ABSTRACT
Neurobiological studies show that healthy brains depend on healthy bonding relationships with the primary caregivers and efficient connections of neurons in the brain. All these connections make the brain of a two-year-old four times heavier than the newborn’s. By responding to the baby’s feelings in a non-verbal way, the mother regulates the baby’s physiological and psychological states. However, if parents do understand the baby’s states and respond quickly to them, restoring a feeling of comfort, then feelings can come to awareness. The parent therefore helps the baby to become aware of his or her own feelings through mirroring, for instance by talking in baby talk and emphasising his or her sounds, words, and gestures so that the baby can become aware of them. Eye contact may be a powerful cue for the infant’s physiological system; it sends signals to the brain that allow it to reduce the production of stress hormones initiated during childbirth.
