.
> "Attempting to jolly them out of the mood will result in
them
internalising
> their stresses."
>
> Debbie Kopel,
> Prahran/Malvern group, Vic,
> Training stuff,
> Ass.s' Adv, T.Sec, etc,
> Qualified 1986,
> Hubby Nathan (1981), Mum to Nic(12/1/84), Elise(6/4/1986),
Simon(1/3/1990)
>
> Mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
>
>
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