Smell is the most developed sense in the baby at the time of birth, much superior to that we have as adults, to such an extent that it allows it to feed itself by looking for the mother’s breast. If the baby is placed on the mother’s abdomen in skin-to-skin contact, the baby will instinctively crawl up to her breast. The newborn will crawl, guided by the smell, until it reaches the nipple and begins to suck.
This shows that the power of the mother’s smell in babies is extraordinary , and not only in these first moments of life, but that this mother-child olfactory bond lasts over time with great influence.
The smell of a mother
Feeling the closeness of the mother, the smell and the warmth that her touch provides gives the baby security. The maternal smell produces a unique and unrepeatable imprint on the brain of the still immature baby and produces a calming effect, helping to calm down in the face of any unfavorable situation.
And they found that it is something they learn before they are born. During pregnancy, the baby is exposed to the smell and taste of the amniotic fluid in its mother’s womb, creating an imprint on her brain.
This translates into a survival instinct that unites the baby with its mother, but we are not only talking about the smell of breast milk that guides it to the breast to feed, but also about security, warmth and love.
The acuity of the maternal sense of smell
But not only the baby has an extraordinary power to recognize its mother through smell. The acuity of the maternal sense of smell is also spectacular, making that mother-child recognition reciprocal.
Studies have shown that, after a mother spends her first ten minutes with her baby, she is able to distinguish her child from several just by smell . The experiments resulted in a 90 percent success rate.
The scent of a mother, even when she is absent
A mother’s scent has such power over her young that it influences her even when she is not present. Smells are the only sensory cues that can represent the mother in her absence.
Israeli researchers conducted an experiment with 62 mothers who were asked to wear cotton T-shirts for two consecutive nights and to avoid using deodorants or other scented products, so that their natural scent would spread to clothing.
Then their babies, about seven months old, were introduced to an unknown woman. When babies had their mother’s t-shirt under their noses, they were more likely to smile, laugh, and look at the stranger than if they were smelling an unused identical t-shirt.
The babies’ brain waves were more likely to synchronize with the stranger’s when they could smell their mother’s shirt.
This shows the great power that maternal scent has on your baby , even when the mother is away, helping babies to calm down and feel safe.
In Babies and more | Do you know when your baby begins to recognize you when you see you?
