I don't doubt that bonding begins before birth because baby is inundated
with the sounds etc, of family.  There is in addition that immediate
bonding that occurs in the early quite alert moments.  I had an
experience with this a few years ago that was awsome, but in the greater
context very sad.  I was working as a mom/baby nurse and was assigned to
be the "baby nurse" for a delivery.  I don't remember the exact reason,
but there was some complication with mom and the baby was immediately in
the warmer without mom having had a chance to hold baby.  Dad was
watching as I did the initial assessment of the baby.  Baby was in a
classic awestruck quite alert state.  I just naturally talked to the
baby as well as the dad while I did the assessment.  Nest day when I was
assigned to the mom/baby, I came into the room and as soon as I quietly
spoke to the mom, baby unlatched and looked right at me as if to say,
"Where have you been?"!  A moving experience for me, but mom should have
been the one baby recognized first.

Winnie

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