Bonding concerns

wittmomma22

Hi All, 

 my daughter will be six months old tomorrow & my husband & I had via gestional carrier.  Being that my daughter is about to be six months old I’m getting more & more concerned about my bonding with her/lack their of. Obviously I love & care for her very much & she’s such an adorable little munchkin who is such a great chill & relaxed baby overall. However I still have yet to feel that overwhelming burst of love for her where it just feels like your heart could explode or you could break out in tears at any moment because of how much you love someone. I’m just scared somethings wrong with me or that it’ll never come. What if she feels like I don’t love her especially as she gets older. I’m hoping that as she gets old my feelings will grow stronger & stronger 

00kim00

While using a gestational carrier might have an impact, ACOG says it can take a year for moms to bond with their baby (https://www.acog.org/womens-health/experts-and-stories/the-latest/bonding-with-your-newborn-heres-what-to-know-if-you-dont-feel-connected-right-away) and I think they assume the mom gave birth to the baby. But it probably *is* harder for you, just as it's harder for dads, for biological reasons. Both giving birth and breastfeeding release oxytocin, the love hormone. You missed out on that! But other things also release that hormone, especially skin to skin. So even now, you can feed your baby in just a diaper with your shirt off, and have some skin to skin cuddle sessions everyday to get that hormonal advantage back. But even without it, I think you'll find one day without realizing it, you gradually developed that bond over time.