Sunday, February 27, 2011

Why Mothers Kiss their babies

A lovely piece that reinforces why that time immediately post birth is so very important for mom and baby to explore each other without interference.

http://birthunlimited.ca/parenting/92-why-mothers-kiss-their-babies.html

WHY MOTHERS KISS THEIR BABIES

BY: Judie Rall

After a baby is born, it is natural to see the mother kissing the baby. One

would think this is simply because of the emotional bond that has formed

between mother and child. While this is true, there are also other very

compelling biochemical reasons why it occurs. These reasons reinforce

the understanding that our bodies have inner wisdom which we seldom

recognize or trust. Just as our bodies know how to give birth even if we

don’t have intellectual knowledge of the process, our bodies’ biological

systems also have reasons for the complex social interplay between

mother and baby. It just goes to show that, more than ever, we should

trust our mothering instincts.

Five SensesWhy mothers Kiss their babies

When an animal gives birth, you will notice that the mother spends a lot of time licking her young. This exposes her five senses to the young so that she knows the taste, smell, feel, sound and sight of her new baby. In this way, a mother claims her child as her own.

When a human mother births a baby in an environment which allows her immediate and free access to her child, you will notice that over a period of time she performs certain behaviours called “claiming behaviours.” She will caress the child, explore the softness of the baby’s skin, and probably count and fondle the unique little fingers and toes.

She probably marvels visually over how much the baby looks like her or her husband or another family member. She will notice the colour of the hair and eyes and other physical features. She hears the baby’s cries and learns to distinguish them from all other cries. As she leans down to kiss the child, she undoubtedly smells the scent of her new baby and through the actual act of kissing; she comes to know the taste of him or her.

Just like an animal mother, she has now

exposed her five senses to the baby so she

attaches to him or her. She now feels he or

she is her own. It is not unusual to find that

women who are deprived of the privacy required

to create this immediate bonding right after birth

often say they feel a distance between them and

their baby.

Health Benefits

Claiming behaviours such as kissing provide not only emotional, but biological

attachment. There is a very real health benefit for the baby who is kissed.

“When a mother kisses her baby, she ‘samples’ those pathogens that are

on the baby’s face. Those are ones that the baby is about to ingest. These

samples are taken up by the mother’s secondary lymphoid organs like the

tonsils, and memory B cells specific for those pathogens are re-stimulated.

These B cells then migrate to the mother’s breasts where they produce just

those antibodies that the baby needs.” says Lauren Sompayrac, author of

How The Immune System Works.

We talk a lot about breast milk and how it conveys antibodies to the infant

helping to prevent illness. However antibodies made for the mother while

pregnant are not what the baby needs. He or she needs antibodies for the

environment around them that they are in constant contact with now. Kissing

her baby is a very important activity beyond its obvious pleasurable and

attachment- promoting value. It helps mother claim baby, and helps her body

determine the antibodies baby needs in the breast milk.

So mothers, kiss away on those babies!

Copyright 2001 by Judie Rall of Unhindered Living. Reprinted with permission

in the Winter 2007 issue of Birthing Magazine.