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Bonding Hormone Helps New Dads Bond with Baby!
By Sheilamarie Nellis
Is it a woman who gets pregnant or does a couple get pregnant? I have sometimes heard a young man announce excitedly that "we are pregnant!" and that always warms my heart. Other couples act as if pregnancy is a woman's thing, independent of the man involved. Sure, a woman is the one whose body and emotions go through such a transformation and often turmoil. But does the man just stand aside and watch everything happening? It may sometimes seem that way. Come to find out, oxytocin, the powerful hormone associated with childbirth and breastfeeding in women, is found in new fathers, too, at least after the baby is born. Research suggests that oxytocin levels are just as high in new fathers during the first few months of a newborn’s life as in new mothers. Scientists believe oxytocin is the hormone that helps with the bonding process between parents and children. Fathers who play with their babies in a stimulating way show a higher level of oxytocin in their blood. I find this research encouraging. People often joke about how new fathers come down with pregnancy symptoms while waiting for a baby to be born. Haemorrhoids, fatigue, aches and pains -- these expressed symptoms in a partner can be infuriating to an expectant Mom who, rightfully so, feels her needs are being ignored as her husband voices his own complaints. But noting that a couple's connection to each other to the point where the new father's body produces the same bonding hormone as his wife's vindicates these new dads for whom having a baby is such life-changing event, too. Yeah to new dads! Encouraging a new father to stay involved with the parenting process, beginning with the pregnancy, is something we all can encourage. Families where both parents are committed to raising the young are stronger families and our society as a whole will become stronger when both parents are supported in this parenting role, too.
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Contributor's Note
I have a Squidoo page http://www.squidoo.com/dadsplay in which I go into more detail about fathers and children.
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PLEASE VISIT THE CONTRIBUTOR'S WEBSITE
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I wonder if this is even more apparent with dads who are British Secret Intelligence Service agents with 007 as their number. The name is Bond...James Bond!
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