Breastfeeding is an amazing journey that goes beyond just providing nutrition and health benefits to your baby. It creates an amazing bond between the mother and child that significantly enhances the emotional well-being of the child! Let’s explore how breastfeeding nurtures a deep connection between mother and child.
1.The Hormonal Connection: Nature’s Emotional Blueprint
Breastfeeding promotes a feeling of love and affection through the release of the “love hormone”, Oxytocin during breastfeeding. This hormone helps the mother and baby feel connected - fostering a sense of protection and nurturing. Another hormone that is released during breastfeeding is prolactin which induces a calming effect on the mother, making her feel more relaxed and less stressed.
2.Skin-to-Skin Contact: The Power of Touch
Skin-to-Skin contact is one of the most immediate forms of emotional connection when you’re breastfeeding. Skin-to-Skin contact is important for babies and their caretakers as the physical close contact creates a sense of warmth and security which is essential for emotional development. Skin-to-Skin contact can be done right from birth by placing the baby on your chest to create an immediate bond with your child!
3.Empowerment and Confidence for Mothers
Breastfeeding can create a strong sense of accomplishment in mothers which helps to boost their confidence in their ability to take care of their baby. This feeling of empowerment allows them to feel more positive about motherhood and allows them to feel more connected to their maternal role and in turn makes them more capable of tackling the challenges of parenting.
4.Long-Term Emotional Benefits
The emotional benefits of breastfeeding extend way beyond postpartum. The strong emotional bond developed during breastfeeding lays the foundation for a secure attachment for the child, which is crucial for the child’s long term emotional wellbeing. Securely attached children generally have better social relationships, exhibit positive emotional behaviours and are more resilient.
5.Support and Community
Breastfeeding is not an easy task and many mothers face challenges when breastfeeding. As such, many mothers turn to support groups to find emotional support and camaraderie by sharing their experiences and advice with each other. This sense of community can empower women to continue breastfeeding and prevent the feeling of isolation and loneliness she can feel from facing her breastfeeding challenges alone.
Conclusion
Nursing is a powerful tool that provides more than just nutrition. It creates a strong emotional connection between mother and child, fostering feelings of love, security, and happiness for both of them. The unique intimacy, skin-to-skin contact, and hormonal changes that occur during nursing all play a role in the emotional health of the mother and child. We can better support and encourage breastfeeding if we are mindful of these emotional benefits and see it as an essential part of promoting the mental well-being of both mother and child.
References:
- https://lactamo.com/blogs/the-circle/understanding-oxytocin-the-love-hormone-and-its-role-in-breastfeeding
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2092340/#:~:text=Prolactin%20levels%20decrease%20as%20lactation,of%20the%20average%20circulating%20concentration.
- https://www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/baby-friendly-resources/implementing-standards-resources/skin-to-skin-contact/#:~:text=What%20is%20skin%2Dto%2Dskin,until%20after%20the%20first%20feed.
- https://www.rootandriseblog.com/how-motherhood-empowers-you/
- https://www.attachmentproject.com/blog/secure-attachment-style-infants/
- https://breastfeeding.org.sg/