The time of first holding of the infant and maternal self-esteem related to feelings of maternal attachment.

This study tested the hypotheses that the earlier the mother holds her infant after delivery the sooner she will develop feelings of maternal attachment, and the more positive her self-esteem the sooner she will develop feelings of maternal attachment. A voluntary sample of 67 mothers completed self-administered questionnaires including the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and three tools designed for use in this study. Findings from Pearson product-moment correlations supported the first hypothesis but not the second. Implications for health care practice and research are discussed.