Possums, also known as Neuroprotective Developmental Care and first delivered in 2011, is a paradigm shift in the care of parents and their infants.

Possums or NDC is the result of Dr Pamela Douglas’s 30+ years of research and clinical experience. NDC flips much of the usual advice parents receive once they have a baby upside down, in favour of truly evidence-based, whole-of-ecosystem care.

Dr Pam translates the latest evidence about breastfeeding, feeds, sleep, infant sensory motor development, cry-fuss problems, and perinatal and infant mental health into education for both parents and professionals, with a mission to help every family grow joy together during one of life’s most challenging but rewarding times.

Programs for professionals

Courses for medical practitioners, health professionals, providers, and educators. NDC Accreditation for registered health professionals.

The NDC Institute offers multi-media courses and modules, tailored to suit your level of professional expertise.

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Programs for parents

Browse your first articles for free, and sign up for a plan to access:

Full library of educational articles and videos

Online group sessions with Dr Pam or an NDC practitioner

Complimentary access to mini-programs

Audio of the full sleep program and more

Helping you and your little one sleep better

The original evidence-based baby and toddler sleep revolution, shown to work in university studies. We make sleep as easy as possible, for everyone in the family.

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Breastfeeding stripped bare, launching early 2025!

Avoid the unnecessary surgery, medications, aids, and exercises so commonly recommended when breastfeeding challenges arise. Join our science-based, heart-centred revolution in breastfeeding and lactation care.

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Mini-programs included with the above:

When baby comes home

Baby sleep safety

Sensory motor development

When baby cries a lot in the first few months

Parent mental health and wellbeing

Little people
+ food

Leading in evidence-based care

The Possums/NDC approach emerges from comprehensive evaluation of all available evidence, interpreted through the interdisciplinary lenses of evolutionary biology, complexity science, and holistic generalist clinical care.

Since 2005, the Possums/NDC framework has been published in over 20 peer-reviewed international research publications. The Possums Programs and NDC have also been the subject of 9 peer-reviewed scientific evaluations to date, all of which show positive effects.

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Findings of this study are consistent with access to NDC/Possums services being efficacious for infants' crying, maternal perception of their baby's sleep problems, maternal sleep satisfaction, maternal experiential avoidance and maternal risk of postnatal depression.

Crawford et al, 2021

The NDC programme was a lifeline for us... It changed our views and routines entirely and thereby it changed our worlds... The NDC programme brought happiness back into our lives.

Mariane, Sweden

Dr Pam

Dr Pamela Douglas is an Australian GP and researcher with nearly four decades of experience working with families. She is a Breastfeeding Medicine Physician and Fellow of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, who first qualified as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant in 1994.

She is also an Adjunct Associate Professor with the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Griffith University and a Senior Lecturer with the General Practice Clinical Unit at The University of Queensland. In 2014 she authored a bestselling book for parents, The Discontented Little Baby Book.

Pam lives amidst unruly bookcases, gum trees which try to crowd in through her windows, and the birdcalls of an Australian backyard. Her pets, a hive of native bees, generally keep to themselves out on the deck. She is very proud of her amazing bunch of children, stepchildren, and grandchildren – lately joined by a precious great-grandchild!

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