What is a key consideration for nurses when addressing early maternal-newborn attachment?

• A. Label as failed attachment if mother is not feeding.
• B. Do not involve mother in infant care.
• C. Recognize that initial behaviors may reflect stage rather than attachment issues.
• D. Limit visitation.

Answer: (C)

The key idea here is that early maternal–newborn behaviors often reflect normal adaptation, not a problem with attachment. In the hours and days after birth, both mother and baby are adjusting physiologically and emotionally. Newborns may be sleepy, have variable feeding patterns, or seek comfort and closeness in ways that look like “struggling” to attach, but these behaviors can be part of the taking-in and taking-hold stages of bonding. A nurse who recognizes this understands that attachment grows through continued, responsive interaction rather than through a single incident or symptom.

This perspective guides supportive care: encourage skin-to-skin contact, help the mother interpret and respond to infant cues, assist with feeding when needed, and provide reassurance and realistic expectations about the bonding process. By focusing on facilitating responsive caregiving and reducing barriers to contact, the nurse promotes attachment over time.

Other options aren’t appropriate because labeling attachment as failed based on feeding alone ignores normal adaptation; excluding the mother from infant care deprives her of bonding opportunities; and limiting visitation can hinder the social and emotional support that supports bonding.