More Hospitals Rely on New Assessment Tool to Measure Mother-Baby Bonding

Nashville, TN - Experts agree that the bond between a newborn baby and their former host is one of the most important psychosocial milestones in childhood, and an increasing number of hospitals are using an objective assessment tool to provide real-time feedback so that healthcare teams, in consultation with the mother, can make informed parenting choices.

A mother, shown here more than 3 inches away from her newborn, having likely already doomed the baby to a lifetime of despair because of poor bonding in the pivotal first 18 to 26 years of life

"Bonding is the intense attachment that develops between a mother and her baby," Mort Fishman, Chief of Neonatal Psychology at Willie Nelson's Down Home Birthing Pavilion near Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, explained. "It's what inspires a mother to love their baby and to care for them despite all the exhaustion, the drain on financial resources, and the loss of personal freedom. And let's not forget what it does to their bodies, which is just a shame...a real shame."

Scientists don't know everything about mother-baby bonding. But that doesn't mean we haven't learned a lot since it was first discovered by top men in the 1960s. It is clear, for example, that a strong early attachment helps to establish a relationship pattern that will last throughout the lifespan of a child. Studies of newborn monkeys who were given mannequin mothers at birth proved that human infants should be held face down against their mother's bare chest frequently until at least their senior year of high school in order to ensure that they never experience any emotional dysregulation during the transition from the neonatal period into a 4-year undergraduate program.

Fishman revealed that bonding is key in the development of a sense of security and positive self-esteem.

A mother's responsiveness to behavioral cues has a huge impact on their baby's social and cognitive development, and a non-bonded newborn is more likely to suffer from despondency and despair. Sad babies just break our hearts here at Willie's Down Home Birthing Pavilion. I just spoke to a nurse over at Reba McEntire's Center for Women's Health and Hot Chicken Hut, and she said that they feel the same way over there.

One of the most challenging aspects of assisting the bonding process has been a lack of insight into the perspective of the baby, and a means of determining the exact percentage of bonding on a real-time basis. The development of an assessment tool that uses objective data from a bedside evaluation of a newborn was something that neonatal psychologists like Fishman have waited decades for.

This is a game changer in my opinion. This scoring system is something that we now use at our pavilion to give women feedback on how good of a mother they are being, but it's also something that fathers can easily learn to use at home as well. Most women do great, but some just need a constant nudge in the right direction to get above the recommended benchmark of 80% bonded.

Bonding is a complex and personal experience that often benefits from the outside opinions of friends, family, and random people in Facebook comment sections. Fishman adds that there is no magic formula when it comes to ensuring a successful bond between a mother and her baby, but it is worth focusing on. "It definitely isn't something that we just came up with a few decades ago in order to blame women for stuff like juvenile delinquency or autism. It's a science. And it's important."

Fishman recommends the following to new mothers as a start in achieving adequate bonding with their baby:

1. Prepare in advance. Find a bonding-friendly birth plan. There are many examples that can be found online that are all probably fine. Just bring one in and stick to it no matter what.

2. Stay in contact. Maintain eye and skin contact with your baby at all times. Maternal sleep is secondary to making sure that your baby loves you and will be able to make friends when he or she goes to school. Better yet, consider homeschooling until college and even a homeschool-based undergraduate degree just to be safe.

3. Breastfeed often and the right way. Breastfeeding is one of the most important things you can do for you and your baby, and nothing should get in the way. If you are struggling, seek advice from someone whose entire worldview revolves around breastfeeding at all costs, like an online religious breastfeeding support group or that lady who yells at people in front of the Whole Foods.

4. Ask for help. If it's online, it has to be true. There are many rules and regulations that keep information found on the internet safe and accurate. so feel free to just go nuts with it.

5. Trust your instincts. Your gut is going to steer you in the right direction, especially if a little fear and anxiety are there to help keep you focused on what truly matters, which is avoiding being blamed for any problems your child ends up having.