Introduction

Professor Helen Ball is Director of the Durham Infancy & Sleep Centre, Durham University. She studies infant sleep and the parent-infant sleep relationship from a biosocial perspective. Helen also pioneers the translation of academic research on infant sleep into evidence for use by parents and healthcare staff via BASIS – the Baby Sleep Information Source website (www.basisonline.org.uk). She has conducted research in hospitals and the community, and contributes to national and international policy and practice guidelines on infant care. In 2013 Helen received an award for Outstanding Impact in Society from the Economic and Social Research Council, and in 2018 Durham University was awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for her research and outreach on parent-infant sleep.

Dr Pamela Douglas has been in general practice since 1987, also practicing as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant in breastfeeding medicine since 1994. She and various teams have developed Neuroprotective Developmental Care (NDC or ‘the Possums programs’) in 30 research publications. Pam developed and began delivering the Possums Infant Sleep Program (the sleep domain of NDC) in 2011. It was published in 2014 in collaboration with Dr Koa Whittingham. Pam is Founder and Medical Director of the Australian charity Possums & Co.; Associate Professor (Adjunct) with the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University; and Senior Lecturer with the General Practice Clinical Unit, The University of Queensland. She is also author of the bestselling book, The Discontented Little Baby Book.  

It was more than useful, it was life changing. I experienced such a difference in the enjoyment of my time with my baby and I’m still reaping the benefits. Honestly, it was probably the best thing I’ve ever done in my life because I felt so lost.

Participant 51

I relaxed and stopped worrying about not doing what [others] were telling me was extremely important with regards to ‘teaching’ self settling.

Participant 15