Prime objective: To work with parents and carers to help infants emotionally flourish and be able to grow and reach their true potential in life.

Rosepips provides a sensitive and thoughtful experience for women who are pregnant. This can be with or without their partner, and for any family with a child under the age of two years, and any parent who may be concerned about their relationship with their child or their child’s emotional development.

Pregnancy and the birth of a child are nearly always portrayed as joyous occasions, with photographs of mother and baby smiling and a contented family looking on. Whilst one hopes that this will be the experience of most, there are also many other experiences of pregnancy, birth and living with a baby that don’t conform to the serene image described above.

What sort of worries might I be able to discuss?

Before the birth

Many women will have experienced miscarriage, sometimes more than once. Such experiences can be a source of great anxiety in any subsequent pregnancy. Some women will have gone through the tragedy and shock of a stillbirth; this too can be a source of anxiety.

Some babies are born too soon. The priority initially is to keep baby alive, safe and well; the experience in a special care baby can, however, have a great impact both on the baby’s emotional development and the parent’s relationship with their son or daughter. The baby’s response to this experience along with those of his/her parents can be thought about and discussed in order to help make sense of such a traumatic start in life.

A number of babies are born with some difficulty that causes considerable worry and distress to parents and has a major impact on their developing relationship.

Some people may wish to think about their own experience of being parented and the impact this had on them: good and bad!

Why do I need to talk to someone?

Not everyone finds it good to talk! For those that wish to it can help alleviate anxiety and lower stress levels. Talking to someone cannot change reality but gaining a better understanding of the situation and the impact it is having on you and your relationships can make a difference.

Research is now beginning to show that high levels of stress during pregnancy impact on the developing baby’s nervous system and regulatory functions.

Rosepips can provide an environment where these anxieties and worries can be thought about and offers the potential for any woman to begin to get to know her developing baby before he/she make their entrance into the world. This helps facilitate the bonding process between mother and child.

After the birth

A baby’s arrival into the world does not always go as planned. As mentioned previously some people will have a very small premature baby, others a fretful, colicky baby whilst some mums will describe a situation where baby sleeps and eats well. Beginning to get to know the baby you have, which may be different from the baby you imagined and different from other people’s babies can be hard work.

You may be suffering from baby blues or postnatal depression. Baby does not seem to want to feed, will not settle and motherhood is proving to be anything but what you imagined it to be. The more stressed and tired you are the more fretful your baby is likely to be; however sometimes even with lots of support from dads and grandparents it is not always easy to turn things around.

Maybe finding support from Rosepips can provide you with a good additional experience that might make a difference for you, your baby and family.

Perhaps there are times when you think that bonding is just some magical word that people have made up but doesn’t apply to your relationship with your baby. Again thinking about you and your baby’s developing relationship can help make a big difference for both you and baby.

It is normal following the birth of a baby to experience a wide range of differing emotions. However if at any time you seem to be feeling stuck, feeling low or wondering whether you and your baby will ever get on then perhaps Rosepips can help?

Why is it important to see someone if I am struggling with my baby?

Much of a baby’s brain development takes place after birth and the architecture of the brain develops in relation to the nurturing relationships that surround them. One way of thinking about it is that a baby is born with all the necessary equipment in place but once born they need the dynamic relationship that exists with their parent/carer to help create all the necessary infra-structure that will contribute towards their future personality and character traits.

Many infants and children suffer great psychological distress which can go unrecognised and therefore untreated for many years. This can affect their ability in future life to establish good relationships with others. Other manifestations of a child’s struggle can be seen in behavioural difficulties, eating and sleeping problems, depression, anxiety and psychosomatic problems, to list just a few.

There are of course many health professionals that you can speak to with regard to your baby. Your midwife in the early days of your baby’s life and your Health Visitor will provide lots of support and advice. Your GP will be able to answer questions with regard to your child’s health and general wellbeing. There are also Sure Start family centres that have been designed to support families with young children who have excellent facilities and will offer advice.

Rosepips is not a substitute for any of the above services but exists to provide both an additional resource as well as some highly specialised work for parents and infants.

Who runs Rosepips?.....

Rosepips homepage        About Rosepips        Child Psychotherapist        Contact/Enquiries