Neurodiverse health visitor from Blackpool publishes her first book

Danielle Camm from Blackpool had always dreamed of publishing a planner to support parents to make informed decisions about their baby, which they are confident about. Her own experiences of parenting have influenced her practice and the recent planner as she felt the guidance from professionals and the media had changed vastly over the 10 years between her children.

"When I had my first daughter, I felt lost. There was so much information and I felt I had to buy the top-of-the-range, fanciest things for my daughter because that is what adverts and guidance was telling me. It felt as though the fancier the products you were buying, the more it appeared you loved your child. Over time, I have found that actually you don’t need a lot of that stuff and the most important thing you can give your child is time."

Danielle found her first pregnancy difficult and found that things changed when she became pregnant with her second daughter, years later. "Because I had experience of what hadn't worked and what pointless purchases I didn't use, I was better informed. I trusted my instincts more - perhaps it was because I was older - but there are still things now that I wish I could have told my younger, pregnant self. That is why I have created this planner and why I have plans to create greater change, change that means parents don’t feel guilty about their efforts as new parents."

The 'Nature & Nurture: Our Baby Planner & Guide' was created over the course of 8 months. Content includes information pages which are intended to inform parents, not sway them to make decisions one way or another. Inside, there are also templates for writing letters to your unborn baby, intended for parents to note key moments and feelings which can later be shared with their older child and cherished.

The planner includes activities such as 'My Tribe' and 'Our Rules' which allows soon-to-be parents to consider who they would like to visit the new baby after birth and what expectations they have when they visit - to avoid those awkward moments when you're fresh out of hospital and exhausted.

Danielle has also included handy nappy tracking sheets and appointments pages. She included these due to her own difficulties, navigating the new parent landscape as a tired mum, but also, with a neurodivergence.

"I was diagnosed with postnatal depression when my daughter was born. I was tired, exhausted, missing appointments and, when a health professional had questions, I did not always have the answers. I know now that I was also battling neurodiverse symptoms amplified by my hormones and unsupported experience. Now, as a trained Health Visitor, I know what the prenatal and postnatal appointments are likely to include and what questions we need to ask to check the baby's health if you have concerns. Unfortunately, most of these centre around feeding and nappies - how many times has baby pooped in the last 24 hours? What colours were they? No it isn't fun but it is important. As an exhausted parent, these things may be difficult to recall. The planner includes pages to track these things so that you are equipped if you ever need to share this information. They are also supportive of neurodiverse parents who also experience time-blindness."

Danielle embraces her neurodiverse condition now and is aware that this has factored into her parenting experiences. She is currently developing social media groups to build a community for neurodiverse parents and a training course to tailor this information to them.

She explained, "There is a lot of conflicting information when you become a new parent; what is the best way to feed, whether you buy a baby swing, what sorts of nappies are best - I wanted to eradicate those fears by creating a fun way for parents to find out what is best for them, and be confident in those decisions. If I can combine my knowledge as a health visitor, my experiences of being a new parent and my understanding of the impact of neurodiversity, I can create some amazing changes for new families. That is my goal."

The planner is currently on sale on Amazon.