mother-infant bond
Earliest human attachment
The mother-infant bond is the emotional attachment between a mother and her baby, typically forming in the first months of life through physical closeness, feeding, and responsive care.
The bond is considered foundational for the child's emotional development and sense of security.
Research on mother-infant bonding has influenced hospital practices around birth and early contact: Skin-to-skin contact strengthens the mother-infant bond.
- attachmentConnection or fondness
- nurturingSupportive care-giving
- breastfeedingLactation-based infant nourishment
- feeding timeScheduled hour for nourishment
- skin-to-skinUnclothed bodily touching
cradle · lullaby · coo · cuddle · warmth · oxytocin · trust · secure · safe haven · gaze · heartbeat · rocking · soothe · newborn · tenderness · protection · instinct · milk
- object relationstransitional object, object permanence, Melanie Klein, splitting, introjection
mother-infant bondchild abandonment
Deserting one's minor dependents
attachment disorder · emotional detachment · parental rejection · failure to thrive · institutionalization
mother-infant bondseparation
State of being apart
estrangement · individuation · detachment · emancipation · cutting ties
mother, infant, bond, mothers, infants, motherly, motherhood, maternal, maternity