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Posted on: 3 March 2017

If you have a baby that was just born and is medically very fragile, there is a good chance that you will not be able to take him or home from the hospital right away. Your baby might have been born prematurely or have some sort of disorder that caused his or her body to not develop fully in the womb, resulting in him or her needing a good deal of intensive care. This can be very hard on new parents who want to bond with their child as much as possible. Here are some tips for bonding with your infant despite the fact that he or she is in a neonatal intensive care unit.

1. Remember That Bonding is a Process That Takes Time

You might have seen a dozen movies or had friends describe how being able to hold a brand new baby during its first few weeks of life is a priceless bonding moment. As a result, you might feel terrible if your baby is not sturdy enough to handle being held or even being touched. You might worry that you are not going to bond with your baby at all. Reassure yourself that bonding is a process that is going to take a great deal of time to happen fully. There is no magic moment during your baby's first few weeks of life where a bonding switch flicks on and, if you miss that moment, you will never bond. You can still bond with your baby in the intensive care center; it might just take a little bit longer.

2. Visit Regularly

One way that you can bond with your baby is by going to see him or her on a regular basis while he or she is in the intensive care unit. This will get your baby primed and ready to see your face once his or her eyes fully develop. Talking to your baby while you are visiting will help your baby learn to recognize your voice. This will cause your baby to be more likely to spend time looking at you, rather than other people or objects, an indication that your baby is bonding.

3. Try to Make Eye Contact

If your baby is looking at your face, try to make eye contact for as long as your baby is willing to hold it. This will also help increase bonding.

4. Hold Hands

Eventually, your baby is going to be sturdy enough to hold your finger. Explore these smaller methods of touch with your baby as much as possible in order to make sure that you feel as though you are actively bonding with your baby.

For more information about ways to bond with your baby's particular level of fragility, talk to the doctors at an infant care clinic such as Northeast Wyoming Pediatric Associates Pc.