Child

Lullabies. Simple, soothing… nonsense. Right? Wrong. Here we’re getting behind the importance of music and singing in a baby's development. India speaks to Dr Nina Polytimou about her research into how music can help with speech and communication and also be a powerful tool for bonding. India then visits a Singing Mamas group to hear how coming together as mothers to sing is a powerful, important, and missing slice of community. Kate Valentine, the founder, describes the impact it has on maternal mental health.Presented by: India Rakusen. Producers: India Rakusen And Georgia Arundell Series producer: Ellie Sans. Executive producer: Suzy Grant. Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts Original music composed and performed by The Big Moon. Mix and Mastering by Charlie Brandon-King.A Listen Production for Radio 4.

Seeing a baby make its first moves is a magical time. It marks the beginning of their independence. And it’s something that is often tracked using developmental milestones - but are they actually more problematic than they are useful? India Rakusen speaks to Professor Karen Adolph who shares her problems with milestones and discusses the cultural expectations of early development. She also hears from Dr Vanessa Cavallera from the World Health Organisation about the work they’re doing to update their 2006 milestone graph and the future of infant development.Presented by India Rakusen Producer: Georgia Arundell Series Producer: Ellie Sans Executive Producer: Suzy Grant Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts Original music composed and performed by The Big Moon and ESKA Mix and Mastering by Charlie Brandon-KingA Listen production for BBC Radio 4

Go on, be honest. Is this the first episode you clicked? It drives people crazy. It’s a firecracker of a topic, and emotions run high around sleep. So let’s talk about it. When did we start getting so anxious about baby sleep, and what’s ‘normal’ for a baby anyway? India talks to anthropologist Dr Helen Ball about all this and the controversial topic of bed sharing as well as economist Emily Oster, who’s crunched the numbers and research on… sleep training.Presented by: India Rakusen. Producer: Ellie Sans. Series producer: Ellie Sans. Executive producer: Suzy Grant. Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts Original music composed and performed by The Big Moon and Eska Mtungwazi. Mix and Mastering by Olga Reed.A Listen Production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

We’re taking a pause to lose ourselves down the rabbit hole of time. Because something strange happens to time in those first weeks of a baby's arrival. The rest of the world still seems to, mostly, rise with the sun, and sleep with the dark - but the world of a new parent has turned on its head. So what would happen if we looked at time in a totally different way? In this episode, India Rakusen explores the relatively new concept (but ancient experience of) Maialogical time with historian Joanna Wolfarth, discusses the impact of the first few months with Perinatal psychiatrist Trudi Seneviratne, and talks to musician and mother Eske Mtungwazi about her experience in the world of neonatal care.Presented by India Rakusen Producer: India Rakusen Series Producer: Ellie Sans Executive Producer: Suzy Grant Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts Original music composed and performed by Eska Mtungwazi Mix and Mastering by Olga ReedA Listen production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds

Milk. However it comes its a vital source of life. India Rakusen explores it’s various forms and the history and politics that have shaped the way we view how we feed our babies. The pressures around feeding our new-borns can be intensely difficult to navigate. India speaks to a new mum, Kerry, about her experience expressing and feeding in neonatal wards. She also finds out how milk is built from scientist Mary Fewtrell and talks to historian and author Joanna Wolfarth about the way milk has ruled motherhood, and how we can move forward. Presented by India Rakusen Producer: Ellie Sans Series Producer: Ellie Sans Executive Producer: Suzy Grant Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts Original music composed and performed by The Big Moon and ESKA Mtungwazi Mix and Mastering by Olga ReedA Listen production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds

The baby is born and takes its first breath. But it’s not over. India examines how the body reacts and recovers in this first hour, how the placenta is born, and how bonding begins between parents and baby. And what if it doesn’t? It’s not always instant love, and that’s okay. India speaks to doula Leila Baker and former midwife Rachel Reed about building that enchantment a different way when the rush of hormones doesn’t have the expected effect. Midwife Leah Hazard describes the immediate aftercare and India asks Dr Alison Wright about how more personalised care could improve mothers experiences.Produced and Presented by: India Rakusen. Series producer: Ellie Sans. Production Team: Ella McLeod & Georgia Arundell Executive producer: Suzy Grant. Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts Original music composed and performed by ESKA. Mix and Mastering by Charlie Brandon-King.A Listen Production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

With near-constant headlines of problems in our maternity services here in the UK, what does the word ‘trust’ mean today when it comes to birth, and what can we do to create more of it? India Rakusen heads to her own hospital where she’s due to give birth to speak to the director of midwifery Shirley Peterson, Dr Sanem Atakan a consultant obstetrician and a doula Aimee Hamblin about the breakdown and rebuilding of trust.Produced and Presented by India Rakusen Series Producer: Ellie Sans Production Team: Ella McLeod & Georgia Arundell Executive Producer: Suzy Grant. Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts Original music composed and performed by ESKA Mix and Mastering by Charlie Brandon-KingA Listen production for BBC Radio 4

Labour begins. The womb begins its grinding dance into contractions and the hormone Oxytocin steps onto the scene. In this episode, India Rakusen explores the influence that both people and the places we are in have over labour and birth. Where we give birth, and with who, has changed quite dramatically over the centuries. But what do we know now about the significance of both? We hear from Dr Sarah Fox about the move from birth being a women-only space to the rise of man-midwives. Economist Emily Oster discusses the benefits of having a doula, and Leila Baker, one of the directors of Doula UK, talks about the rise in Doulas and what that means for marginalised groups, security and safety. Finally Dr Ranee Thakar considers how recent headlines have eroded trust - with consequences for oxytocin.Presented by India Rakusen Producer: Ellie Sans Series Producer: Ellie Sans Production Team: Ella McLeod & Georgia Arundell Executive Producer: Suzy Grant Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts Original music composed and performed by ESKA And The Big Moon. Mix and Mastering by Olga ReedA Listen production for BBC Radio 4