Eye Contact With Your Baby While Breastfeeding Is Magical

Breastfeeding means much more than just giving your baby the nutrition they need so they can be healthy when they grow up. It also builds a bond with your child during a magical moment of eye contact.

During this nurturing, loving act, you share scents, touches, emotions, and eye contact with your baby, giving them a completely different kind of nourishment.

We may be talking about breastfeeding here, but that does not mean that bottle-feeding should be ruled out. That contact with your baby in your arms is still there. You can still mumble to them in a low voice and your baby’s eyes will search for your face.

Believe it or not, there are few moments as important to a child’s development as when they are in the arms of the mother or father.

In fact, there are several studies that support this. Children begin the process of learning about communication thanks to the interaction with their mothers while eating.

Their brain begins to register sounds, gestures, tones, and individual words, which gradually come together to form the basis of language.

Senses of joy and well-being are fundamental during this process. Babies are happy and relaxed while eating, making them more receptive to learning and attachment to their environment.

This physical and emotional sensation helps the growth of the neuronal structures until the day the moment comes when your baby will be able to look you in the eyes.

We will now tell a little more about this amazing process.

The first eye contact during breastfeeding with your baby in your arms

It is said that there is not much in life that is as beautiful as a mother feeding her baby. But there are many things about breastfeeding that we are not necessarily aware of during this wonderful phase.

A sophisticated biological mechanism

We know that pregnancy is a chaotic whirlwind of hormones that activates the vital process that builds our bonds with our baby, even after they are born. Oxytocin, for example, is stimulated when the baby grabs the breast. This hormone works in our brain to promote the flow of milk. But also to strengthen the deep, emotional bond.

But something you may not know is that in the first months of their life, your baby has a very limited field of vision. They can only distinguish objects about 50 centimeters away, or less.

There is a simple reason. The only thing the baby needs to focus on at this time is the mother’s breast, or their bottle.

Therefore, your baby is guided by only one of their senses during the first weeks of their life: smell. So do not worry if you can not make eye contact with your baby to begin with. The time has just not come yet.

The magic moment of eye contact happens around the 4 months

Each child matures at their own pace. But it is normal for your baby’s eyes to gain the ability to focus and perceive depth around 4 months of age.

These are two essential processes. They allow your baby to focus their attention on what is most important to them: you.

The long moments you share with your baby while breastfeeding are unforgettable. In cases of discreet intimacy, your words and touches will gradually expand your baby’s horizons until their eyes can find you. At this age, your baby will also start playing with your hair and clothes.

Each child has their own way of eating. Some are calm while others are anxious. But both types of behavior will change and mature with each passing week.

Your child grows up before the eyes of you, and that’s good. 

Your baby is looking for more than just eye contact

This is important. Talk to them as your baby begins to return your gaze. Language without words is important. But the few seconds our eyes meet is the perfect time to give them more stimulation.

• Your baby may respond to you with a smile when you talk. Later it can be a whistle, a laugh, and later a curious or provocative gesture, so you continue to interact.
• Do not forget that a baby’s eyes are like doors that we have to keep open. Behind them lies a whole world that you can stimulate every day through your magical bond with your child.

No matter what others say, food and care are not the only things that matter during the baby’s first few months. Your baby will be awakened to life during this time. With every gesture, every touch, every word, you enlighten their minds, and with your eyes, you guide them as they enter this world.