How Bonding Effects Hormones in Kangaroo Mother Care

When it comes to bonding and hormones, you could refer to the old adage about the chicken and the egg. Which came first? Does the secretion of certain hormones affect bonding between mother and baby or does the bonding between mother and baby effect the secretion of certain hormones. The answer is yes...to both.

The hormone prolactin causes milk production, but it also has a calming effect on the nursing mother as well as increasing her maternal feelings. Oxytocin, the hormone that causes the contractions of labor as well as the muscle contractions that make breast feeding possible, also induces feelings of love. For the mother, when combined with prolactin, oxytocin induces those loving and nurturing feelings for her baby. The continued presence of oxytocin causes changes in certain nerve structures in mother's brain, causing the mothering instinct to become permanent.

Through the umbilical cord before birth, in the birth canal during and through breastfeeding after, baby receives hormones from mother including oxytocin. For the baby, being held and given kangaroo mother care makes the baby produce their very own oxytocin. This elevated presence of oxytocin means the baby bonds with mother as well. The longer the contact between you and your baby, the more often you give KMC, the more Oxytocin is produced, creating stronger bonding.

The effects on both mother and baby can be a decrease and stabilization in blood pressure, respiration and heart rate. The baby's first experiences form the time of conception, effect the organization of both the synapses in the brain and the systems controlling hormones. Those first hormonal interchanges and creations effect the baby's brain development and nervous system. Oxytocin levels are a factor in how a baby's brain develops in relation to their ability to handle stress. In other words, the bonding process between mother and baby and the related hormone release effects how the baby develops and functions later in life. Bonding through Kangaroo Mother Care with your baby will cause the release of hormones, which will affect the brain, enabling him or her to bond with others.

Prolactin and oxytocin also encourage the release of a third type of hormone called endorphins or opioids. They are also called the "feel good" hormones, and can have morphine like effect on the brain. They produce feelings of well being and diminish feelings of pain. Nursing your baby releases endorphins, making the experience pleasant and making you to want to repeat the pattern. The same thing is happening to your baby, which means it is not only hunger which makes him or her seek out your breast, but the pleasant feelings associated with being cuddled and snuggled by you when doing KMC.

The release or hormones encourages the bond between you and your baby. The bond between you and your baby encourages the continued production of those same hormones and your baby's development. Kangaroo Mother Care encourages bonding between mother and baby through skin to skin contact and breast feeding. Those simple acts increase hormone production which in turn strengthens the bonding experience between mother and which increases hormone production. The effects on both mother and baby are positive and provide a strong launch pad for the mother child relationship.