Reference no: EM13308820

The terms attachment and bonding are often used interchangeably, as though they had similar meanings. However, the two differ in several important ways. Bonding is one-sided; it refers to the parent's tie to the infant, formed quite suddenly in the first hours or days of life. In contrast, attachment refers to a two-sided relationship between infant and parent that develops gradually through day-to-day interaction and evolves over a period of years. What advice would you give to parents who cannot be with their baby right after birth and might be worried about the consequences for their relationship with their baby (e.g., parents of babies in intensive care nurseries, adoptive parents, mothers who suffer complications during delivery, etc.)?