Dr. Karleen Gribble, BRurSc, PhD - Australia

Dr. Karleen Gribble is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University where her research focuses on breastfeeding and communications in women’s health. Karleen advocates for recognition of the importance of mothers to their infants and works to create environments that support breastfeeding and the mother-infant relationship, especially in circumstances of adversity. She is a mother to three adult children via birth and adoption and lives in the bush in regional New South Wales Australia.

In this episode, Karleen discusses how, as a PhD student, the birth of her first child led her to switch her field of academic study from plant physiology to research focused on breastfeeding… some of the universal challenges new mothers face… the importance of providing environments that enable mothers to provide the best possible care for their babies… attachment theory… the mother-baby dyad…  ways through which the relationship between the mother and child deepens and develops, establishing a foundation for the child’s development and for future relationships… a secure attachment versus a disorganized attachment… being a breastfeeding counsellor… the universality of a new mother’s concerns for her baby… the importance of breastfeeding and of creating environments that support mothers and babies… cultural norms and factors across countries that determine whether and for how long women breastfeed… encouraging women to be proud of being women and of what we can do… and the invitation to read and share her publications and to follow her on Twitter/X @DrKarleenG