The top five key factors that positively affect parent-infant bonding:
1. Skin to skin contact– Right out of the chute! In fact there is so much evidence supporting this that the World Health organization and UNICEF have implemented the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative all over the world and in the U.S. which sets policy and trains medical staff to encourage exclusive breastfeeding and immediate skin to skin contact within the first hour after a vaginal delivery, within two hours of a cesarean birth. This skin to skin between mother and child not only encourages better latch and breastfeeding success, but helps prevent a number of health risks for both mom and baby. I have witnessed that continued skin to skin cuddling and feedings with both parents throughout ‘the 4th trimester’ further connect the family on a most intimate level and dramatically decrease the potential for post-partum depression in women.
2. Exclusive Breastfeeding during the first 12 weeks of life, and ideally 12 months–
Further bond mother and child. There are very powerful bonding hormones that are released in a woman when her milk lets down during breastfeeding.
These feel-good hormones, oxytocin and prolactin, aid in milk production and ‘let down’, but also serve to increase the bond and encourage further desire to breastfeed, ensuring survival of the species.
3. Proper healing, care, and support for the mother post-birth– I can’t say enough about the importance of proper rest, nutrition, and familial support for the mother during the 4th trimester. A detailed postpartum plan covering mother’s self care, home care, meal prep and emotionally healthy environment is essential for any mother’s well being and ability to bond and enjoy her precious newborn.
Many certified baby planners are trained to create a well-rounded plan for the entire family, such as, hand-selected newborn care specialists, postpartum support groups, postpartum fitness, nutrition, and even green-proofing and postnatal stress management coaching.
4. A positive relationship with the infant’s father– A supportive and strong bond between the mother and her child’s father is an often overlooked component of the key to successful mother-child bond.
5. Stress reduction– Women are spread so thin today and often burdening so many responsibilities already when they become pregnant that they often just ‘get through’ pregnancy, with no time to celebrate and meditate on it on a daily basis, allowing bonding to take place months before the baby is born. When the baby arrives, many feel unprepared both practically and emotionally. This can dramatically increase risks for ‘baby blues’ and postpartum depression, which often spells disaster for the important bonding between mother and child.
A certified pre/postnatal stress management coach can effectively help moms-to-be assess their current stress levels, which kinds of stress are more personally taxing on her than others and put together a effective plan to help dramatically reduce or eliminate it all together. This attention is priceless for the overall health of mom and her unborn baby, allowing space for mom to relax and let her heart draw closer to her little one even before he’s born.