Better Bonding With Your Baby
Using Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) we support families of all shapes and sizes before and after birth to bond with their baby.
What happens in a session?
A Babies1st practitioner meets with you (and your partner) and discusses your hopes, expectations and concerns. The practitioner will film you either with your bump, if you are pregnant, or with your baby for a short while, then edits the film to identify the best moments. After a break you look together to see what makes these moments special. This is called one cycle and can take up to two hours. You learn:
- To better read your babies cues
- To have more fun together
- To strengthen your bond with baby
How much does it cost?
We offer individual sessions for mothers, fathers and their babies and baby bonding groups.
Our sessions are free if you live in Buckinghamshire. For others we offer a sliding scale because our philosophy is to offer our work to ALL parents who want it.
Extra Support
Some parents struggle to bond with their babies. You may have experienced a traumatic birth, insensitive parenting in your childhood, or suffer from prior mental health problems. If this is the case you can benefit from extra support and filming you and your baby can be a good way to provide this. A new baby can increase the stress in the family. We can help you to identify your strengths and look for constructive ways of coping with the new challenges.
Free Confidential Consultations
For parents and babies (up to age two). You will have an opportunity to tell your story, reflect with a Babies1st practitioner on concerns, worries and hopes. If you want to have further consultations, you will be sign-posted to one of our practitioners. The sessions are conducted by parent infant psychotherapists, VIG guiders, and Early Years Practitioners.
Looking at myself with my baby Tarek was an eye opener. What I saw was so different from how I had felt. It helped me to understand that I was being sensitive to him and I was a good parent. I would recommend doing it, for sure.
I was surprised and found it so helpful to see myself in those friendly images my guider showed.
I felt anxious to get things right for my baby Zoe. Seeing her on film, thinking with my guider about what she may be feeling, helped me to realise I was doing a good job.
We are proud to have received funding from the following organisations:
We are a non-profit organisation and depending on fund raising, donations and grants to subsidize the provision of sessions so that no one should miss out as a result of financial hardship.
• Donate £10 to provide literature for parents on Babies1st services.
• Donate £25 to provide a peer supporter for one group session
• Donate £50 to provide a parent or professional with a consultation.
• Donate £75 to provide an antenatal or postnatal group session for up to 5 parents and 5 babies.
• Donate £100 to provide a mother and baby with a cycle of VIG comprised of 2 sessions.
• Donate £300 to provide a parent and baby with 3 VIG cycles or 6 sessions.