Ways to bond with the newborn

The truth about motherhood

Being a mother is one of the most cherished feelings of a lifetime. Nine months of carrying a tiny soul in the womb, of sleepless nights, of all the countless efforts, of the terrible mood swings and of an impatient waiting coming to an end when the baby cries for the first time after entering this beautiful world. This is the moment of truth every mother looks forward to.
Most likely, every pregnant mother daydreams: of the delivery procedure, of the care they need to shower on the child to ensure his comfort all the time.
The reality can be quite different from what a mother might have anticipated. A delivery (normal or c-section) can leave you physically and mentally exhausted. All the hunky dory, enchanting dreams will fade away. Lots of women experience postpartum depression. You will also feel stressed out most of the time. Is that unusual? No, Not at all!!
These symptoms are natural as they occur due to the numerous changes in the body. Most mothers feel guilty if they can’t bond with the baby immediately but they need not be. Sooner or later they will. Remember that the body needs a lot of rest this time and you should take all the time to recuperate at first. Only then will you be able to take care of your baby completely.

How to bond with the newborn

Every motherhood experience is different and unique and you should make the most of it.
Most babies sleep during the day and stay awake at night. You should also fine tune your body clock accordingly so that you get sufficient rest and energy to spend quality time with the baby.

Breastfeeding or bottle feeding

This is one of the most effective ways of developing bond with the newborn. While feeding,hold her close to you with one hand, holding her tiny fingers with the other hand and watch her stare at you lovingly.

Environment

Keep the environment calm and peaceful so that the little one does not feel uneasy by external obstacles. Keep the lights as low as possible as the newborn’s eyes will take some time to adjust to them. Try to get her used to day and night by keeping the room bright during the daytime and dim at night. This will also help the baby to gradually sleep longer in the night.

Touch and direct skin contacts

Anticipating the baby’s needs will bring you closer to her easily. When the baby is crying, soothe her by holding her in your arms, rock her gently and sing to her. Watch every move and action of the baby and reciprocate appropriately. Spend most of your time cuddling, cooing, feeding and massaging her to develop skin and face to face contact. This aids in bonding better. Keep smiling at her for long and soon you will find her smiling back at you. Talking to the baby and seeing her reciprocate is also vital for the baby’s brain development and building security and assurance.
Do some online research on how others are coping with motherhood and try to interact with communities to know and share each other’s experience.
Give yourself time and patience and bonding is inevitable!!