Oxytocin

Oxytocin

Following birth, the hormone, oxytocin, is released in the mother. This gives her an extra boost from biology that assists her focus and interest in nurturing and bonding with her infant. This puts the baby in proximity to a caregiver who is not only meeting their physical needs, but their need to be nurtured, comforted and fall in love.

Providing this response that best meets the child’s need amplifies a positive experience and reduces discomfort. These episodes of synchronicity create loops of communication between caregiver and child, facilitate the development of verbal and emotional dialogue and promote the infant’s capacity for self-regulation.

When this specifically fitted interaction between the infant and mother is consistently presented, the infant can begin to depend on this reliable, attuned communication to meet both biological and emotional needs. This attuned communication gives way to thousands of interactions, which help an infant to develop a secure sense of self, of other, and a basic blueprint for the world of relationships.

When Oxytocin is released it affects people in different ways. Research studies have measured it in mothers, fathers, and foster parents to understand how it affects a parent’s drive to respond to a baby’s needs and create a loving bond. Oxytocin is created in adult relationships too!

Effects of oxytocin in social interactions include:

• • increases in strength of human bonding

  • decreases in anxiety in social situations

  • increases in the trust in others

  • increases in calmness and contentment in the presence of a mate

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