Parenting By Heart Interview

Parenting By Heart

Bringing a new baby home can be one of the most intimidating experiences of our lives and can fill us with self-doubt. In order to nurture our child, says parenting expert Pinky McKay, we must maintain our own sense of worth. Bonding with our baby and learning to trust our maternal/paternal instincts is vital. In Parenting By Heart, Pinky offers practical and reassuring advice on:
Bonding with your new baby
Feeding
Sleeping
Routines
Play and Massage
Your new life as a family.

Pinky's techniques are based on the latest scientific research but always come back to her philosophy that every parent and child is unique, and that parents need to follow their hearts rather than a one-size-fits-all model. Her advice will help you get to know your baby, and assist you to find the right options so that you can delight in this precious time together.

An International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), certified infant massage instructor and sought-after keynote speaker at conferences for parents and health professionals internationally, Pinky McKay is the author of Toddler Tactics, Sleeping Like a Baby and 100 Ways to Calm the Crying. Her books are approved and recommended by respected bodies such as the Australian Breastfeeding Association, the Australian Association of Infant Mental Health, La Leche League International and the Centre for Attachment (NZ).

Pinky writes and blogs for Practical Parenting magazine (Australia) and contributes to various national and international publications and web sites including Littlies magazine (New Zealand), Attachment Parenting International (US), Pathways to Family Wellness (US) and Opposing Views (US). She runs a busy private practice in Melbourne and, thanks to modern technology, also supports clients around the world with gentle baby care, breastfeeding, settling and sleep solutions through her e-newsletter, web site, blog, teleseminars, workshops and private consultations.

The mother of four adult 'children' and a now-teenage 'bonus baby' (the baby you have when your other kids can run their own baths, tie their own shoelaces and even drive their own cars!), Pinky's greatest pleasure is enjoying the precious giggles and cuddles of her delightful grandchildren.

Parenting By Heart
Penguin Australia
Author: Pinky McKay
ISBN: 9780670075089
Price: $35.00

Interview with Pinky McKay

Question: What inspired you to write Parenting By Heart?

Pinky McKay: I work as a Lactation Consultant and go to peoples homes and I know there are so many women out there who are so confused. My job is to help mothers with feeding and settling their babies and I have seen so many mothers who are so overloaded with information. Many women are confused and overwhelmed about what they should be doing because they have so many voices in their head from the lady at the school crossing to the mother-in-law to the next door neighbour and all the information they have found on the Internet. There is so much information out there and the main problem is people not trusting themselves; mothers are doing a beautiful job, but doubting themselves.

When I launched Parenting By Heart there was a lot of mothers present and I think it is lovely for mothers to be able to look around the room and think 'I'm not the only one'. Women are under a lot of pressure about spoiling the baby or creating bad habits but you have to think the baby has just come out of your body, it cannot create anything you just want you baby to feel secure and loved.


Question: Why is it important for parents to maintain their sense of worth when nurturing their children?

Pinky McKay: Yes! It is so important for parents to maintain their sense of self-worth and trust themselves in the communication that they have with their baby. Mothers have an intuitive feeling and whatever advice they receive they need to ask themselves: Is it safe? Is it respectful? Does it feel right to me? If it doesn't feel right then step back.


Question: What research went into Parenting By Heart?

Pinky McKay: I have interviewed parents but I also do a lot of research, as well because there is so much more scientific information about infant development. It seems silly to say that we need science to back up what mothers actually know in their heart but it does help the mothers. We have so many intelligent mothers having babies, most of my clients are doctors, lawyers and psychologists, all professional women who have had a baby and it has reduced them to a blubbering mess.


Question: How can a mother and father bond with their new baby?

Pinky McKay: There are lots: skin-to-skin contact, lots of cuddles, gaze into your babies eyes and talk to it, listen to it and give it time to respond, keep your baby close so you can watch what it does such as being in the same room as you when it is sleeping or if it is close to you during the day time. It is important to have body contact, maybe if you carry your baby in a sling, especially because body contact actually helps your own hormones elevate whether you are mum or dad - just being around your baby whether it is baby massage, cuddling, talking to it all releases hormones with you and your baby which encourages the bonding.


Interview by Brooke Hunter