I thought this book was fascinating, and here are some quotes I loved:
Many people misunderstand the process of bonding and give too literal a meaning to the word bonding, as though it were a mechanical process - the "epoxy model." Attachment to their infant occurs at different times for different people. For many parents, it happens during the first moments or a day or two after birth; for others, it does not occur until they are hoe from the hospital and taking care of their infant for the first time alone.
More on bonding:
"When a father is asked to play with his infant in the first hours and to establish eye-to-eye contact with the baby, he spends considerably more time with teh baby in the first three months of life than do fathers who don't have this experience."
A Mayan Indian saying:
In the baby lies the future of the world. The mother must hold him close so he will know the world is his. The father must take him to the highest hill so he can see what his world is like.
This book was part of my certification program to become a Happiest Baby Educator and I found it to be really, really interesting. I loved the details about various studies being done with newborns and their ability to recognize and respond to their caregivers. Incredible!
(And with that, I am now DONE with my Happiest Baby program, my exam and paperwork are in the envelope to mail and I just wait on the results to become official!!!)