Interesting new research has found that the method of delivery seems to influence how the mother’s brain reacts to the cries of her baby.  The study only included 12 women and is therefore not conclusive.  However, it stands to reason that a new mother is tuned in to her baby after they have worked closely together during the pregnancy and the birth.

 Bonding starts while the baby is unborn and parents who invest time and money in natural child birth classes such as HypnoBirthing® are likely to be in very close touch with their offspring.  HypnoBirthing mothers are conscious and very much aware of their birthing and the same is true for other methods of natural child birth.

According to the study, the brains of women who have natural child birth appear to be very responsive to the cries of their own baby.  The women who delivered by C-section apparently were not as responsive.   

These findings were based on brain imaging conducted two to four weeks after delivery and the study was published in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.  The images showed that the cry of the woman’s own child triggered significant responses in several parts of the brain.  Areas, that when activated, promise good child care such as sensory processing, empathy, arousal, motivation, reward, and habit creation.

From the point of view of survival this is very reassuring. It’s good to know that the mother’s brain is hard wired to respond to the needs of her infant.  It’s also good to know that natural delivery, that is vaginal delivery, triggers all the right instincts in the mother.

However, there is no reason for mothers who were forced to deliver by C-section, to despair.  There was no evidence to suggest that delivery method had long-term effect on a woman’s ability to recognize and respond to the cries of her baby.  Likewise, children born by surgical means were just as close to their mother as the ones born vaginally. 

 I would like to point out that HypnoBirthing is useful for a woman slated for a C-section because she will have learned to relax and to use hypnosis.  Hypnosis has proven to be essential in speedy recovery and for an unremarkable surgery.