The more you hug your baby, the more the brain will benefit, science says
Until a few years ago, if a mother often held her child in her arms, she was guilty of wanting to spoil her child. How many of us were raised this way? With the fear of vice? Too many.
Fortunately, over time it has been understood that no, cuddles and hugs do not spoil anyone, on the contrary!
Newborns experience the world through touch. Touch is the sense that transmits many sensations to them and allows them to discover the space that surrounds them and the objects with which it comes into contact.
It has become common practice in hospitals to immediately put the newborn baby in contact with the mother.
Skin-to-skin therapy has been shown to help the baby recover from labor and delivery, calm the baby’s breathing and heart rate, and minimize stress and separation anxiety in the newborn.
There is immediate physical and visual contact with the mother, and these cuddles and eye contact lay the foundations of the mother-child relationship.
In a recent study, researchers measured the brain responses of 125 babies, including babies who were born prematurely and others who were born full-term, demonstrating that a child’s first experiences have lasting effects on how their young brains respond to caresses and cuddles.
The study that confirms the power of hugs
The results reported in the study published in the authoritative journal Current Biology are a further reminder of the importance of cuddles for the normal sensory development of children.
In particular, they play a fundamental role for the millions of babies who are born prematurely each year and who often have to spend long periods of time in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
According to Dr. Natalie Maitre, author of the study, premature babies should always have the possibility of contact with their parents, to help their brains respond to caresses in a similar way to those of children who have been pregnant complete.
When parents cannot do this, hospitals should consider employing trained staff who can provide a precise tactile experience that is often lacking in the hospital setting.
Maitre and his colleagues enrolled 125 babies born preterm between 24 and 36 weeks and full-term babies born between 38 and 42 weeks. Before these children were discharged from the hospital, the researchers measured the responses of the children’s brains to a light touch with a special electroencephalogram.
In general, these measurements showed that preterm infants responded less than full-term infants to gentle touch.
Full-term babies had a stronger brain response than their preterm peers, and among the preterm babies, those who had to endure painful medical procedures shortly after birth had the weakest brain reactions.
The researchers were surprised to find that tactile perception of prematurely born babies can be affected by the medical procedures they undergo (since they are often given pain medication). But the good news is that hugs can help counter negative experiences.
In fact, it has been seen that if premature babies receive positive tactile stimuli from their parents or hospital staff, the stronger their brain responses were.
This is also very important for parents : knowing that the contact they can offer to the child benefits them, it can be a way to feel useful and participate in a situation that often makes mums and dads feel helpless.
We parents feel like our hearts get bigger every time we hug our little ones, but the truth is that their brains are growing even faster, and we have an unquestionable role in this.
For new parents, including those whose young children are undergoing difficult medical procedures, take heart and have no fear: Your touch matters more than you know.
Kathryn Barlow is an OB/GYN doctor, which is the medical specialty that deals with the care of women's reproductive health, including pregnancy and childbirth.
Obstetricians provide care to women during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, while gynecologists focus on the health of the female reproductive system, including the ovaries, uterus, vagina, and breasts. OB/GYN doctors are trained to provide medical and surgical care for a wide range of conditions related to women's reproductive health.