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Breastfeeding, also known as nursing, is a natural and beautiful process that helps build intimacy and bonding between mother and baby. The connection and bonding felt during this nurturing embrace can provide beneficial psychological effects, such as reducing stress and increasing feelings of calm.
In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Khushboo Jha, lactation expert and physiotherapist at Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, Kailash Colony, New Delhi, explained, “Breast milk contains all the nutrients that a baby needs in the first 6 months of life, including fat, carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, minerals and water. It is easily digested and can be used efficiently. Breast milk also contains bio-active factors that boost the baby’s immature immune system, provide protection against infections and other factors that help in digestion and absorption of nutrients.”
What are the benefits of breastfeeding for the mother?
Khushboo Jha answers, “Breastfeeding creates an emotional bonding experience between mother and baby, but there are many other benefits of breastfeeding for the mother as well. Breastfeeding reduces inflammation levels, which reduces the risk of diabetes and sleep disorders. One of the biggest and perhaps most surprising psychological benefits of breastfeeding is better sleep. In fact, mothers who exclusively breastfeed may find that they fall asleep easier, sleep longer, and sleep more deeply.”
She explained, “When you breastfeed, your body produces hormones called prolactin and oxytocin. Oxytocin creates a peaceful, nurturing feeling that allows you to relax and focus on your baby. It also promotes a strong sense of love and attachment between you and your baby. Breastfeeding can also support your baby’s physical and emotional health. Breastfeeding babies cry less overall and are less likely to get sick during childhood. Breastfeeding creates a bonding experience between mother and baby because it promotes skin-to-skin contact, more holding and stroking.”
Khushboo Jha elaborates, “Many experts say that affectionate bonding during the first years of life helps reduce social and behavioral problems in both children and adults. Breastfeeding can also help mothers learn to read their infant’s signals and help infants learn to trust caregivers. It helps shape a baby’s early behavior. According to a 10-year longitudinal study published by the American Psychological Association, women who breastfeed their children for longer periods of time display greater maternal sensitivity even after the infant and toddler years.”
Benefits of breastfeeding for the baby
Breastfeeding provides many health benefits to children and mothers and may improve the bond between mother and infant. Ample evidence suggests that breastfeeding may improve a baby’s neuron development, but more research is needed to determine whether breastfeeding is associated with the development of a child’s psychopathology.
Khushboo Jha said, “Breastfeeding gives the mother peace of mind that her breast milk is helping to keep her baby happy and healthy. It provides stronger immune systems in babies, they are less likely to suffer from diarrhoea, constipation and other digestive issues. It reduces the incidence of bloating and lowers the levels of acid reflux. There are fewer respiratory illnesses like colds and pneumonia, whooping cough, other respiratory virus infections; fewer ear infections, which can damage hearing; fewer cases of bacterial meningitis, better vision and lower risk of developing blindness, lower rates of infant deaths, lower rates of sudden infant death syndrome, fewer illnesses overall, less chance of hospitalisation.”
He added, “In addition to providing physical benefits through vital nutrients, research shows that breastfeeding also has a profound and lasting effect on children’s thinking and understanding, behaviour and mental health.” For example, breastfed babies are more likely to:
- Strong critical thinking and reasoning skills
- Better memory
- Early language ability
- Advanced Motor Skills
How to create a bond between mother and baby before feeding?
You’ve spent months imagining meeting your baby – now the wait is over. Khushboo Jha says, “These first few weeks of breastfeeding are a special bonding time with the baby and the perfect opportunity for you to get to know each other. When your baby is born, you may feel an almost overwhelming sense of love and a strong desire to protect him. But bonding is an individual experience, so don’t worry if it doesn’t happen straight away. It will take time to get to know your newborn and caring for him develops and strengthens the bond.”
“For both parents, the important thing is to get into the habit of caring for their new arrival – being close to him, talking to him, holding and cuddling him. This builds your confidence as a parent and gives your baby the best start emotionally, physically, mentally – and also helps with breastfeeding,” he stresses.
giving your baby skin-to-skin contact
You’ve probably heard about the importance of skin-to-skin contact, where you hold your nappy-clad baby to your bare chest (placing a light blanket or cardigan over yourself for warmth if necessary). Khushboo Jha highlights, “Early skin-to-skin contact, ideally within an hour of birth, helps release hormonal triggers that encourage your newborn to find your breast and suckle your nipple. One study found that newborns who spent more than 50 minutes in a skin-to-skin position were eight times more likely to breastfeed spontaneously. Skin-to-skin contact isn’t just for that first hour. It’s wonderful for any time your baby needs calming or comforting, and for helping to boost your milk supply.”
She added, “Skin-to-skin contact also provides many other benefits for your baby, such as regulating his heartbeat and breathing, as well as keeping him at the right temperature and helping to maintain healthy blood-sugar levels. If you are unable to be with your baby immediately after birth for any reason, your partner will be encouraged to give him skin-to-skin contact to provide him with these benefits and keep him feeling safe, loved and warm until you are ready to do so yourself.”
Oxytocin: Important for breastfeeding and bonding
Embracing motherhood can be difficult, but did you know that those precious moments of skin-to-skin contact are soothing for both you and your baby? Khushboo Jha explains, “During skin-to-skin contact, you’ll release a powerful cocktail of calming hormones, including oxytocin – often called the ‘love hormone’ or ‘cuddle chemical’. This clever hormone helps you embrace motherhood in many ways, released whenever you’re close to your newborn, and even when you smell or think about him. It increases your ‘maternal behaviour’ – things like caressing, eye-to-eye contact and using affectionate language.”
In addition, she explained, “It also has anti-anxiety and anti-depressant properties, and may help protect against postpartum depression. It’s also believed that the early release of oxytocin prepares your brain for breastfeeding your baby, as well as stimulating your breasts to make milk. You’ll also release a hormone called beta-endorphin, which encourages you to attend to your baby’s needs. Don’t be surprised if sometimes the urge to soothe your baby when he cries is overwhelming — it’s a normal maternal instinct. Beta-endorphin also produces feelings of pleasure and calmness.”
Make eye contact with your child
Khushboo Jha explains, “Your baby can see black, white and grey from birth (by around three months of age, he’ll be able to recognise colours more clearly) and can focus on objects less than 25cm (9.8 inches) away. This is close enough to see your face when breastfeeding – he may even make eye contact with you for a few moments. Your baby will breastfeed very frequently in the early days, so you’ll experience this intimate connection several times a day.”
Use your voice to build relationships:
Khushboo Jha explains, “Full-term babies have a well-developed hearing ability. The foetus starts responding to sounds from 19 weeks of pregnancy, and newborns prefer their mother’s voice to others, and even recognise tunes they heard in the womb. Talking softly to your newborn helps develop a two-way bond, which is important for his future social skills. You can talk about anything, whether it’s who’s visiting or the view from your window, it doesn’t matter, newborns are a captive audience! Singing is also a fun way to bond, even if you don’t have a great voice.”
They concluded, “Breast milk is the best food for infants during the first two years of life and no other alternative is recommended during this time. Breastfeeding provides numerous health benefits to both mother and infant during the breastfeeding period and in the future.”
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