Re: Bonding
Sheena L Carter (scart01@emory.edu)
Tue, 26 Mar 1996 18:19:02 -0500 (EST)
> ...Bonding in the early days is largely
> a matter of the baby having a need and that need being met in a caring
> and consistent fashion. In my case, I was with a foster family for
> 5 weeks. They took good physical care of me, fed me when I cried,
> rocked me, etc. I "bonded" in the sense that I learned the world was
> basically a safe place. Then when I got to my a-family, I continued
> to have safe, loving and consistent care and grew to have feelings
> of love for them as well.
> Lynda, mom to 33 weeker Emma, 3.6 and 39 weeker Shannon, 5.5 months.
That's actually a very good description of what needs to happen
for "bonding" and "early attachment-in-the-making" from a BABY'S
perspective. (It's a bit more complicated for parents, and in a variety
of circumstances -- postpartum depression and former abuse victims, to
name just two -- problems with the primary caregiver's responses can
actually interfere with the baby receiving the necessary consistent care.)
Unfortunately, these basic requirements from a baby's perspective are
often very difficult to achieve in a NICU, especially with very, very
sick babies.