What is Bonding?
by Jill D. Chasse

Author of Baby Magic
http://www.herbalmedicinehealing.com/store/item_view.asp?estore_itemid=1000042

Bonding is the period where an emotional tie between parent and infant is present. The bonding process actually begins before birth, when the parent(s) becomes aware of the growing child and a relationship can begin. In some cultures the dad, as well as the mom, will spend time acknowledging the connection they have, expressing the tangible attachment and building the relationship they have as a family.

Bonding is both symbolic and psychological carrying mystique and power as well as physiological growth and emotional healing. A newborn infant sees, hears and moves in rhythm to his mother's voice in the first minutes and hours of life. This synchronized “dance” shows the physical and emotional significance of bonding after birth. Positive mental aspects of bonding reflect as a lower percentage of postpartum depression and baby blues in new moms and a greater strength in couple relationships resulting in a lower divorce or abuse rate.

For the baby, bonding begins the process of trust and communication. Bonding teaches a child that he or she is loved and wanted. It instills self-awareness as well as self-esteem.

Bonding with the primary caregiver is crucial for the baby's survival and development, which includes protecting the baby from danger, and providing feedings and changings during irregular hours.

The time after birth spent touching and gazing into the eyes of a new baby is profound for both the baby and the parents, but many institutions do not allow its practice due to inconvenience. There is a critical, sensitive period just after the birth that many doctors and physiologists are just beginning to realize. Ethologists (ethology is the scientific study of animal behavior) have expressed this critical period in animals for half a century.

French legislators had even proposed a law to protect human and canine populations against aggressive dogs by forbidding the trade of dogs before the age of 7 weeks. This is based on the knowledge that early separation from the mother tends to make certain breeds dangerously aggressive. There is a "sensitive period" immediately after birth, where there are unusually high levels of endorphins present in mothers and infants.

Researchers have suggested that many of these hormones are significant in the bonding process. This shows a biological need and place for bonding after birth, especially between month and infant. Physical changes, reflecting this biological need, include the warming of a mother’s chest, the ability of a newborn to crawl to his or her mother’s nipple, and decreased crying when an infant touches the mother’s skin. It is also important that a "strong and specific bond" forms, so that the mother is motivated to provide the high level of care needed by the helpless infant. This is imperative where levels of care and health management are low.
Across history in most parts of the world, mothers and infants have stayed together after birth.

The "bonding period" is a universal practice throughout time.

My site is below if you would like to read more about me. I am also an Outreach Member of APPPAH; www.birthpsychology.com, and active with NICHD (NIH) and may be able to promote your items with some of our events.

Thank you for your time,
Jill Diana Chasse, CHt, MPA

Pregnancy and Family Counseling
Perinatal Mental Health
New York, Washington, DC
www.magicofmotherhood.com

References:

~ Chamberlain, D. Birth and the Origins of Violence Pre- and Perinatal Psychology Journal, 10(2), Winter 1995, 57-74
~ Davis-Floyd, R (2003). Birth as an American Rite of Passage. Birthing Naturally [Online]. Available: http://www.birthingnaturally.net [23 May 2004].
~ Klaus M. and Kennell J. (1983) Parent to infant bonding: setting the record straight. J Pediatrics, 102:575-606.
~ Klaus, M., Kennell, J., and Klaus, P. H. (1995). Bonding: Building the Foundations of Sectire Attachment and Independence. Reading, Mass: Addision-Wesley.
~ Potts, R. (1997-2004). The Evolution of Cultural Behavior. Human Evolution [Online]. Available: http://encarta.msn.com [May 21, 2004].
~ Trevathan, W.R. (1990). The evolution of helplessness in the human infant and its significance for pre- and perinatal psychology. Pre- & Peri-Natal Psychology Journal, 4(4), 267-280.

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Baby Magic is a Spiritual Guide to Motherhood. Begining before conception, Baby Magic guides a woman on her magical journey of becoming a mother. Including relaxations, eating tips, and exercises, Baby Magic teaches a woman how to prepare for and welcome her child with a healthy and brain stimulating environment.

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