According to a new research by the UK’s biggest parents’ charity, many mothers are finding it hard to bond with their newborns.
To make matters worse, according to a survey of 1,515 parents conducted by national Childbirth Trust (NCT), one in ten new mothers admitted that they felt embarrassed to talk to a medical professional to about this difficulty bonding.
“The bond a baby has with its parents acts as a template that shapes the child’s emotions and relationships later in life, so it’s a crucial process,” said Elizabeth Duff, the NCT’s senior policy advisor. “Parents who don’t feel an instant connection with their new baby often experience strong feelings of guilt, shame and inadequacy.
Elizabeth hopes that their research makes new parents feel as if they’re less alone, that many others are experiencing the same dilemma, and that they shouldn’t be afraid to talk about it.
A Guardian report said that early baby-parent bonding influences a babies response to stress, learning behaviours and social skills later in life.
“Parents experiencing difficulty forming an emotional connection to their newborn are encouraged to socialise with other new parents, embrace physical closeness and interact with the baby regularly by talking, reading or singing to him or her,” the report said.
Bonding with your baby
The Asian Parent Singapore offers these three tips to help you create a stronger bond with your baby.
- Have constant physical contact with your baby. Holding and carrying your baby makes him or her feel comforted since it is the earliest way of communication for him or her. Likewise, touching your baby’s skin is said to have a therapeutic value on your baby.
- Look into your baby’s eyes. Your baby can communicate and connect with you through eye-to-eye contact. Keep your baby close within a distance of 8 to 10 inches so he or she can see you. When you talk to her, look at those beautiful eyes and you will learn how your baby responds to you.
- Talk to your baby. If your baby can already recognise your voice even while he or she was inside your womb, then the more he or she will recognise your voice outside of it. Aside from that, babies love to listen to voices.
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