New picture book opens conversations with adults with learning disabilities about becoming a parent
Loving Babies is the second in a series of evidence-based picture books to empower adults with learning disabilities to understand more about pregnancy and parenthood.
Beyond Words, the UK’s charity for visual and emotional literacy, has launched Loving Babies, the second in their series of word-free picture books exploring pregnancy and parenthood.
There are approximately 1.5 million people in the UK who have a learning disability – of those, 7% will become parents. But there are few resources for parents with learning disabilities. They are one of the groups most likely to report negative experiences of maternity care – feedback linked directly to a lack of clear communication and inaccessible information.
Beyond Words have been working to bridge this communication gap between parents and professionals, first creating the BMA Patient Information Award winning book Having a Baby, a picture story about pregnancy and birth, in 2022. Loving Babies follows on where Having a Baby left off, created by a team of parents and professional experts to show the everyday experiences of parenting and open conversations around it. The book shares stories about two babies and their families. We see the babies enjoying being with their parents and people they trust. We learn how parents respond to their babies cues and how good it is to feel supported as a parent.
The book can be used by healthcare and social care professionals to help talk to expectant or new parents about how to care for their babies, as well as carers and parents themselves. The conversations that develop around the pictures empower parents with knowledge of what to expect and how to listen to their baby, while offering an opportunity for professionals to provide reassurance and care that best meets parents’ needs. It is also a great resource for schools, to enable children to learn about how relationships develop between parents and babies.
During the book’s development it was extensively trialed with people with learning disabilities, making sure the story was relevant and applicable to their experiences.
Lead author Dr Kathryn Hollins explained: “Loving Babies is about something incredibly important: learning how to love and care for our babies. By creating this book we hope to enable people with learning disabilities to talk about what it is like to be a parent and to understand more about babies’ emotional needs for love and connection. Above all we wanted to communicate that it is good to share the ups and downs of parenthood with friends, family and supporters because it creates more joy and satisfaction for everyone, and especially our children.
The ideas behind picture-based stories are simple but powerful. The stories enable people to share their own experiences of parenthood and early childhood, as they did when the book was being trialled, and helps everyone to reflect on the emotional, relational and practical implications of caring for and loving babies.”
Dr Hollins (https://www.drkathrynhollins.com/), a Consultant Parent, Child and Family Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist, collaborated with artist Lisa Kopper and co-authors Dr Anna Cox (Psychologist and Researcher; University of Surrey), Michelle McDermott (expert by experience and Co-Chairperson at Thera Trust), Ali F. Jabeen (accredited parenting practitioner and specialist advocate) and the Elfrida Society Parents’ Project to devise the picture story over many months. The project was overseen by Professor Sheila the Baroness Hollins, Founder and Chair of Beyond Words.
Loving Babies is available in paperback format from Beyond Words with an eBook format to follow soon. For the month of December both books can be purchased as a set for the discounted price of £15 instead of £25. Guidance on how to use word-free picture stories is included for anyone unfamiliar with their practical application.