Midwives’ Contribution to the Development of the Mothers’ Bond with Their Newborn

TL;DR

This study shows how midwives help mothers bond with their newborns through supportive care during pregnancy and childbirth.

Contribution

The study highlights midwives' unique role in fostering maternal-newborn bonding through relational continuity in care.

Findings

Midwives support bonding by encouraging mothers to interact with the fetus during pregnancy.

Birth and postnatal care are key moments for midwives to promote mother-infant contact.

Midwives adapt their approach to support bonding even in challenging situations like hospital transfers.

Abstract

Background: The mother’s bond with her newborn is important for the child’s development and their relationship. Midwives are well placed to witness first-hand the beginning of this relationship. Objectives: This study examined, based on mothers’ perceptions, the contribution of midwives to the development of the bond with their baby from pregnancy to the first postnatal months. Methods: We conducted a descriptive qualitative interpretative study in Quebec, Canada (from 2022 to 2025), with 10 primiparous mothers who were cared for by midwives in a model of continuity of care, and gave birth in a birth center, at home, or in a hospital. Semi-structured retrospective interviews were conducted between two and four months after childbirth, and were complemented by interviews with two midwives. Results: Most participants developed a bond with their baby during pregnancy. They discussed their midwifery care and what they felt were significant elements in the development of their bond with the baby. Midwives encouraged them to develop this bond through their approach and various means: letting them feel the fetus during palpation, talking to it, encouraging mothers to do the same, and reinforcing the bond throughout pregnancy. The birth and first moments after birth were also key moments for promoting contact between mother and baby. Midwives were also creative in promoting bonding in more difficult situations, such as when a transfer to the hospital for delivery was needed. Conclusions: Midwives play an important role in initiating and developing the mother–child bond during pregnancy, especially if they practice within a model of relational continuity.

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