Are You and Your Baby Bonding?

Parents and their children establish their relationship and love in a variety of ways, and one of the first ways to begin that process is bonding with baby. Bonding establishes trust between parent and child, and it prepares the child for learning what the world is all about. Starting the process may begin while the child is in utero, although that doesn't mean adoptive parents are at a disadvantage. After the 18^th week of pregnancy, babies can hear what's going on outside the womb and will respond. Shortly after birth, newborns will respond to those same sounds he heard in the womb. This makes for a great opportunity for partners to sing or talk to the pregnant mother's belly to continue that relationship after birth. Babies respond to sound and touch above most other senses, and newborns don't see very far - to make eye contact with baby, get within a foot of his direct line of vision. Facial expressions without speaking can help create that bond.