Many people talk about the all-important mother baby bonding that takes place after childbirth. Some describe this time as an “Ah-Ha” moment, when they experienced such joy and love that they were overwhelmed like nothing before. Other women feel the process of bonding with baby took time and didn’t happen immediately. The reality is that your individual circumstances and your experiences during labor and delivery can have an impact on how well you feel you bonded with baby.
The best advice about bonding with your baby, is to allow it to happen in its own time. Don’t feel pressured to make something magical happen, and realize that you have spent the entirety of your pregnancy bonding with your baby.
Additionally, the following 5 tips will help you feel even more connected to your baby!
1. Give yourself time to heal! Those precious moments when you first see your baby are magical, indeed. In the hospital setting, however, when the doctors are poking and prodding you and your baby, you are exhausted, and inundated with visitors – you can feel a little detached.
2. Make sure you have time for just you and your baby! Seriously – kick well wishers out, or ask that they only visit during visiting hours. Just like your baby is adjusting to breathing air, you are adjusting to motherhood. You need time to BE with your baby, by yourself – or with just you and your significant other. If others find it rude, then so be it. Be very clear that you would like some private time.
3. Keep your baby in your room with you rather than sending him or her to the nursery. Having your baby with you, in skin-to-skin contact, not only helps with lactation, but also helps with the mother baby bonding experience. Plus, you will adjust to the noises that he or she makes, and your baby will feel safe and secure knowing that you are there.
4. Keep a camera handy and take lots of pictures. You cannot recreate these first moments and before you know it you will be home and your baby will be crawling. Having the pictures to look back on helps you to remember those feelings in the first hours and days, and helps you to realize just how much you and your baby DID bond after delivery.
You can also use our Baby+ App for iPhone / iPad or Android to record your baby’s milestones and unforgettable moments, or use the App to create a time-lapse video by taking a picture of your baby every day. The App will then automatically produce a beautiful video.
5. Give yourself time. Adjusting to motherhood, in addition to dealing with a multitude of hormonal fluctuations is not always an easy transition. If you don’t have that “Ah-Ha” moment that people talk about, give yourself a break and try not to worry about it. Sometimes – likely in most cases – this bonding is built around time and togetherness.
What YOU will realize, is that although the individual mother baby bonding experience is different for everyone, YOU WILL BOND WITH YOUR NEW LITTLE ONE!
Do you enjoy this App? Good news! You can now also download our new Baby App for iPhone / iPad or Android. Click Baby+ iOS or Baby+ Android to install the App, and prepare for the arrival of your little one(s).
Written By Stef, Mom of 4 @Momspirational
This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2017. All rights reserved.
