Bonding refers to the special attachment that forms between a mother and father and their baby, and ith already starts when your baby is in the womb.

Get a head start…Prenatal bonding:

Did you know that you don’t need to wait until your baby is born to bond with them?

Pregnancy is the perfect time to start forming a bond and attachment with your baby. Bonding with your baby is very important for their development.

Ways you can bond with your baby during pregnanacy may include:

• Talking and singing to your baby, he or she can hear you.

• Gently rub and touch your belly

• Respond to your baby’s kicks, especially in the third trimester you can gently push back where the kick occurred and see if there is a response.

• Play relaxing music to your baby.

• Think good thoughts about your baby.

• Relax, look after yourself and try not to stress.

The last point is very important.

All pregnant woman get emotionally upset at times. But if you are chronically upset, t can have an effect on your child’s personality. According to Luminare-Rosen, when you create a peaceful environment in which you and your baby can bond before it is born, your baby gets the message that he or she is wanted and loved.

Bonding with your baby before it is born, is important for emotional and physical development and it definitely starts as soon as a mother finds out she is pregnant.

Although the bonding is important for the unborn baby’s development it is also important for the mother. Mothers who connect and bond with their baby during pregnancy are more likely to interact with their infant in a more positive way after they are born.

Postnatal bonding:

To most mothers oohing, aahing and coohing over their newborn comes naturally. But for others it takes a while to get used to the new addition to their lives.

Early bonding is very important for the newborns overall wellbeing and development.

The first important reason why bonding with a newborn is necessary, is that babies need bonding to form attachments. Attachment is when a baby and caregiver form a strong connection with each other, emotionally and physically.

Furthermore bonding is important, as it helps to release hormones and chemicals in the brain that encourage rapid brain growth. It also promotes the positive development of your baby’s sense of who they are and how they deal with feeling upset.

How to bond with your newborn:

• Regularly touch and cuddle your newborn

• Respond to crying

• Hold your baby

• Make your newborn feel physically safe

• Talk to your newborn in soothing and reassuring tones

• Sing to your newborn

• Look into their eyes while you talk, sing and make facial expressions

• Breastfeeding

• Skin to skin contact

When it comes to bonding with your baby, the most important thing to remember is simply that you are enough, and that you were chosen to be your baby’s mother. By meeting your baby’s needs you are already actively creating a bond. And through this your baby gets comfort and this lays the foundation for life long confidence and self-esteem.