*Help needed for Infant Observation*

[OliverDale]

I am a doctor carrying out an infant observation course through the British Association of Psychotherapists. This is a well established course and forms a part of the training for analytic psychotherapy.

I am looking for a family living in London that would like to take part. It would involve weekly visits for an hour at the same time each week to be held in the family home. I would only be there to observe the infant and not as a voluntary worker.

The purpose of this is for me to learn about a growing baby from birth to up to two years. All details of the observation will be kept strictly confidential. Written material and discussion with colleagues will be anonymous and not contain any identifiable details concerning the family.

I am a Specialist Registrar in psychiatry working in West london, I completed my medical degree at Imperial College, London and am a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. I have an up to date criminal records bureau check.

If you are interested then please contact me for further information or to arrange a brief meeting.

[email protected]

You might want to clarify what age of baby / stage of pg you are interested in commencing observation at IYSWIM.

Also, if it doesn't breach the rationale of the observation, would it help to clarify if you require any particular circumstances from the family / parents / baby ?

Sorry to be pedantic, just trying to clarify so you might have some takers.

Thank you for questions hub2dee.

The observation should, if possible, start within a week of the baby being born.

Although clearly important for the growing baby, there are no set criteria with regard to the structure of the family. I am happy to discuss any particular concerns privately if people would prefer.

I hope this is helpful.

Please don't hesitate to ask any other questions here or contact me on [email protected]

Depending on when you might like this study to begin, you could try posting a 'hello' / enquiry on the ante-natal threads mumsnet has (there's one per month of expected birth), so if you wanted to start observation immediately you could try the 'Due in October 06' thread, or alternatively there is a postnatal thread, so you could try the 'Born September / October 06' threads there.

I'm not sure if your request might attract a 'non member / media' fee (write to [email protected]) but probably because it's for a one-person study there'd be no charge, but, hey, I'm not MN HQ.

Good luck.

Following on from Hub2dee's last post I am still looking for a volunteer. We have started the seminars so could start from now on.

I am also keen to hear any suggestions anyone may have that might help me finding a volunteer.

Thanks in advance

Hi again,

Would it maybe help if you clarify precisely what's involved ? Does the carer need to be playing with the child ? Will you interact with the child ? Possibly it sounds all a bit vague / scary IYSWIM, and clarifying what goes on might help ?

One other thing: Perhaps clarifying how flexible the timing is might help. Parents of young children often have all sorts of random scheduling issues crop up, and commiting to every Tuesday at 10 might be tricky - what if they can't make it for several weeks or need to change the slot because there's a baby massage course they want to do etc. etc.

No other real suggestions I'm afraid - you could try approaching people who run M&T / playgroups too, perhaps they have currently pg parents about to have a baby ?

I suppose a financial incentive isn't allowed ? Could you maybe offer any other service to the parent (baby first aid training for example etc. etc.) ?

hth.

Thanks for your questions hub2dee.

I agree, it does seem a bit scary ? I will try to answer your questions here though. Please email me if you want any further information.

In an ideal world I would be a fly on the wall watching baby all the time. Clearly this is completely impossible. So instead an observer simply pops-in for an hour once a week to see what is going on in baby?s world. It, therefore, needs to be as natural as possible. I will interact but will try to avoid initiating anything as the more active I am the less of an observer I am.

It is better for the observation if it is a regular time, but clearly I can be flexible and will work around the family. I am sure we will have to change the timing over the course of the observation.

We can?t use any financial incentives I am afraid. Nor would I be able to give any training as this too would affect my role.

I realise that this is a huge commitment, - the observation would be for up to two years. It would be very important to meet before hand to make sure everyone is happy to proceed.

I hope this is helpful. As I said please don?t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions

I wouldn't mind but I'm in NI. What about asking for interest outside London within travelling distance? All those londony people are probably too busy!!

Maybe it comes down to personality then ? You need to explain that you are dashing and funny.

btw - I'm not asking for me, my dd is 16 months, it's more to see if we can help find you a baby to observe...

I'm in London and would have been interested but my baby is nearly five months now so too late.

It'll be v. v. difficult to get newborns IMHO - parents are just MADLY busy / tired / stressed in the run-up to and follow-on from the birth... people grab sleep ANY time they can, and I could think of nothing worse than having an 11 o'clock appointment when a newborn has just managed to fall asleep or stop crying or whatever at 10:40 IYSWIM... (although I have every confidence any observer would be COMPLETELY understanding about this, and be flexible)...

Bumping again, hope you find someone.

If I were you I would contact your GP surgery's health visitors and ask for help identifying somebody? So many people have to do these observations now they must be getting used to matching people up?

Otherwise you could say 'I'll observe for 1 hour and then iron for another hour' - I'd take that!

Thanks for all your responses so far.

Unfortunately I can't offer any ironing services in return.

I might have to start a new thread as this one seems to be getting a bit long, but just to update you all - I have had some offers but unfortunately they were too far away for it to be practical. So I am still looking for someone to help me.

Hi all
I am also looking for a new born to observe. I am doing a course similar to Oliver dale with exactly the same requirements.
I need to observe a newborn as soon after birth, they can have siblings, be male or female. I can be flexible on times of the day or days of the week to suit the family. South London would suit me best but I can travel.
If you are pregnant and interested or have just had a baby or know someone who might be interested please drop me a line or call me on 07883 008451.
Thank you,
Val

Hi, I am also doing a similar course and looking for a 'Mum to be' that's expecting a baby between now and February, or a Mum with a newborn baby (less than 4weeks). The Infant Observation course is part of an MA degree. Once qualified I'll be working to support Mums & babies both in South Africa and the UK. If you'd love an excuse to pause in your busy week to focus on your baby and would enjoy supporting me to support other Mum's and Baby's please make contact with me.

Any one who participated in an Infant Observation, either as a student or a parent/carer, interested in taking part in a research psychology project? I am looking into the experiences in Infant Observation for both observers and families. I am a postgraduate student studying for a MSc Psychology degree at the School of Psychology, University of East London. As part of my studies, I am conducting the research you are being invited to participate in. I am conducting research into what the experience was like for individuals who took part in an infant observation. The research has been approved by the School of Psychology Research Ethics Committee and follows the standard of research ethics set by the British Psychological Society.
You will be asked to take part in an interview with myself where you will be asked some questions around how you found the experience and you will have the opportunity to talk about your experience.
The interviews could take place at the University or at your home or at another appropriate and convenient location. The interview will be from 45 - 60 minutes and can be adapted to accommodate
your schedule. There is not any reimbursement for your time for the research project. But it would be valuable to understand from you perspective how you found the experience.
If you are interested you can reply directly here or email me on [email protected]
Kind regards,
Vasiliki Papoutsi

Hello,
My name is Olivia and I am currently enrolled at the Tavistock and Portman Clinic in NW London, studying a Masters in Psychoanalytic Studies. I am currently looking for a very young infant to observe within the home setting once a week for an hour, for a minimum of one academic year. I am required to start before the baby is 4 weeks old, so if you are a mother who is due to give birth very soon and may be interested, please feel free to contact me. The purpose of this observation is to gain a more in-depth understanding of a baby's typical development during the first year of life, as this is when key stages in emotional, mental and physical growth occur. I have an enhanced DBS.
If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact me through mumsnet or via email me at: [email protected].
Thanks

Hello Mumsnet 🙋🏻‍♀️
My name is Claire Costello and I am a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Practitioner at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. I have recently started training to qualify as a Child Psychotherapist. Part of my training is to work with a Mom and as near to birth baby to observe on a weekly basis. This observation takes an hour each week for the first two years of a babies life. The aim is to learn from the observation experience is to look at development, relationships and communication. I am looking for a Mom in the West Midlands area (Birmingham, Solihull, Tamworth, Walsall etc...). If anyone is interested and would like to find out more, please e-mail me at: [email protected] or [email protected]. I would then be able to send you more details and arrange a meeting. I look forward to hearing from any of you. Thank you for reading 😊 best wishes Claire

Hi,

Expecting a baby soon? Would you be interested in taking part in an
Infant Observation?

This involves visiting a mum/dad and new born baby for an hour once a week, to observe how baby grows and develops in his/her family. (Due to Covid the observation will be online initially)

As well as helping me in my training ( Attachment based psychotherapist at the Bowlby Centre) you may find it a rewarding experience too. Many mums’ who have taken part in infant observations in the past have seen this as an opportunity to reflect and focus on their own experience of their baby and have felt the observers presence to be a supportive one.
If you just had a baby or are expecting a baby in the next couple of months or just had a new born, and would like to find out more, I would be very happy to hear from you!!

Hi,

Expecting a baby soon? Would you be interested in taking part in an
Infant Observation?

This involves visiting a mum/dad and new born baby for an hour once a week, to observe how baby grows and develops in his/her family. (Due to Covid the observation will be online initially)

As well as helping me in my training ( Attachment based psychotherapist at the Bowlby Centre in London ) you may find it a rewarding experience too. Many mums’ who have taken part in infant observations in the past have seen this as an opportunity to reflect and focus on their own experience of their baby and have felt the observers presence to be a supportive one.
If you just had a baby or are expecting a baby in the next couple of months , and would like to find out more, I would be very happy to hear from you!!
Email: [email protected]

Hi all 😃

My name is Ioana and I am a Parent Infant Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist in training. I am looking for a mother who is willing to participate in weekly Infant Observations. If you're interested or have more questions please do not hesitate to contact me 😃 I live in Southend on Sea , Essex