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The Power of Touch

An Important Way to Bond With Your Newborn

By Jennifer Lacey

On a warm spring afternoon, after months of watching and feeling my first baby grow inside my ever-expanding belly, finally that precious moment I dreamed about arrived. My son, only 2 hours old, was wheeled into my hospital room and placed beside my bed. The nurse left, and I pulled the bassinet toward me. With anxious arms, I gently lifted him up and cradled him in my arms to explore his tiny frame with the light touch of my fingers. Those early strokes and cuddles began the bonding process with my son.

The first few months of your newborn's life presents a journey filled with feelings of nervousness and never-ending questions. Am I holding her right? If I touch him this way, will he feel uncomfortable? Touch is one of a newborn infant's most highly developed senses at birth. Caressing and cuddling your baby is vital to making him feel safe and secure.

"Infancy is truly one of the most amazing periods in a human being's development, and it is very important for parents to learn both the verbal and nonverbal cues that infants demonstrate," says Karen Goldschmidt, B.S.N., a registered nurse in the newborn infant center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Pa. "Infants are calmed by holding, enjoy warmth, suckling, being swaddled, especially with decreasing environmental stimuli such as light and noise," she says. Repetitive, rhythmic movements and sounds will remind infants of their former living space in your womb.

Newborns love the attention they receive from their parents and other family members. Through the use of inventive touching games, they will begin to strengthen their senses of sight, hearing and touch. For example, hold your newborn's face close to your own, and gently sway to some calming music.

Another good way to initiate early stages of play with your baby is to touch and name the parts of your baby's body. Jump from foot to hand or hand and foot, and watch their expressions as you recite. These simple interactions promote recognition and bonding.

However, it is important to watch closely for signs from your baby that signal disinterest, since newborns can get over-stimulated. "A parent can sense their baby's level of tension by observing their eyes," says Dr. Ivor Horn, assistant professor of pediatrics at George Washington University School of Medicine Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. "Looking away from you or squirming around as you touch can signal a baby's need for a rest."

Want to see more?

• Close Contact: How Kangaroo Care Can Help Your Preemie
• Bonding for Life: Developing That Special Connection With Your Baby
• To Have and to Hold: Cradling and Loving Your Newborn
• Talk about it!

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