Babywise (Gary Ezzo) - An Article by Katie Allison Granju

[BellyBelly]

I posted it not to say (actually I didn't say anything, judge or make a comment so it's all open to personal interpretation) parents who do this are damaging their children. But this program has been widely and notoriously protested against from paediatricians, doctors, lactation consultants and other experts alike, for the damage it is doing to babies. So too has Ezzo been ostracised from his church community and his daughters have disowned him, refusing to be part of his life while he teaches this. The infant brain is under some major wiring stages early in life, once you've wired them, you shape them as they will be as a teenager and adult.

To not post something like this is akin to not posting about the dangers of smoking, because some smokers are happy smoking and don't want to become non-smokers.

If someone wanted to post an article on the dangers of vaginal birth I would not mind one bit and I would not argue with them. But I would contribute facts and figures to show that it is the safest way to give birth in a healthy pregnancy (healthy mother and baby) because it's true. Why withold the truth?

I want to inform parents about safe, proven, gentle methods. I am sorry but this is not one of them and if it works, great but I encourage others to explore and consider the definition of 'works.' People say controlled crying works. But in fact what is shown to happen is the baby gives up and learns helplessness. He grows up learning not to bother asking for help or things are too hard or he has to do it all on his own and to withdraw his feelings... all we see is a sleeping baby (for the small percent it actually works for, long term, based on a survey of mothers). We don't see the neural pathways making their connections in the brain to relate a situation to an emotion....

I profoundly remember Pinky McKay telling me a story of a mother she went to see. The mother was distraught because her young child would seek out the love and comfort of her other child when hurt or upset, because he knew he would not get comfort from his mother. And many times where babies stop giving eye contact because they don't get it when distressed... how can this be healthy? It's distressing to mother and child.