When a baby has a feeding problem, whether it's difficulty latching on to the breast or getting used to a bottle, or a longer-term problem such as colic, reflux, or an allergy, it can be very distressing for parents. Parents who have a baby with any of these problems will often feel anxious, isolated and in need of support.

The pharmacy team is ideally placed to provide this support, so it's important that you gain an understanding of the anxieties parents face when their baby has feeding problems, as well as how they cope and what you can do to help.

Identify a parent you know who has a baby with, say, colic , an allergy or infant eczema. These are likely to be the most common problems that you will come across. Hopefully, colic will be quite short-lived, although it is very upsetting to manage at the time. Allergies may be of longer duration and require infinite patience and care on the part of the parents.

Consider asking the parent:

• How was the problem diagnosed? Have they seen a GP about it?
• What did they feel like when the problem was diagnosed? Were they thankful for the knowledge or did they worry about how they would cope?
• How do they cope on a day-today basis? Is their sleep disturbed? How does that affect the parents' performance at work?
• Has there been an effect on family relationships?
• How has the baby been since he or she was diagnosed?
• Has the parent been given helpful advice and support?

In particular, ask the parent what they would value from you and your pharmacy in terms of support. They may get a specialist formula from the pharmacy, but is there other equipment they need? Once you know that a family has these issues, it is much easier to be a listening ear.