Evolutionary Parenting Podcast

"It's just the way it is!"

"Progress is always good"

These are the sentiments that many people feel about the way our society and culture is structured. Because it's how we've grown up and what we've experienced, we believe this is the way it is. We view change as progress and think that anything different must be less than. But what if this isn't the type of society or life that enabled us humans to thrive? We evolved to this point, but is this really the best we can hope for? Welcome to the concept of the Evolved Nest - the concept that how we lived for the majority of human history has been what enabled our success and moving back to the key features of that history can help us thrive once again. This week I had the pleasure of talking with Dr. Darcia Narveaz, the creator of this concept and the associated nonprofit organization to discuss what this involves and how we can all thrive. Isn't it time we get to the stage where we all feel whole again?

Dr. Darcia Narvaez: https://psychology.nd.edu/faculty/darcia-narvaez/

The Evolved Nest: https://evolvednest.org/

Books on the Evolved Nest*

Contexts for Young Child Flourishing: https://amzn.to/3AYbD1j

Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality: https://amzn.to/36EoOq9

Restoring the Kinship Worldview: https://amzn.to/36AbbZ1

Scientific Articles on the Evolved Nest

https://pubs.lib.umn.edu/index.php/ijps/article/view/2244

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/eco.2020.0067?journalCode=eco

https://internationaljournalofwellbeing.org/index.php/ijow/article/view/987/775

When you thought about nursing, did you think about how long it would go? Did you think, "I will absolutely be done by one because that's old enough"? Then find yourself with a 2-year-old attached to the boob and worry that they're too old? Or perhaps you were okay with that from the start, but still face comments, questions, and accusations from others about this? Welcome to nursing beyond infancy - something most of the world does, but which those of us in WEIRD - Western, Educated, Industrial, Rich, and Democratic - countries seem to have some odd ideas about. This week I am joined by Meg Nagle, IBCLC and founder of The Milk Meg, as we debunk some of these myths that you may have been told so that you can, in the words of Meg, keep on boobin' with less stress and worry.

The Milk Meg: https://themilkmeg.com/

All Tied Up*: https://amzn.to/3qUHcEs

Boobin' All Day Boobin' All Night*: https://amzn.to/3qT7Nln

Some articles on nursing older children:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2720507/

https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/INFORMIT.674686961104750

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0890334404266969

* Amazon Affiliate Link

From the moment a family is expecting their first child, decisions are made about how that relationship is going to work, decisions that don't always match reality. The addition of a new person to the family - and a rather helpless one at that - changes everything. Here we have a baby who needs and expects certain things. Food. Warmth. Care. We also have parents who often live in cultures that tell them what to expect from their baby. And as I talked about last week with Dr. Helen Ball, often the messages parents get are incongruent with their realities. This week the discussion continues with Dr. Cecilia Tomori who has spent a career doing in-depth, ethnographic work on how families navigate and negotiate the tensions that affect parenting decisions, particularly from a moral framework of how we make the decisions we do. From colonialism to convenience, you may be surprised at all the ways parenting decisions are influenced.

Dr. Cecilia Tomori: https://nursing.jhu.edu/faculty_research/faculty/faculty-directory/cecilia-tomori and https://www.ceciliatomori.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrTomori

Books by Dr. Tomori:

Breastfeeding: New Anthropological Approaches: https://www.routledge.com/Breastfeeding-New-Anthropological-Approaches/Tomori-Palmquist-Quinn/p/book/9781138502871

Nighttime Breastfeeding: https://www.berghahnbooks.com/title/tomorinighttime

Relevant Articles:

https://dro.dur.ac.uk/28335/

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/24694452.2018.1558628?journalCode=raag21

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277953616305135

"You must breastfeed!" says the medical professional.

"Don't you dare sleep with your baby!" says the same medical professional.

The tension between how we feed our babies and how we sleep with them is a real problem for many new families. As primates, we are expected to stay close to our young, and that includes nighttime, and this has profound implications for our feeding journey. As we discussed last week, breast or chestfeeding grief is real and many families struggle with it, but some of this comes from advice that may be well-intentioned but harms that feeding relationship. This week I got to talk to the expert herself - Dr. Helen Ball - researcher of the effects of sleep location on feeding and vice versa about this very issue. She also happens to be one of my favourite people to talk so this episode was an absolute joy for me. If you think that how you sleep doesn't affect how you feed your baby or how you feed your baby doesn't affect how you sleep, you're likely in for a bit of a surprise.

Dr. Helen Ball: https://www.dur.ac.uk/research/directory/staff/?id=121

Durham Infancy and Sleep Centre: https://www.durham.ac.uk/research/institutes-and-centres/durham-infancy-sleep-centre/

BASIS Website: www.basisonline.org

BASIS Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BabySleepInfoSource/

BASIS Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/basis_babysleepinfosource/

Articles of Interest (a small selection of many):

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1523-536X.2003.00243.x

https://adc.bmj.com/content/89/12/1106.abstract

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0264683021000033147

https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1525/aa.1999.101.1.143

https://adc.bmj.com/content/91/12/1005.short

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/icd.519

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Helen-Ball/publication/30053712_Breastfeeding_and_mother-infant_sleep_proximity_implications_for_infant_care/links/0fcfd50c45a22d9d36000000/Breastfeeding-and-mother-infant-sleep-proximity-implications-for-infant-care.pdf

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10995-015-1798-7

Although not every parent chooses to, many report wanting to breastfeed or chestfeed their child. Our Western society likes to promote this with slogans and ideas that "breast is best", but most of that isn't backed up with the type of support that parents need to make this a reality. From inadequate leave to advice that counters the promotion of breastfeeding to a lack of instrumental and social support for new parents, breast and chestfeeding are an uphill battle, to say the least. Unfortunately this means many parents fail to reach their own goals and this can lead to intense grief about this. Too often, they are told it doesn't matter or just to suck it up, neither of which is supportive or helpful for parents experiencing this grief. This week I was privileged to talk to Dr. Amy Brown about this issue, one she has researched and written on for her book, "Why breastfeeding grief and trauma matter". Whether you were successful in your breast or chestfeeding goals or not, or even if that just wasn't your choice to even embark on, this episode is a critical listen for all of us who engage with new parents.

Dr. Amy Brown: https://professoramybrown.co.uk/about-me

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Prof_AmyBrown

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prof_amybrown/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breastfeedinguncovered

Why Breastfeeding Grief and Trauma Matter: https://www.bookdepository.com/Why-Breastfeeding-Grief-Trauma-Matter-Amy-Brown/9781780666150

To learn more about the Evolutionary Parenting Podcast visit https://evolutionaryparenting.com/evolutionary-parenting-podcast-2/

When we first become parents there are tons of books and advice for us to follow in the baby years and even the toddler years. As our kids age, however, it seems that all the parenting experts start to fade away. They don't dare touch the older children until perhaps the teenage years. Yet our tweens - that delicate age around 8 to 13 - is crucial to how we will face the teenage years with our children. The challenges that can come with this age can set the stage for how we will approach potentially even more tumultuous times in adolescence, but many parents feel lost at sea as they face these years. This week I had the joy of talking to Sarah Ockwell-Smith who many of you will know for her work in infancy and toddlerhood, but who has filled the much-needed gap for us parents of tweens with her new book Between. From connection with our tweens to anxiety to social activism, we delved into some of the key areas that parents need to be aware of when it comes to parenting tweens. And as always, it comes with the humour and honesty that Sarah brings to everything she does.

Sarah Ockwell-Smith: https://sarahockwell-smith.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheBabyExpert

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahockwellsmithauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahockwellsmith

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/sarahockwellsmith

Between Book: https://www.bookdepository.com/Between-Sarah-Ockwell-Smith/9780349427775

To learn more about the Evolutionary Parenting Podcast visit https://evolutionaryparenting.com/evolutionary-parenting-podcast-2/

Welcome back to part two of my talk with Brian Earp. If you haven't listened yet to last week's episode, I strongly suggest you do because some of what we talk about this week directly follows that conversation. Moving on from the discussion of health risks versus benefits of male infant circumcision, this week we turn towards the social elephant in the room, namely the gendered debate on circumcision as well as more emotional issues such as the defensiveness of parents and the struggles for some men to feel heard on the issue. I hope this conversation may also provide a means for families or individuals struggling to find a way to open up and feel heard. It's up to all of us to listen when people share their story.

Brian Earp: https://philosophy.yale.edu/people/brian-earp

Brian Earp's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR4umqUbmaDirAig2zD-zBw

Resources:

Your Whole Baby: https://www.yourwholebaby.org/

Doctors Opposing Circumcision: https://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/

The Intact Network: https://www.intactnetwork.org/

To learn more about the Evolutionary Parenting Podcast visit https://evolutionaryparenting.com/evolutionary-parenting-podcast-2/

In North America - the United States in particular - males are regularly circumcised at birth. Over the years, various arguments have been made leading up to a shift in the American Academy of Pediatrics suggesting that the benefits of male infant circumcision outweigh the risks. In this episode - the first of two - I had the chance to talk to Brian Earp, an outspoken critic of the arguments often made in favour of non-therapeutic male infant circumcision. He approaches this topic with logic and science and we start today by looking at these arguments regarding benefits versus risks and how this relates to a child's right to bodily autonomy. I know this is a topic that can be hard for some people, but it's an important one that we need to discuss.

Brian Earp: https://philosophy.yale.edu/people/brian-earp

Relevant Articles:

https://jme.bmj.com/content/39/7/418.short

https://wchh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/tre.531

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Brian-Earp-2/publication/316527603_Cultural_Bias_in_American_Medicine_The_Case_of_Infant_Male_Circumcision/links/59bed6d1458515e9cfd228c4/Cultural-Bias-in-American-Medicine-The-Case-of-Infant-Male-Circumcision.pdf

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17441692.2016.1184292

https://philpapers.org/rec/EARFGM

To learn more about the Evolutionary Parenting Podcast visit https://evolutionaryparenting.com/evolutionary-parenting-podcast-2/

This is a special episode of the podcast because it's focused on something highly relevant to us today. At this moment, we're faced with a global pandemic that we are trying to overcome. Over the past few months, vaccinations have become a crucial step in this process, but there are still questions and concerns that people have, especially around those who are breastfeeding or chestfeeding. I had the chance to talk with Dr. Rebecca Powell, an immunologist who has been at the forefront of the research trying to understand the impact of covid infection and vaccination on breastmilk and in turn, the impact for babies. Join me for this special episode that will hopefully alleviate any worries people have and help inform on this unique issue.

Dr. Powell's Lab: https://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/rebecca-powell-lab/

Articles of Interest:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004220309329

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.03.16.21253731v1

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.03.22.21253831v1

If interested in sending a milk sample (listen to the episode), you can email Dr. Powell at [email protected].

To learn more about the Evolutionary Parenting Podcast visit https://evolutionaryparenting.com/evolutionary-parenting-podcast-2/

A common view today is that when we are born, we are somehow born on even footing when it comes to the effects of how we are raised and what this means for us developmentally. We believe this despite the emergence of epigenetic theories that tell us otherwise, but the problem becomes how to actually study this given the myriad variables that are at play. This week I had the pleasure of talking to a leader in this field - Dr. Amanda Dettmer - and her work studying rhesus macaques to explore this very issue of not only intergenerational effects, but how our early life experiences impact so many facets of our lives. We also got talking about anti-animal research perspectives if that's something you're interested in. I hope you'll enjoy this conversation as much as I enjoyed having it.

Dr. Dettmer: https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/amanda_dettmer/

Dr. Dettmer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/amanda_dettmer

Relevant Articles:

https://www.nber.org/papers/w27737

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ajp.22969

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/dev.21916

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17470919.2016.1176952

https://academic.oup.com/ilarjournal/article/55/2/361/645985

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3196800/

To learn more about the Evolutionary Parenting Podcast visit https://evolutionaryparenting.com/evolutionary-parenting-podcast-2/