Bonding & attachment
The urge to bond is one of the basic human drives, but parent-baby bonding may not be instant or easy. Our highly skilled team of early life and family specialists, led by consultant paediatricians, is well known for helping parents to change family of origin patterns and develop close and loving bonds in their new families.
Your baby's basic drives are straight forward: 'love me, hold me, feed me, hear me, see me'. We are practical and will help you use simple measures that can make a big difference to you and your baby. We believe that you and your baby and children each play an active role; and that your experiences in your early life influence the way you bond with your baby now.
A paedatric consultant is here to listen to your concerns, assess your family dynamic and check whether a physical condition may be affecting your baby. Your paediatrician's role is to advise you and to gather support from the team at Viveka. You may welcome help if you feel low or depressed, or if feeding, crying or sleep are difficult for you and your baby.
A consultant gynaecologist may be a core part of your team. He or she is here to support your postnatal health and to talk to you if there are elements of the birth that you wish to discuss, or if breastfeeding or postnatal depression is posing a problem.
Emotional support is often essential for parents and babies when bonding is not easy. Sometimes your baby reflects your feelings; and partnership and family issues may be linked with bonding and attachment difficulties. Introducing a new sibling may also create issues for everyone in your family. Viveka's 'Emo' team includes a highly experienced personal and family therapist who is also a midwife. Other team members include a a psychotherapist specialising in early life effects on current emotions, a hypnotherapist and NLP practitioner, and a life coach. We have a nation-wide reputation for helping families to blossom. Support will be uniquely tailored to you and your baby within the context of your family. Your baby is welcome to join consultations or groups. We work closely with your paediatrician.
Parenting courses at Viveka focus on bonding and nurturing. These include support groups and the Babiesknow and Babiesgrow workshops, which explore how babies experience their first relationships; and help parents change family patterns they may not want to repeat.
Complementary therapies are often useful, for parents and babies. Gentle osteopathy may soothe and help both of you to sleep and relax and can be very powerful for newborn babies holding tension arising from pregnancy or birth. Homeopathy is gentle and often effective.
Lifestyle advice may come from a coach or therapist, or from your doctor. Our aim is to help you feel nurtured and to grow in confidence in relationship with your baby
Did you know ?
Recent discoveries in neuroscience confirm that a baby's emotional drives and memory are well developed before birth; and that in the first 3 years a baby's brain becomes 'wired' with a lasting effect on how he or she experiences the world for the rest of their lives. The more consistently a young baby's needs are met, the easier it is to bond, in youth and in adulthood. These needs are 'love me, hold me, feed me, hear me, see me'. Babies who are touched and held by their mum or another loving adult, who are fed on demand and listened to, tend to feel secure, confident, cry infrequently and bond strongly.
