By Kendall Sonnenberg, International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant

For many new parents, bonding right away with your newborn can seem overwhelming. After all, you’ve just met, and bonds can take some time to create. But from my perspective, in those early days “bonding” with your baby is really about one key factor: building trust.  

Think of it this way: when your baby was inside of you, he or she had a caregiver present all the time. He had the constant reassurance of hearing his parents’ voices, the familiar sound of mom’s breathing and the cadence of her steps. Inside this perfectly temperature-controlled environment, all your baby’s needs were met. 

After they’re born, this little person still needs all the things they did before, and that’s where parent-baby bonding comes in. This process means you, as a parent, learning how to meet those needs and become confident as a care provider while establishing your baby’s trust that you will keep them fed, warm, comfortable, and safe. 

As an  IBCLC (International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant) I know from my experience working with babies and new parents that feeding sessions are one of the most important ways you can build this connection. After all, feeding is central to a newborn’s early development and takes up a very large chunk of the baby’s (and your) time. Below, I’ll provide some tips on how to optimize this time together to build that critical trust - and bond - between parent and baby.