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Parent-Infant Bonding

Building a safe and secure relationship

 

Creating a strong bond serves as the foundation in creating resilient parent-infant relationships & is crucial to healthy social and emotional development. 

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(Winston & Chicot, 2016)

Remember to 

go easy on yourself! 

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The many explanations as to why you may not be experiencing that instant connection to your baby:

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  • Separation after birth: NICU hospitalization 

  • Imbalanced hormones after pregnancy

  • Traumatic pregnancy/birth 

  • Placing too much pressure on yourself

  • Sleep deprivation, stress, fear, depression and/or anxiety 

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Tips on Bonding

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Spend quality time to get to know and understand one another

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  • Interact with your baby 

    • Make eye contact as you rock them, hold them

    • Talk to them and tell them what you're doing â€‹

      • "daddy is fixing your bottle"​

      • "mommy is going to read you a story" 

    • Read to them

    • Match their expressions and behaviors

      • if they laugh, laugh with them 

      • if they frown, frown too 

    • Respond to their emotions to gain a understanding their communication style

      • if they laugh and smile, keep doing whatever you're doing 

      • if they cry, go through your mental checklist to eliminate the source (hungry? dirty diaper? tired? etc.)

    • Provide physical closeness ​

      • hold them close ​to you 

      • gently and affectionately massage them *See infant massage under the Baby Therapy tab*

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If you find that you feel distant from your child and efforts to create a bond don't seem to be working,

ASK FOR HELP!

Speak to your healthcare provider about your individualized concerns to determine a plan of action.

The information contained in this website should not be used as a substitute for the medical care or advice from your pediatrician. Your pediatrician may have specific recommendations based on your child's individual circumstances. 

References

St. John's Children's Hospital. (2017). Parent-infant bonding. Retrieved from http://www.parenthelpline.org/Global-PDFs/Parent-Infant-Bonding

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Kitamura, T., Takegata, M., Haruna, M., Yoshida, K., & Yamashita, H. (2015). The mother-infant bonding scale: Factor structure and psychosocial correlates of parental bonding disorders. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24, 393-401. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10826-013-9849-4

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Loop, E. (2017). Reasons some moms don't bond with their baby. Retrieved from https://www.babygaga.com/15-reasons-some-moms-dont-bond-with-their-baby/

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Winston, R., & Chicot, R. (2016). The importance of early bonding on the long-term mental health and resilience of children. London Journal of Primary Care, 8, 12-14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17571472.2015.1133012 

 

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