Health Care for Children

The Breast Choice
 
2. Consider the breast choice. “Providing food for another person is a fundamental way of showing love and affection,” says Molly Kimball, RD, a nutritionist at Ochsner Clinic’s Elmwood Fitness Center, in New Orleans, Louisiana. According to a recent Canadian study, breastfeeding enhances bonding between mother and infant. It is an opportunity for the two of you to sit quietly together, touching and snuggling for 20 minutes 8 to 12 times a day. “I found breastfeeding helped me with bonding,” says Kathryn Kelleher, of Washingtonville, New York, mother to Ryan, 2. “I had the ability to nourish and soothe my baby, and that gave me confidence and a connection to him that no one else had.”

The practice helps with bonding on a physiological level too. “Breastfeeding stimulates hormones in the mother that facilitate that love affair or bond,” says Dr. Brown. Oxytocin, known as the “bonding hormone” or “mothering hormone,” together with prolactin, help create a feeling of calmness and an intense need to be with the baby in nursing mothers. “The presence of these hormones is higher in moms who breastfeed exclusively,” says Austin, Texas-based lactation consultant Linda Hill, RN. But if breastfeeding doesn’t work for you, rest easy: “Newborns bond with adults who they can trust to take care of them,” says Dr. Brown.

Stick Together
 
3. Stick together. A 2005 study from the department of pediatrics at the Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, in Cleveland, Ohio, recommends moms and babies stay together in the first hours and days after delivery as much as possible — even if Mom doesn’t feel a connection with the baby. “Rooming in at the hospital is certainly one way to encourage bonding,” says Dr. Brown.

Going home from the hospital marks the opportunity to make your baby part of your world. Try bunking there too. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends having your baby sleep in your room in a bassinet or crib to help you pick up on her cues sooner. The AAP advises against letting baby sleep in your bed, which is a leading factor in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Get Kneady
 
4. Get kneady. “Bonding becomes stronger as love is exchanged and communicated through touch,” says Elaine Stillerman, a massage therapist and author of Prenatal Massage (Mosby, 2006). You start to understand your baby’s individual sounds and feelings, what she likes and what feels uncomfortable, she says. Mom and Dad can both enjoy this form of bonding. Try massaging baby’s head, feet, and back to find what soothes your infant.

Warm a few drops of baby lotion or oil by rubbing it between your hands, and then employ some gentle, rhythmic strokes and caresses. Even a brief massage session — during which your baby looks at you and is soothed by your touch — can help you feel more confident and connected. “When my kids are sitting next to me on the couch, I’ll lightly massage their upper earlobes,” says Kevin Daley, of East Hampton, Connecticut. “It’s soothing for them, and it’s a bonding moment.”

Yield Left
 
5. Yield left. Whether Mom and Dad are righties or southpaws, studies indicate that they have a universal preference to cradle infants on their left side — over the heart. In fact, a recent study from the University of Provence, France, found that a whopping 66 percent of caregivers followed this trend. Research suggests the parents’ heartbeat helps soothe a baby on the left side, while the right side arouses, excites, and gets the baby’s attention. Whether on your left or right, the little bundle cradled in your arms will soon be able to read rapture written all over your face. Just you wait and see.