Bonding and Attachment with Baby in the Womb or in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: The Critical Role of Early Emotional Connections.

Bonding and attachment are known to be critically important for the well-being of infants and children. Both bonding and attachment can begin before birth, which impacts fetal and infant brain development and may improve birth outcomes. Babies in the womb and preterm babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) can hear and respond to maternal voices with positive effects on physiologic stability, brain development, and language development. Supporting emotional connections before and after birth is the responsibility and the privilege of health-care providers who care for pregnant mothers and babies in the NICU.