Editorial: Maternal Bonding: How and Why Does It Matter?

In 1970, Klaus and Kennell endorsed the idea of a sensitive period immediately after birth, associated with skin-to-skin contact, that was key to a human mother developing an affectional bond with her infant. Since that time, studies have investigated how the mother's affectional bond to her infant supports infant development as well as a variety of factors that impact the development of such a bond, including maternal engagement in fetal movements, experiences during the birth process, social support including that from the partner, and maternal mental health. This editorial aims to set the large, longitudinal study by Le Bas et al. in the context of past and current other work on the significance of parents' bonds to their infants.