Breastfeeding creates a bonding experience between mother and child because it promotes skin-to-skin contact, more holding and stroking. Many experts say that affectionate bonding during the first years of life helps lessen social and behavioral problems in both children and adults.
According to studies, breastfeeding is the most powerful form of interaction between the mother and the infant. Due to the physical closeness, the baby is more close to the mother than to anyone else in the family.
Myth: Babies who have been breastfed are clingy.
Breastfeeding provides not only the best nutrition for infants, but is also important for their developing brain. Breastfed babies are held a lot and because of this, breastfeeding has been shown to enhance bonding with their mother.
Even though increased breastfeeding duration led to greater maternal sensitivity over time, the effect sizes were small, according to the article. That means the close interaction experienced during breastfeeding may be only one of many ways the bond is strengthened between mother and child, according to Weaver.
Breastfed children were almost twice as likely to be highly anxious, while children who had been bottle fed were over 9 times as likely to be highly anxious about parental divorce/separation.
The act of breastfeeding establishes a hormonal bond. You and your baby both release oxytocin – the hormone responsible for love and bonding – while breastfeeding.
Understanding newborn bonding behaviour
Your newborn baby uses body language to show you when they want to connect with you and strengthen the bond between you. For example, your baby might: smile at you or make eye contact. make little noises, like coos or laughs.
New mums should be advised that it is normal for their baby to cry more if they are breastfed, say experts. The Medical Research Council team says this irritability is natural, and although formula-fed babies may appear more content and be easier to pacify, breast is still best.
Oxytocin—the hormone produced when you breastfeed (otherwise know as the “love hormone)”—is the best. Breastmilk has components that help babies feel calm, full, and fall asleep. Often your baby will ask to nurse because he is sleepy and needs some of his mama milk to help him get there.
Did you know that the undeniable urge to cover your baby in kisses serves a biological purpose? When a mother kisses her baby, she samples the pathogens on baby's face, which then travel to mom's lymphatic system. Mom's body then creates antibodies to fight those pathogens, which baby receives through breast milk.
For many new mothers, breastfeeding is a significant part of bonding with baby. Now research shows that's a deepened connection that continues for years after the child is weaned.
By 4 to 6 months, they will turn to you and expect you to respond when upset. By 7 or 8 months, they will have a special response just for you (they may also be upset by strangers). Your baby may also start to respond to your stress, anger or sadness.
Eye contact is an early predictor of language skills.
Whether breast- or bottle-fed, babies develop foundational social communication skills by looking at a caregiver's face during feedings.
The Benefits and Potential Harms of Breastfeeding
Consequently, breastfeeding mothers are more likely to report positive mood, less anxiety, and increased calm compared to formula feeding mothers (1, 8).
Breastfed babies have a lower risk of asthma, obesity, type 1 diabetes, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Breastfed babies are also less likely to have ear infections and stomach bugs. Breast milk shares antibodies from the mother with her baby.
Breastmilk or infant formula should be your baby's main source of nutrition for around the first year of life. Health professionals recommend exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, with a gradual introduction of appropriate foods in the second 6 months and ongoing breastfeeding for 2 years or beyond.
Young babies are attracted to the scent of their mothers' breastmilk and prefer it to the scent of other women's milk.
Although the literature to date does not show any lasting association between breastfeeding and infant temperament, prospective evidence suggests that breastfeeding may offer children some long-term protection against mental health disorders.
The same sense of smell also helps the baby to recognize his / her mother after birth. A newborn baby's vision at birth is not so well developed as the sense of smell. This strong and unique sense of smell (learnt in utero by the baby) helps your little one to recognize your presence even from a distance after birth.
Studies have shown that infants as young as one month-old sense when a parent is depressed or angry and are affected by the parent's mood. Understanding that even infants are affected by adult emotions can help parents do their best in supporting their child's healthy development.
Bonding at 3-6 months: what it looks like and how to respond
Bonding at this age is all about responding warmly to your baby's attempts to communicate with you. For example, when your baby smiles at you, they want you to look at them and smile back.
In fact, some women can find that breastfeeding triggers or further contributes to stress, or even more severe maternal mental health issues, such as postpartum anxiety and/or depression. Other situations where breastfeeding could be more challenging for a new mother might include: Chronic physical/medical illness.
Many women experience common side effects to breastfeeding, such as back pain, chest and wrist pain. Many also experience bruising on the breast, cramping, and Osteoporosis.
RESULTS: Of the 500 mothers who stopped breastfeeding completely before six months and provided a reason for discontinuing, the majority (73.6%) stopped within the first six weeks. The most common reasons cited were inconvenience or fatigue associated with breastfeeding (22.6%) and concerns about milk supply (21.6%).