Attachment Parenting

A Way to Build a Stronger Bond with Baby

Attachment Parenting is a rather new way for parents to bond with their babies.
It's an overall method of nurturing that's credited with giving babies the proper start they need.

Attachment Parenting incorporates seven basic principles:

1. Birth Bonding
It's only natural that, following several weeks after birth, a mother and a baby
feel the need to stay close to one another. This birth bonding period helps nurture the healthy, biological attachment between mother and baby. The baby has needs that only its mother can fill. By filling these needs, the mother forms a strong attachment to her baby.

When a medical condition keeps a mother and her baby apart right after birth, the birth bonding experience can't, of course, be started right away. But it's never too late to begin, once the two can be together.

2. Breastfeeding
Breastmilk that a mother gives her baby is full of natural nutrients that can't be reproduced in a laboratory. It's healthier than store-bought formulas and more complete in nutrition than cow's milk.

Breastfeeding is an important part of Attachment Parenting because it helps strengthen the bond between mother and baby. Not only that, but breastfeeding
makes a mother's body produce two hormones, prolactin and oxytocin. Oxytocin has been shown to cause contractions in the uterus. These contractions help prevent
hemorrhaging after a baby is born. The contractions also help the uterus return to its normal status.

3. Babywearing
While you've probably never heard of the term "Babywearing", it plays an essential part in Attachment Parenting. Carrying or holding a baby is a key ingredient in furthering the bond between mother and child. Babies tend to be less fussy when they are held. Therefore, because they're not crying, they occupy their time by observing their environment. Also, because a baby is physically closer to its mother, Babywearing fosters familiarity.