Maternal bonding Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Maternal bonding - Essay Example According to Sosa (1980, pg. 1), â€Å"The human maternal infant bond starts early in pregnancy, has a tendency to strengthen as the child grows older and is affected by numerous factors (see Figure 6). At the present time, data to support the existence of a sensitive period in the human species are inconclusive. Although a majority of mothers feel a sense of belonging to their infants immediately after birth, in some mothers this sense of intimacy commences at a later time. McFarland has pointed out that normal women become attached to their infants at different intervals of time: 41% during pregnancy, 24% at birth, 27% during the first week of life, and the remaining 8% after the first week of life.† The behavior of mothers is influenced by a number of factors. These can include, but are not limited to, the way in which the mother was raised, social and economic conditions, cultural beliefs, parental relationships with the mother’s own parents, and pregnancy experiences to date. The human baby is unable to care for himself, unlike many other animal species. This means that it is up to the mother to extensively care for her infant in order for it to survive. Thankfully, both the mother and the baby have been shown in studies to be ready to interact shortly after birth. Furthermore, the human infant has been shown to be able to interact socially and have far more other abilities than what was previously thought. For instance, the human infant has been shown to interact with his mother via visual and audio stimuli, such as eye contact and turning the head towards the breast (Sosa, 1980). The cultural and traditional beliefs in the area in which a mother resides can influence the behavior between her and her infant. Most cultures consider the birth of an infant a happy event and accept it as a regular part of life. Furthermore, studies show that mothers and babies remain close throughout both infancy and early childhood. Even throughout