Attachment and bonding are both ways to describe the feelings between you and your baby, but attachment has a broader meaning than bonding.
Attachment is about both you and your baby. It’s about how you build a relationship over time that helps your baby feel secure, loved, and ready to face the world.
Bonding is all about you. It’s about the surge of love and tenderness you feel for your baby. You may feel it when you’re pregnant, perhaps when you see the first blurry image of your baby in an ultrasound. Or you may feel it when you first hold your baby after giving birth, but it can take longer.
Attachment and bonding go hand-in-hand, though. It follows that if you feel a strong bond with your baby, your baby is more likely to develop a secure attachment to you.
