Parenting and Attachment

The bonding process of mother

and father to infant
Phases of attachment

• Introductory bonding
– initial contact
• Acquaintance phase
– first week
• mutual regulation
– 2-6 wks
• reciprocity
– 6 wks and beyond
Events affecting attachment

• Prior to pregnancy
– beliefs, planning
• During pregnancy
– confirming, accepting, quickening.fetal
identity
• Intrapartum
– preparation, emotional state
• Postpartum
– birth, seeing baby, touching, giving care
 Factors hindering attachment

• Unwanted pregnancy • Busy L&D,rigid policies

• difficult pregnancy or or routines
labor • no rooming in
• stress during pregnancy • separation from infant
• anesthesia • maternal complications
• sick or deformed infant • no support systems
• C-section • negative comments
Factors enhancing attachment
• Planned pregnancy
• baby close to “ideal”
• right gender
• prepared childbirth
• easy labor
• no complications
• good feeder
• staff compliance, support
• compliments
• support systems
Signs of attachment

• Names baby before birth or shortly after

• Wants to hold, feed, room in with infant
• When holding infant is focused on baby,
not on phone, visitors, self or TV
• Calls infant by name, makes eye
contact
• Identifies distinguishing characteristics
which are “just like his father”, or
brother, etc.
Terminology
Attachment--mother to infant bonding

Engrossment--father to infant bonding

Entrainment--the postural adjustments

mother and baby make to each other

Celebrating--relive birth experience with

themselves and with others, happy
excitement
Mother to infant infant to mother
• Touch--typical pattern
• look--in face • eye to eye
• voice--high pitched • cry
• entrainment • entrainment
• time (biorhythms) • oxytocin
• flora • odor
• odor • prolactin
• heat
Typical mother behavior
patterns with infant
• Crooning voice
• high pitched talk
• finger tip touching
• examines extremities
• palmar enfolding of trunk
• holds baby close to body
• en face position
Father to infant behavior

• Finger pokes
• kitchy kitchy koo
• playful
• holds baby out but facing his face
• roughhouse as baby gets older, more
with male children