The bond between a mom and her baby is strong; it was born out of need. It is a bond that has developed and thrived over the entire nine months of pregnancy. It has a unique and exclusive connection.
The baby's bond with your partner is important too!
So grab your partner and spend the next few minutes together learning ways to deepen that connection!
The partner-baby bond can be just as important as the mother-baby bond.
Just as babies who could not do skin to skin with mom after delivery got benefit from skin to skin with the other parent... A growing body of research has shown that when dads spend time with their newborns and begin developing a strong relationship with them from the very beginning, there are many benefits!
Also, tension may be created in relationships when partners are left out of the bonding experience.
What are the benefits of fostering this partner - baby bond?
Boost in a child's physical and mental development.
Less stress for partners.
Increase increased confidence in parenting for partner
May help counter issues such as depression later on in life.
Child may be better able to handle stress.
How can a partner form a connection with the new baby?
Let’s find out!
Dive straight in—together.
As a mom, encourage your partner to join you in learning about childbirth long before the baby comes. Perhaps it's attending prenatal visits with you, taking a birth workshop with you, or studying specific baby goods you're both involved in. Anything to make you feel like you are part of a parenting squad.
And, once the baby is born, agree to figure stuff out together because, let's face it, it's difficult for anyone to know what they're doing during the first few months of new parenthood. Your partner, like you, can get involved in swaddling and diaper changes. When you have a teammate on your side, parenting failures are easier to live with, and parenting victories are sweeter to rejoice.
Don't underestimate the importance of cuddles.
As the mother is breastfeeding her baby, she snuggles the baby tight to her side, giving the baby a clear vision of her eyes. Keep your baby in the same pose while holding or bottle feeding your baby and encouraging your child to look up at you.
Do Skin to skin contact.
The advantages of skin-to-skin contact with a newborn are well known: temperature control, stress relief, blood sugar stability, oxytocin (the love hormone) release, relaxation, and protection. Fathers can and should engage in skin-to-skin contact with their newborns as soon as it is safe to do so.
Being relaxed in a comfortable chair, with their top off, a naked infant on his lap, and each of them wrapped in a warm blanket, is a fantastic way for both of them to benefit from the oxytocin release that would happen. Is there anything better than the smell and feel of a newly born baby?
Give baby-wearing a try.
Baby-wearing promotes parent-infant bonding and the baby's development. It also makes the baby feel relaxed and healthy, just like touch, cuddling, and skin-to-skin. When you're out and about, you should do either skin to skin or fully dressed.
Singing to the newborn.
Dads can pick one or two favorite songs to sing to the baby regularly during pregnancy, and that can then become his main song to sing to the baby on the outside. A fantastic way for the two to interact and bond.
Take paternity leave.
Finding the time to connect with their child is one of the most difficult challenges that many new dads face. Paternity leave will foster parent-child bonding.
Increased parent interaction and attachment are linked with longer paternity leaves. This ensures that fathers will have more opportunities to reconnect with their new child and will be more interested in their baby's care from the start. This hands-on involvement has the potential to establish a routine that will last well after the leave has ended.
Consider doing the night shift.
Allowing mom to sleep better is beneficial to the whole family, so get out of bed if there is a chance to bottle-feed, diaper change or just to do some comforting. It can be difficult to understand this when you're sleepy but try to enjoy this moment.
When the baby is in pain, comfort them.
Bonding with your baby while they are healthy and sweet is great!
Bonding is also about when the baby cries. Your ability to deal with difficult situations is essential for being a confident parent, so try to be confident in the face of crankiness. You too can learn to be the baby whisperer.
We understand why it is easier said than done. Just don't instantly hand off the baby to the mommy; instead, strive to exhibit a casual and relaxed "don't worry, I've got this" demeanor.
And trust us when we say that the patience and sense of humor you develop during the first few months as a parent can come in handy in a year or two when you'll need to become an expert at redirecting and deflecting epic toddler tantrums.
How can I bond when my partner's breastfeeding?
When observing the closeness of breastfeeding, certain partners can feel left out. However, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says that partners can assist with feeding. Taking the baby to Mum for feeds, burping the baby after the meal, and cuddling and rocking the baby to sleep later - all of these can be perfect opportunities for partners to bond with a breastfed baby not doing the direct feeding yourself.
Finally, Worry Less!
Don't expect the mother to necessarily have a better bond with the baby than you would. You should be confident that as long as you spend time with your baby, a bond will form between the two of you. The bond may not be visible in the first few days because the mother-baby bond is already strong, but it will be there.