Stories

Difrax had the privilege of chatting to Roxanne Atkinson, occupational therapist and author of the informative and humorous book, The Unicorn Baby, in which she debunks 10 myths of modern parenting. DIFRAX: Tell us a bit about yourself. ROXANNE: Hi! I am Roxanne Atkinson. Most people call me Roxi. I am a South African OT working out of Cape Town. I am a proud mom of a pigeon pair who have transformed how I see myself, my life and my work. I have always been passionate about babies, but I only really became passionate about families a decade ago when I became a mom myself. Prior to this, I was rather judgy as many of us can be prior to making and raising actual human beings.   I am one of those weirdos who always knew what I wanted to do and went after it. I love travelling and have gotten to do OT in countries like Ghana, America, Malawi and Madagascar. Currently, I get to work with incredible families in private practice. I usually see about 25 patients a week and get to serve as a researcher, cheerleader, counsellor and advocate. I also love words and sharing knowledge so you may spot me writing a column for Your Pregnancy Magazine or chatting about development on the Pippa Hudson show.    DIFRAX: What inspired you to write The Unicorn Baby? ROXANNE: The field of neuroscience has exploded over the last 15 years and we now know so much more about babies and their brains. However, most of this information is not accessible to the people who really need it - parents of real babies! I got tired of repeating the same information over and over to anxious parents who had bought into these modern parenting myths. I wrote this book to go to war against these myths and to help empower families with evidence. I decided to swim against the tide and make the science and the journals accessible to parents in an honest and humorous way, so that they could feel confident in making the best parenting decisions for their families. DIFRAX: Which myths baffled you the most when you had your little ones? ROXANNE:  Some people are ugly drunks, I am ugly tired. I really need and appreciate good sleep and so I struggled most with the pervasive sleep myths I encountered. You know, "you must get your baby to sleep through the night"... "if your baby wakes it is because they are hungry".... "Don't feed your baby to sleep"... "don't hold your baby"... "your baby must sleep alone in their cot" etc. Whilst I had my first baby a decade ago, these sleep myths still seem to be hanging around and terrorising babies and their parents. This blows my mind as we know babies are biologically programmed to wake and that the more direct care babies get, the better the long-term outcome. Both my babies woke regularly, but with my first I fought this reality and tried all the bad advice for months. It was exhausting. With our second, although he woke just as much, I was less tired as I wasn't constantly trying to fix a 'problem' by enforcing an unrealistic sleep schedule as I had more knowledge of what normal and healthy baby sleep actually looks like.   DIFRAX: Pick a paragraph from your book to share with us. ROXANNE:  When I say you need to consider your baby’s biology, I am referring to the cells of your child’s brain and body. These cells are constantly growing and changing to allow your baby to develop. So, when I say a baby has a biological need, you should try to imagine this on a cellular level. A baby’s biology creates a drive towards meeting that need, whether it is for energy, love, warmth, or play. Development is a dance between biology and experience. Some babies will require more experience to learn than others. The golden rule is to respectfully introduce your baby to a wider variety of sensorimotor experiences, watching and waiting as their development unfolds. Almost all babies will have an area of development that is tricky for them, be it sleep, feeding, talking or teething. Oh except the Unicorn Baby of course. The Unicorn baby develops without exposure. The Unicorn Baby never fails. In fact, the Unicorn Baby does not rely on biology! My hope is that as you unpack each myth and replace it with the corresponding biological and developmental realities, you will feel more prepared. You will gain insight into and appreciation for your baby and your role as a parent. You will celebrate your baby’s uniqueness, whether they have been born a Unicorn or not. There has never been, and never will be, another baby just like yours. For further myth busting you can get a copy of The Unicorn Baby at Loot, Amazon, Takealot, Exclusive Books, Readers Warehouse and Bargain Books.    

Our first Mom Talk is with @just_another_manic_mom_day, Jessie Buxton, on her family life, journey as a working mom, and how Difrax has assisted with Jude’s tongue tie. DIFRAX: How has Difrax assisted Jude? JESSIE: Initially I was exclusively breastfeeding Jude. Supplementing a feed with a bottle so early after birth had never been part of my plan but when we discovered Jude’s tongue tie and saw how he battled to breastfeed, we had to find an alternative solution while we waited to sort out his tongue tie. Thankfully Difrax sent us a bottle, so we gave it a try and WOW, it lives up to its promises. Jude’s tongue tie caused him to swallow too much air when he breastfed and, paired with my fast flow, it ended up giving him huge digestive discomfort. The Difrax anti-colic S-bottle was such a welcomed relief for him. He could drink much slower and no air got in the way. He drank so much better with this bottle and became a much happier bub! DIFRAX: Tell us a bit about your family. JESSIE: My husband, Lyle, and I have been married for almost 5 years now. He stalked me on Facebook through a mutual friend and after making sure he wasn’t a creep, the rest is history! Lyle is an actor, singer and teacher and I’m a recruitment specialist who works from home. We had our daughter, Lucy, in 2019. Shortly after, when I was meant to go back to work in the office, Covid hit, and so I started working from home while trying to stimulate Lucy and help her grow and develop as best as she could. It was then that I became a big fan of affordable home play ideas, which I share on my Instagram page. Lucy is two and a half now and has started going to day care, which she absolutely loves. Sometimes she even cries when I pick her up to come home. She is quite the character and an absolute ball of silly energy, making us laugh every day. In November 2021 we had our son, Jude. I had a successful vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) with him, which I am so proud of and now I’m a huge advocate for natural birth. The female body is so amazing! Right now our life feels like utter chaos on some days, learning how to balance life with two kids. Ten weeks in and we are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and we are in absolute love with our little family. DIFRAX: From your experience as a mom of two, what advice do you have for new moms out there? JESSIE: Becoming a Mom is absolutely beautiful and rewarding. From the milestones they reach to the special memories you get to create as a family, it’s the most fulfilling journey ever. However, it can also feel like the toughest journey at times. The chaos it brings can be overwhelming, but my best advice would be to embrace the chaos instead of fight against it. You will never be able to control it all, especially once they reach toddler years! I think a lot of parents try to hide the fact that parenthood is chaotic, maybe because they feel as if they’re failing. If there is one thing I hope you take away from reading this, it is that chaos in parenthood is absolutely NORMAL!   Shop Difrax SA baby products