Strengthening the Bond Between Mother and Baby

Although giving birth is one of the most natural processes of humanity, our technology-obsessed society has slowly forgotten its relevance and the importance of the link between parents – mother – and the newborn. In our need to improve medicine and health – which is crucial indeed – we have forgotten the old knowledge and traditions women hold for the time of pregnancy, birth and post-birth. And not only the traditions but also the key link that is formed between the mom and the baby during pregnancy and birth. It is not news that many organizations have worked for the last few decades on bringing back the natural-birth traditions and wisdom without forgetting the medical and ‘western’ side of it.

In Playa del Carmen, there are a few groups that address this situation and work on building the lost relationship between mom and baby. These groups (e.g. Salud Primal) have various programs that help support moms (or both parents) from pregnancy to years after giving birth.

This work is based in the Attachment Theory of John Bowlby which considers the importance of the close relationship of a child with the mother from birth for the child’s emotional, cognitive and social development. Their support is through knowledge, and discussion groups, activities and events. Workshops are created to accompany parents through the first months of motherhood in order to have more conscious moms: with a stronger link to their babies for the health of both.

Importantly, these groups also focus on the emotional advantages of breastfeeding, as well as building habits that are a little friendlier to the environment, like using cloth nappies or dropping the use of formula and processed baby foods, or spending time in nature and understanding the natural hormonal processes behind the moms’ and babies’ behaviors.

In these times when we are constantly bombarded with technology from a very young age, these groups bring back an old but key tradition that has the potential to balance up our rather unbalanced societies by strengthening the most delicate link between a mother and her newborn human.