Why Mothers Kiss Their Babies 

A revealing essay on the elegant partnership between human physiology and
emotion.

After a baby is born, it is a natural thing to see the mother kissing the
baby. One would think that this is simply because of the emotional bond that
has formed between mother and child. While this is the case, there are also
some other very compelling biochemical reasons as to why this occurs. These
reasons reinforce the understanding that our bodies have inner wisdom which
we seldom recognize or trust. Just as our bodies know how to give birth even
if we don't have intellectual knowledge of the process, our bodies' 
biological systems also have reasons for the complex social interplay
between mother and baby. It just goes to show that, more than ever, we
should trust our mothering instincts. 

When an animal gives birth to its young, you will notice that the mother
spends a lot of time licking her child. It exposes the five senses to the
young, so that the mother knows the taste, smell, feel, sound, and sight of
her new baby. In this way, the mother claims the child as her own. When a
human mother gives birth to a baby, and does so in an environment which
allows her immediate and free access to her child, you will notice that over
a period of time the mother performs certain behaviors which we call
claiming behaviors. She will caress the child, exploring the softness of
the baby's skin and probably counting and fondling the unique little fingers
and toes. She probably marvels visually over how much the baby looks like
her or her husband or another family member, the color of the hair and eyes,
and other physical features. She hears the baby's cries and learns to
distinguish her baby's cry from all others. As she leans down to kiss the
child, she undoubtedly smells the scent of her new baby, and through the
actual act of kissing the baby, she actually learns to know the taste of
him/her. She has also exposed her five senses to the baby so that she
attaches to the baby, feeling that the baby is now her own. It is not
unusual to note that women who are deprived of the privacy and opportunity
for bonding immediately after birth often state that there is an emotional
distance between them and their babies, that they are never really sure that
the baby is theirs. 

Claiming behaviors such as kissing the baby provide not only emotional but
biological attachment. There is also a very real health benefit for the baby
in terms of kissing. "When a mother kisses her baby, she 'samples' those
pathogens that are on the baby's face - the very ones that the baby is about
to ingest. These samples are taken up by the mother's secondary lympoid
organs like the tonsils, and memory B cells specific for those pathogens are
re-stimulated. These B cells then migrate to the mother's breasts where they
produce just those antibodies that the baby needs!" (1) 

We talk a lot about breastmilk, and about how it conveys antibodies to the
infant and helps to prevent illness. However, the antibodies that the mother
has made to the germs around her while pregnant convey little help to the
infant. It is the germs in the infant's environment at present, the ones he
is in contact with right now which he needs protection from. Kissing the
baby is a very important activity beyond its obvious pleasurable and
attachment-promoting value. 

So mothers, kiss away on those babies! 

(1) Sompayrac, Lauren. (1999). How the Immune System Works. Malden, MA:
Blackwell Science, Inc. p. 71. 

Copyright 2001-8 by Judie Rall and The Center for Unhindered Living


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