I still remember how nervous I was when I held my baby for the first time. I was as jittery as any new mother could be. I wasn’t sure how to hold a baby properly, let alone feed her and take care of her 24X7.
In fact, I started having sleepless nights before my baby was born and my to-be mommy brain was working overtime, leaving me anxious. I wondered if I was capable enough to take care of a baby all by myself.
And, when I saw my baby girl for the first time and held her in my arms, my fears were back! While I was also happy to finally see and touch my baby for the first time, my palms were sweaty, and I felt like I was about to get a panic attack.
My mother who was watching me all this while came up to me and asked, “Kya Hua?”. I just looked at her and started crying like a baby. She said nothing for a minute and then just came up to me and hugged me tightly. And just then, all my fears vanished as I felt the warmth of her loving embrace.
Suddenly, it hit me! I knew how to keep my baby calm and comfortable. I was a mother and trust me, nothing can be as comforting as the warmth of a mother. I immediately got up, picked my baby from the cot and hugged her. And suddenly everything just fell into place.
A mother’s hug is the best thing in the world!
Yes, it is! Even science says that a mother’s embrace is indeed a jadoo ki jhappi for your baby. Over 600 scientific papers have been published on the effects of human touch on infants and state that babies have an innate need to be loved and nurtured in order to develop trust and attachment.
Continue reading on the next page to know about the health benefits of a mother's hug!
A mother’s touch can affect the baby positively in so many ways.
- Holding your baby not only soothes behavioural and physiological responses in preterm infants, but it also stabilises the heart rate and decreases crying in full-term infants.
- Touch activities such as infant massage improves the baby’s sleep patterns, keeps illnesses at bay, enhances weight gain and increases growth in full-term as well as pre-term infants.
- Kangaroo Care or skin-to-skin touch just after the baby is born is extremely helpful in behavioural and physiological responses of a pre-term baby.
- Other benefits of touch include enhanced immunity and an improved parent-baby relationship. Studies also say that first contact with the baby can help the transition for a mother into her new role, and also constructively establishes the mother-child bond.
Perhaps this is the reason why Huggies has come up with the ‘New Huggies Wonder Pants’ that has a ‘hug-fit design’ and is inspired by a mother’s hug. The diaper gives the baby comfort that is second only to a mother’s hug.
As a parent, I believe that there can never be a thing called “too many hugs” for your baby and at times when you’re not around, Huggies would be there to comfort your child. I’m very sure you won’t stop using it once you know how good it is, just like I’ve continued hugging my daughter whenever she’s in distress, even though she’s a toddler now.
Don’t you agree with me, mommies? If you do, please share your hug stories with me now!
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[Images courtesy: Pixabay.com]
