For some It’s overwhelming ‘love at first sight’: “The moment I met Olivia ‘on the outside’ I thought, “Of course it’s you!” and fell instantly and totally in love with her.
It was a total Earth Mother, mother lioness reaction, and one I could never have imagined the intensity of nor described before it happened. I was suddenly and absolutely prepared to do anything to protect her and told her at least every 5 minutes how much I loved her. Six years on, nothing has changed…”
For many women, this instantaneous bonding experience that Lucy describes with her baby daughter might sound like a romanticised ideal. While some mums feel cheated because they didn’t feel like this, others may simply wonder what women like Lucy are on about or see her as ridiculously overprotective or even, a little ‘balmy’.
Teresa, a mum of two, had two starkly contrasting experiences with her two babies. She says, “As much as I loved her, I didn’t realise I hadn’t completely bonded with my first baby. I remember walking out of the birthing suite to my room and leaving her behind and a nurse reminding me to take her with me.
“For the first three months she looked like a weird scared little alien who seemed to be thinking, ‘what the hell am I doing here?’ and I felt I could do little to help her. I learnt baby massage and tried very hard to do all the ‘right’ things, Iike carrying her in a sling and talking and singing to her. When she was about nine months I noticed a big shift and I felt more connected to her.
When I had my second baby, I fell in love instantly. I bonded with her so deeply the moment I set eyes on her. I remember for weeks afterwards, constantly kissing the top of her head and feeling so in love with her. At the same time though, I felt guilty about not having had that with my first child.”
Teresa attributes her instant bonding with her second baby to an easier birth. There is compelling evidence that after a natural birth, you and your baby will be hormonally, chemically primed to engage with each other and fall exquisitely in love. There is also an ‘optimal period’ for bonding with your baby. However, there are many factors that may affect or delay this, including total exhaustion, complications during labor, separation after the birth, or you may just need time to get your head around what you have achieved – a beautiful baby!
Be reassured though, that even If things don’t go according to plan, nature does provide ongoing opportunities for this to happen. Bonding with your baby is rather like falling in love – it can be ‘love at first sight’ or it can happen gradually over a few weeks or months. However, just as with any relationship, your own conscious efforts will strengthen your connection with your baby. Skin contact, breastfeeding and gazing into your baby’s eyes will release hormones that enhance bonding and by holding your baby close and becoming aware of his subtle cues, you will learn to understand his needs. As your connection with your baby grows strong, you will also develop confidence and your inner mother lion will roar!
Growing bonds with your baby
- Regardless of your birth experience, skin to skin contact without interruptions will release hormones that encourage bonding.
- If you are separated, connect as soon as medically possible.
- Bathing with your baby by candle light will help you connect as it reminds her of the safe sensory environment of her womb world.
- Baby Massage comprises all the elements of bonding – skin contact, eye contact, the sound of your voice, your familiar smell and uninterrupted time to get to know your baby.
- Gazing at your little one will release endorphins that will help you bond with each other. Look into your baby’s eyes and tell her you love her at least seven times a day. And, if you have to, fake it ’til you make It!
How did you fall in love with your baby – was it ‘love at first sight’? Or something that crept up more gradually?
I had the amazing rush of love with my first born, he is still the most incredible little person. Gorgeous hospital waterbirth, scented candles, my partner, myself and my midwife – just beautiful.
Unfortunately, didn’t have anything with my second born, he was taken away and I didn’t get to see him or touch him for hours. He was prem and jaundiced, so had to be on a light bed for 3 weeks, alas, no touching aloud, except when we breastfed.
Took me until about 5 months later when I put him in the shower with me and sat down on the floor under the running water – and then it came – the rush, the till death do we part, it was amazing. All I’d needed to do was recreate that first watery event and the rest is history. 2 amazing little people with a 3rd on the way.
When my little man was born, It was a beautful yet traumatic experience (as it was for all the Mums i have spoken to) I haven’t found a mum yet who had shared this particular feeling though: Although I loved the little bundle of joy that was handed to me and vowed to do all I could to look after him, inside I was quietly pushing down feelings of profound grief. I felt that the baby who I had bonded with for those first 40wks inside my belly had died and I was given this bubba as a replacement. One of my friends said recently that it could have been due to the fact that he was taken away straight after the birth to be revived and that makes sense but it was a feeling that I was too ashamed to admit until after I had resolved it. the flood of realisation came when i walked past a mirror and caught a glimps of us as i was holding him against my belly (as he would have been inside). That was my, “Of course it’s you!” moment and it was an emotional relief more than anything.
For me, bonding with my bub comes in stages – we are continually discovering each other and we have peaks and plateus but I can honestly say: having experienced the negative start – it made me appreciate it more when it did finally hit! 🙂
the best skin is of course baby skin, it is very smooth and very smooth~;: