Touch has benefits for both the mother and the child
It has been found that if people have lack of touch as infants it can cause long term effects
- After birth “Skin-to-skin contact is standard care for babies, and the babies will determine when they have had enough because they will start to have an interest in other things.” (Harmon)
- Skin-to-skin contact is very important, “Particularly in the newborn period, it helps calm babies: they cry less and it helps them sleep better. There are some studies that show their brain development is facilitated—probably because they are calmer and sleep better." (Harmon)
- Research has found that “New mothers have the ability to thermoregulate for the baby—if the baby's temperature drops, the mother's temperature rises, and if the baby's temperature rises, the mother's drops.” (Harmon)
- “Skin-to-skin can benefit mothers too. It reduces their stress levels, and has been found to lower the level of depression. It can enable the mother to be more responsive to the baby’s cues and the babies are more responsive to the mother through the first three months.” (Harmon)
It has been found that if people have lack of touch as infants it can cause long term effects
- “It is found that those deprived from touch have been known to experience some cognitive deficits and have some emotional differences. “Many children who have not had ample physical and emotional attention are at higher risk for behavioral, emotional and social problems as they grow up.” (Harmon) Some have found that children from Romania had indiscriminate friendliness and were more likely to go off with strangers.” (Harmon)
- Babies that have lack of touch “are more likely to have alexithymia, a condition that impairs their ability to express and interpret emotion.” (Floyd)