A New App For Parents Reassures Mums Who Don’t Bond With Their Baby Straight Away
The first time a woman will experience her first bout of mummy guilt will be when she gives birth to a baby that she doesn’t feel connected to.
Society says a mother will instantly bond with her baby the moment they are placed on her chest. After all, so much planning and love has gone into the conception and anticipation of the bub’s arrival. It’s only natural that mum will instantly bond with her baby at birth, right? Not necessarily.
Experts say no to this reasoning, urging new mums to change their perceptions about having an instant bond with their baby after the results of a national survey which was released today.
Nearly 70 per cent of mothers expected to bond with their baby at birth, but the reality is only 60 per cent formed a connection after the birth.
A survey commissioned by WOTBaby, had over 500 mums respond. The survey results found many mums are putting pressure on themselves to have a connection with their baby from birth.
Mums can feel disappointed or inadequate when they don’t feel that instant connection, yet in reality, it takes anywhere from birth to 6 months before a mum will feel a full rush of love and connection to her newborn.
Founder of WOTbaby, and a mothercraft nurse with over 27 years experience, Jen Hamilton, explains, “It’s all you see in advertising and the movies. Mums are depicted as forming an immediate bond, when in reality it can take much longer to form a true rhythm with their baby.”
“There are some key fundamentals that result in a successful bond between parent and baby, and so many out-of-control factors can effect that experience, including labour, health, support systems, relationships, personality and personal history or adjustment with things like feeding. In my experience, I generally find on average, mums truly bonding with their child at four to five months.”
The research was done as part of the launch of the WOTBaby app. WOTBaby is a personalized app that acts like a mid-wife in your pocket for parents and caregivers. The app supports parents as they journey through the first 6 months of raising a newborn.
The app is one of a kind on the market because despite offering instant step-by-step tips and tricks for parents and caregivers, it also acknowledges that each child and parent is different so parents can find the right step-by-step process that may work for them. The app offers week-by-week milestones and hints on managing challenges at each stage.
The app is a reassuring way for parents to navigate the chaotic season of raising a newborn. WOTBaby was released today and can be downloaded from the App Store for $2.99.
