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genevieve simperingham

Issue 63

From the first positive pregnancy test to the first time you hold your baby, parenthood invites you into unfamiliar territory. Natural parenting encourages you to slow down and tune in. To trust your body during pregnancy and birth. To respond to your baby with confidence and connection. To recognise that while expert guidance can be valuable, no one knows your child quite like you do. As our children grow, so do we. In this issue, you’ll find inspiration, practical guidance, heartfelt stories and trusted resources covering pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, health, babywearing and more. Breastfeeding Counsellor Danielle Facey shares her personal journey of preparing to breastfeed her second baby. She discusses colostrum harvesting, skin to skin, lactation support, bed-sharing and her plans to go in “informed, resourced and a great deal kinder to myself than I was before”. Rosie Humberstone asks the question, “Can we really have an undisturbed birth in the maternity system today?” and delves into the practice of non-focused awareness. She talks about how regardless of where you end up labouring, there will be distractions and disturbances, and that it is what you do and how you respond that you do have some control over. Genevieve Simperingham shares valuable advice on supporting and protecting children through parental separation, ensuring they feel “seen, heard and held throughout the process”. She recommends ways to help your children through transitions and some tools to support emotional security. Whether you are preparing to welcome a new baby or embracing a new stage of family life, we wish you and your loved ones good health and happiness on your parenting journey. Love from the TNP team xxx

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Issue 60

Parenting has always been more than a role. It’s a heritage of values, wisdom and connection passed lovingly from one generation to the next. Traditional parenting values remind us that the most important lessons we give our children don’t come from gadgets or busy schedules, but from the steady rhythms of family life: patience, respect, empathy and a deep sense of belonging. In this edition, we celebrate these guiding values. Raising children is less about following trends and more about fostering connection. Genevieve Simperingham discusses the “pitfalls of permissive parenting”, explaining that “understanding the distinctions between the peaceful and permissive parenting styles is key to a parent’s confidence and their child’s wellbeing”. We feature Helen Bartrom’s latest ‘positive birth story’, where Mia gives her personal account of the birth of her second son, which she describes as “the most healing, magical and redemptive homebirth” she ever could have wished for. Annaliese Jones discusses postpartum health and wellbeing and how, in her opinion, it is one of the most overlooked areas of healthcare. She goes on to provide some great tips for maintaining nutrition post birth. Tracy Gillett delves into the pressures on parents to sleep train their babies, and “society’s unwillingness to accept that babies are not designed to sleep through the night”. She debunks some common sleep training myths and talks about some great ways to naturally support your baby’s sleep. As always, we have some delicious, simple recipe ideas for you to try with your little ones. Wishing our fabulous readers love, happiness and good health on your parenting journey. Love from the TNP Team xxx

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Issue 57

Wishing all of our wonderful Natural Parent Magazine readers a Happy New Year! We hope you had a fabulous holiday season and made some magical memories with your families and friends over the Christmas and New Year period. This edition’s front cover features an illustration by Deganit Tzabari Karnieli of the Bibas family, an Israeli family who were attacked and taken captive from their home community on October 7th 2023. The image depicts mother Shiri, and her two little boys, Ariel and Kfir. In our first issue of 2025, Genevieve Simperingham writes about parenting in the face of tragedy or threats and how, as parents, “we are faced with the difficult task of filtering the world’s often harsh realities from our children, while trying to somehow strike a balance between overprotection and overexposure”. We feature Helen Bartrom’s latest ‘positive birth story’. Kiki shares the story of her powerful journey to a successful HBAC (home birth after 2 caesareans) to baby Lara. Annaliese Jones discusses hormonal health and how our reproductive hormones specifically play a significant role in our overall health. She explains what a healthy menstrual cycle looks like, talks about endocrine disruptors and what you can do to avoid them. Tracy Gillett writes about how modern sleep myths are failing our babies. This piece debunks the myths and reassures parents that “you’re not failing if your baby wakes frequently, needs help falling asleep or wants to be close to you”. As always, we have some simple, delicious and nutritious recipes for you to try with your little ones. We wish you a wonderful year ahead, full of love, peace, happiness and magical memories for you and your families! Love from the TNP Team xxx

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Issue 55

If there is one thing we can all agree that parents need more than anything, it’s support. Our latest beautiful issue is here to support you too, with inspiration, advice, tips and real-life experiences to guide you on your journey through pregnancy, birth and motherhood. In Lucy Ruddle’s article ‘Fed isn’t best, but breast isn’t either’, she delves into the challenges surrounding statements of something being “best” in the world of infant feeding. She talks about how when we segregate parents based on feeding method, “we create an environment of ‘us vs them’ instead of one of understanding and support for everyone”, and that when we divide parents into camps, “no one is working on making governments work harder to help more people reach whatever feeding goal they have in mind”. Kato Matthews explores how babywearing can help parents to get more rest and restore energy levels. She talks about the different types of rest, like physical, mental, sensory and creative, and how babywearing offers a reprieve for both carer and baby: “Babies who are carried cry less, meaning less noise for carers to filter and less worry about the cause of the crying”. Genevieve Simperingham looks at what trauma is, some of the symptoms, how it impacts a child, and approaches to support your child’s healing and recovery. She talks about Dr Aletha Solter’s three essential ingredients for a child to heal, and explains that for children to experience emotional safety, “parents need to adopt peaceful parenting approaches, as even the threat of punishments activate the child’s stress response”. We also have some more delicious recipes for you to try at home with your children. Wishing you health and happiness on your parenting journey. Love from the TNP Team xxx

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Issue 54

From the moment you find out you are pregnant, you start imagining what this little person will be like. Your life will be forever changed once you hold your baby in your arms for the first time. Take some time to appreciate the season you are in, and know that you are doing an amazing job. Our latest stunning issue is packed to the brim with inspiration, tips, advice and real-life experiences to guide and support you on your journey through pregnancy, birth and motherhood. We feature Helen Bartom’s latest ‘positive birth story’. She shares Aimee’s incredible preparation in her journey to a successful home VBAC (Vaginal birth after Caesarean). She describes the planning she put in, the support she had around her, and how immensely healing her “beautiful and transformative birth with Hugo” was. Genevieve Simperingham delves into the pain and rejection that can occur when a child prefers one parent over the other. She provides some great advice on how to navigate these tricky times. Lucy Ruddle writes about the sensory challenges of breastfeeding for neurodivergent mums. She has some great ideas for using sensory regulation and calming techniques during and around feeding. For those navigating infant sleep, Tracy Gillett discusses what biologically normal baby sleep looks like, pointing out that society’s version of “normal” makes it extremely difficult for new parents to know what to expect. Kato Matthews has some great babywearing advice and suggestions for those planning a trip with their little one. She talks about how babywearing comes into its own during travel, freeing our hands and holding our kids close. We hope that this season is filled with fun, love, good health and happiness for you and your families. Love from the TNP Team xxx

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Issue 51

Wherever you are at on this wonderful parenting journey, our latest bumper edition is packed full of real-life experiences, advice and inspiration to support and guide you along the way. Genevieve Simperingham writes about navigating bedtime struggles with our little ones. She talks about the importance of considering a child’s unmet needs from the day, holding space for them to release any pent-up stress and frustration, and making time to really connect with them before bed. Mandy Rees discusses how a change of mindset can help parents navigate the road ahead, explaining that by being open and aware of the mindset choices available to us as parents, it allows us to go easier on ourselves when times get hard. Bonnie Bailey shares the stories of three women birthing on their own terms. With the common perception that birthing outside a hospital is risky, these women share their motivations, real-life experiences and their advice for pregnant mamas who are considering their options. Annaliese Jones talks about the “motherhood mismatch”. She explains that “most of the physiological traits we’ve developed as women were designed in a very different environment to our modern world” yet are still with us, despite our current environment being vastly different. She goes on to discuss how we can bridge the gap with practical solutions to benefit our health and wellbeing. Wishing you wonderful, safe and happy times with your families. Love from the TNP Team xxx

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Issue 48

In this issue we reflect on the life of Queen Elizabeth II, a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Serving the UK and Commonwealth for over 72 years, she has been a constant figure in all of our lives and will be missed by generations of families across the world. Our latest stunning issue is full of inspiration, tips, advice and real-life experiences to guide you on your journey through pregnancy, birth and motherhood. Pinky McKay talks about potential dairy allergies in breastfed babies, the symptoms to look out for, and the steps you can take to eliminate dairy from your own diet. Genevieve Simperingham discusses the benefits of mindfulness and some simple ways that you and your child can develop mindful awareness and better manage stress. Tracey Gillett talks about the science behind “night-time parenting” and how it contributes to a baby’s healthy brain development. She discusses that much of a baby’s behaviour is designed to keep their parents or caregivers close “most, if not all the time, in order to protect them”. Rosie Clark shares some delicious and nutritious recipes for the whole family, and if you are looking for some cute and creative craft ideas she has provided some gorgeous activities to try with your children. Wishing you health and happiness on your parenting journey. Love from the TNP Team xxx

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Issue 26

This issue is all about new life even if it is autumn! We’ve got a fantastic extract from Emily Writes’ new book “Rants in the dark”, where she tells us all about finding out she was pregnant for the first time – grab your tissues – you’ll be crying and laughing at once. Things can get a bit messy over Easter time when you have siblings bickering over the chocolate eggs, and lots of sugar means tempers can rise. As parents grow tired and weary it becomes easy to fall back on old threats and sometimes punishments. Fear not folks we have our lovely Genevieve Simperingham to offer her wisdom in her article Sibling Struggles. “To remain kind and effective, we need to keep developing our awareness of our reactions, learning to witness and recognise them and as this awareness grows, we can eventwually learn to manage that aggressive impulse and instead take a deep breath and choose to speak with kindness – thereby modelling that which we want our children to develop.” We hope you enjoy the rest of the autumn issue.

Issue 20

The spring issue of The Natural Parent Magazine is all about being thankful – and there’s plenty to be thankful for in this issue! Check out the beautiful adult colouring in page on page seven. According to experts colouring in calms the mind. Focusing your attention on this simple task, that requires repetitive motion, can act as a type of meditation and helps replace negative thoughts and create a state of peace in your mind. Make a few copies so that you can sit down and colour in with your children. We would love to see your finished results so be sure to share on the The Natural Parent Facebook page. We’ve got an interesting take on pregnancy and veganism – a question many-a-parent ponders, is it possible? Our breastfeeding section covers the issues surrounding ending the breastfeeding relationship, and we have an awesome piece on planning a party for children with eczema and allergies. We hope you enjoy all of the usual sections with wonderful natural parenting articles from the amazingly wise Genevieve Simperingham and Pinky McKay – there’s something for everyone – Happy spring!

Issue 15

It’s winter, and kicking bugs and keeping our children healthy naturally is a key focus for parents at this time, and as we all know there’s no better way to support a strong immune system in our children than starting them off well through breastfeeding. No one knows this better than Natasha Batsford, one of our guest authors this issue. Read through her story in the breastfeeding section on how she used a little known device called a supplemental nursing system (SNS) to help to continue that breastfeeding connection with her little one. When the rain is coming down in buckets and you haven’t been outside for days, tempers can fray. Our wonderful regular contributors, Genevieve Simperingham, Pinky McKay and David Hart offer some great ideas to help us keep it together and make some gentle and loving choices in our parenting journey.

Issue 14

This issue has an excerpt from Robin Grille’s book Parenting for a Peaceful World. In the parenting section we have work from Gordon Neufeld, Genevieve Simperingham and Gil Rapley as well as some great Autumn recipes in our Healthy Eats section. We also have some wonderful pieces in our sleep section on Co-sleeping from James Mckenna. From Gardening to Travelling the European Festival circuit with kids, we’ve covered it all.

Issue 12

This issue has some helpful advice for mothers with Gestational diabetes and for all the many mothers suffering from post natal depression we have some great ideas around nutrition and how to combat PND. Robin Grille asks us to look back into our childhood and remember how it felt to be a child when we relate with our kids, and Genevieve Simperingham shows us the pitfalls of obedience training. We’ve got free patterns, breastfeeding multiples and much more. Check out this issue for the best in Natural Parenting!

Issue 3

In this issue we look at breastfeeding beyond the cultural norm, and find out some amazing facts about natural term breastfeeding. We look at how the way people react to bullies is part and parcel of creating a bully in Robin Grilles piece – Natural Born Bullies – and read all about Elimination communication and how to go about trying it for yourself! Genevieve Simperingham discussed how we can go about escaping the viscious cycle of stress that all parents go through, and Sarah Buckley shares her experiences of Lotus Birth…