Exploring The Science of Nurture

Connections – a newsletter from New York Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital – provides an overview of the Nurture Science Program’s research on emotional connection in the NICU. The emotional connection between a mother and her infant is normally present at birth, and vocal soothing, touching, comforting, holding, and making eye contact—behaviors commonly associated with “nurture” — have a profound impact on development and behavior. Studies have shown that they can help a child become more resilient to a broad range of mental, behavioral, and physical disorders and that they play a role in the mother’s wellbeing, too. Read full article.