Why do infants depend on their mother?

Answer 1

When babies are born, they're no longer wrapped up in the security of their Mother's womb ~ a dark, warm liquid environment, separated from the chaotic world, of which is too COLD, BRIGHT & LOUD, & there's all these different voices they don't recognize handling them. They realize that what was once so simple for them to do ~ moving their arms to suck on their thumbs, or their legs to suck on their toes, has become a challenge they're unable to meet, as their once weightless body has now become SO heavy. To us, it would be like spending about 40 wks in a small, dimly lit, heated swimming pool, weightless, where all our nutritional needs are met, where it's oh so warm, & the soothing sounds of our Mother's heartbeat, along w/the soothing melody of her voice, when she talks &/or sings, & the different muffled sounds, were all you were used to for the past 40 wks. & then suddenly, without a warning, you feel something strange begin ~ your liquid bubble has popped, the liquid departs from you, & now you feel like you're being pulled, tugged & squeeze through a tight tunnel; your head is squeezed so hard that the top of your head cones out, while your nose gets smashed down on your face, against all these strange, yet hard areas. Then you feel a push up against your bottom, causing your head to POP out into a very BRIGHT, dry, cold area, with strange looking things coming at you from different directions, shoving things into your nose & mouth. & then you feel another push on your bottom & out you slide into this bright chaotic & cold world! The sounds & sights are too much for you to handle! All you want is to go back, as you scream at them, crying & pleading to put you back, but they won't. Then they lay you down on a cold hard scale to weigh you, stick Vaseline on your eyes, put your very 1st diaper & long-sleeved onesie on, along with a warm knit hat, & wrap you tightly in a blanket, then place you into the arms of your Mother, where you hear that familiar voice again, but this time, it's not muffled, & everything is strangely different, but you know that as long as you're in your Mother's arms, you'll be just fine, but away from her, causes you great distress, & you feel great anguish. When babies drink the colostrum from their Mother, it contains the necessary nutrients made just for them. Mother's milk contains everything babies need to build up their immune system, so that when Mother's get sick, their milk gives their babies the antibodies needed to fight off that sickness, which is where the idea for immunizations had originated from. Newborn babies are faced with other challenges such as breathing cold, dry air, along with dealing with strange smells unbeknownst to them, as they had been accustomed to the ever-so-moist amniotic fluid & familiar scents of their Mother. Think of how their eyes must've hurt when that precious miracle left the comfort of 40 wks of darkness & were suddenly exposed to bright light. Mothers can never hold their babies too much, nor can babies become spoiled if their continually held. My 2 children are proof of that! When my son was born, I wore him in a Snugli™ baby carrier, facing towards me, w/a cape around him, so he could nurse whenever he wanted to, for the 1st 6 months of his life. If I sat him down away from me, he'd cry. I kept him in my bed, too, so I could get my sleep & not have to get out of bed to feed him. Now he's an independent 7 yr old boy, highly intelligent, does great in school, & makes student of the month each year! This is proof that as long as you give your baby what he/she needs, to be fully dependent upon their Mother, they'll definitely be independent when it's time for them to go to school, won't have separation anxiety, won't suck their thumbs, either! I never gave my children pacifiers, either! My daughter was 5 wks preemie, I had to supplement w/formula, but wore her as I did my son, & she, too, is independent, too, now at 10 yrs old! I hope my answer helps! Shalom!