Is There A Relationship Between Breastfeeding And Maternal Sensitivity?

Fortunately, there is increasing scientific evidence supporting the importance of breastfeeding. Although it has been the usual way of feeding the little ones throughout history, for some time now there have been many changes in that regard.

Currently, there are many women who do not trust their bodies and do not know if they “can” breastfeed their babies. This fact is closely related to the medicalization of both the pregnancy and childbirth process and the consequent disconnection of women both with other mothers and with their own bodies. However, at some point, you may have heard about maternal “intuition.”

Throughout this article we will address various aspects in order to understand if there are relationship between breastfeeding and sensitivity. We start by defining what maternal sensitivity is and why breastfeeding is so important. Once the foundations have been laid, we talk about the scientific evidence behind the relationship between both concepts.

How can we define maternal sensitivity?

That intuition we talked about in the introduction could have aspects in common with what we call “maternal sensitivity.” This concept is defined as the ability of mothers to perceive, interpret and respond appropriately to the signals that their child sends them.

In other words, we could say that it is the fact of knowing how to “read” the baby’s needs and, therefore, knowing what he needs. That this happens is crucial in many ways. Mothers’ sensitivity has a direct relationship with the physical, emotional and cognitive development of the baby.

Is sensitivity something innate or something that is built? The answer is complex and, broadly speaking, we could say that it is a mixture of both aspects. During pregnancy, hormonal and brain changes occur that could lead us to think that it is innate and related to evolution.

However, there are also other very important factors that will interfere with or facilitate maternal sensitivity. For example, aspects such as interaction with the baby contribute to the mother having more experience and learning to read her child. In addition, there are also external factors that can be very limiting (stress, lack of social support, emotional state of the mother, etc.).

Why is breastfeeding so important?

Breastfeeding is the way in which nature has intended to feed our babies, as with other mammals. As the World Health Organization (WHO) defends, breastfeeding is one of the best ways to guarantee the health of the little ones since it contains all the nutrients and antibodies that babies need.

In addition to the importance it has in the physical development of creatures, Breastfeeding is crucial in the emotional development of babies. In the process of breastfeeding, interactions are generated in the mother-baby dyad that foster the bond between the two.

This fact is important since in the first months—or the first years at most—of the child’s life, unconscious learning about bonds is generated. As explained in Bowlby’s attachment theory, in the interactions with caregivers during early childhood, each person’s attachment styles develop.

Is there a relationship between breastfeeding and mothers’ sensitivity?

In 2018, a longitudinal study was published in which they had been studying mothers and children for 10 years. The objective of the research was to determine if there is a relationship between breastfeeding and the sensitivity that mothers show towards their babies.

The results indicate that there is a relationship between both factors. That is, it was observed that women who had breastfed for longer periods of time showed greater sensitivity to the signals and needs of their sons and daughters. In addition, it was also observed that they were more sensitive in interactions with them.

Taking this into account, we can see that Breastfeeding not only has lasting effects on the physical and emotional health of babies, but also influences the bond they will later have with their mothers.

Similar information was published in a 2014 study. This research observed that mothers who had breastfed for longer subsequently had warmer, more sensitive, and less hostile interactions with their children.

In fact, already in 2006 results were published that were along these lines. The authors pointed out that breastfeeding could be considered a factor that strengthens the bond of the mother-baby dyad due to physical closeness, contact, intimacy and emotional response. All of this together contributes to the generation of a more solid and secure attachment style.

How is this relationship explained?

Unfortunately, to this day there is still no scientific consensus that allows a clear and conclusive explanation of the relationship between breastfeeding and the sensitivity shown by it. This indicates that more research is needed in this regard.

The different proposals currently considered explain this relationship from different perspectives. The most biological theories attribute this connection to hormonal changes. (mainly oxytocin) that allow bonding between mother and baby.

On the other hand, we also talk about more psychological aspects in which the time invested in breastfeeding and all the interactions that arise from it are taken into account. This is considered to be an opportunity for the mother to learn and develop the ability to be sensitive to the needs of her child.

In addition, other factors are discussed that must also be taken into account when hypothesizing the reasons that explain this link. In this sense, other types of factors stand out that can also interfere or facilitate the relationship. We talk about both individual aspects (greater predisposition to sensitivity, for example), as well as social, cultural and economic aspects.