The First Two Weeks: Mama’s Touch

The first two weeks with a newborn are a trip. We’ve all heard the cliche that you don’t get any sleep, that you have no idea what is coming, yada, yada. All that is true to some extent, but there are definitely things that nobody tells you.

One of these things is the magical “Mama’s Touch”.

Baby can be screaming bloody murder, but put her on mama’s chest and they will calm down fairly quickly. I suppose this is rooted in said child having spent the last forty weeks inside her (which still trips me out) and one can cite all the research behind the benefits of skin-to-skin contact between baby and mom on a regular basis. But this blog is from the dad’s perspective, so…

My take away is this – giving your screaming child to your wife is not a sign that you aren’t fit to calm your own child or that your newborn doesn’t like you. And it definitely doesn’t mean that because you hand her over to mom now, she will always depend on mom for comfort. Your baby is not crying because it is upset in the way we cry when we are upset – it is crying because that is the only way it can communicate, it is talking to you. We raise our voices, baby just screams louder.

Right now, mama means food, warmth (moms are able to regulate baby’s body temperature unlike dads), and comfort. After all, the real world is harsh, wouldn’t you go back to your  comfort spot if you could? So if putting baby on mama’s chest for a few minutes enables you to hear your own thoughts, puts baby to sleep, and aligns the stars in your new universe, it’s ok.

 


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