The Perfect Time To Bond With Your Baby
The bond with your baby begins long before the birth and continues to grow beyond it. The whole process is important.
The birth and the following moments are a particularly sensitive time: the perfect moments to strengthen the bond with your baby . However these moments develop – they will have a lasting impact on both baby and mother and lay the foundation of their relationship.
Let us assume that under normal conditions the famous love at first sight occurs. The mother is infatuated with her newborn baby. Meanwhile, the baby feels the mother as his first home and trusts her. Hence there is a loving bond between the two.
The first impression counts: the birth
Not so long ago it was common practice to swiftly swaddle the newborn, present her baby to the mother, and then place it in an incubator. New mothers were lucky enough to have a fleeting moment to hold their child.
Over time, experts have found that the mother’s arms are indeed the best incubator. When a mother hugs her baby and holds it close to her skin, it not only strengthens the loving bond between the two. This also sets the process of immunization in motion, as the good bacteria that are on the mother’s skin can settle on the baby.
Nor should we neglect the role of the father in childbirth. The more he takes part in the birth himself, the more committed and connected he will be in the future. Therefore it is also important for him to experience the birth of his child in all its glory.
Physical contact: the key to the development of the newborn
As we’ve found, bonding with your baby develops during pregnancy and delivery. The neurological, endocrine and immune systems of mother and child are linked. This could be the key to the child’s emotional and physical wellbeing.
Body contact and hugs are among the most important ways in which the child learns emotionality. This gives the baby the ability to develop love and trust. We instinctively maximize contact during this time and communicate with hugs and other intimate, loving gestures.
It is through these behaviors that we teach our children emotional intelligence. Even if we don’t notice, we are telling them that everything is fine and that we are protecting them.
The perfect time to bond with your baby after birth
Most experts recommend that clinicians respect this so-called “golden hour” after the birth. This means that the mother has at least an hour for skin contact with her baby without the two being interrupted. Cleaning, measuring, and other tests can almost always wait.
According to specialists, skin contact between mother and baby can stabilize the newborn’s breathing and oxygen balance. It also helps to maintain a stable blood sugar level and blood pressure. It reduces stress hormones and soothes crying children.
This type of contact can even make breastfeeding easier by stimulating the circulation of breast milk and reducing the risk of hypothermia in the baby.
