Today being Christmas day is the day Christians remember the birth of Jesus and what better present could you receive than a new baby? It will certainly be something to keep you awake at night as many parents will be thankful Christmas has finally arrived and that their children will go to sleep without being kept awake by the excitement of what gifts Father Christmas will bring. As new parents you will be adjusting to having a new member in the family and all the excitement and newness that a Christmas baby brings.
Christmas is a family time and means different things to different people and as families come together on this day it can full of bliss or tension depending on how your family gets along with grandparents or Aunts and Uncles etc.
A new baby is a reminder of how we all start in life and what vulnerable beings we are and how we all need to feel loved and protected. A baby has 5 basic human needs according to Maslow these are:
1. Physical (food, water, sleep )
2. A sense of safety and security (to feel we belong and are loved)
3.  Social (Our need to communicate with others and feel part of a community)
4. Self-Esteem (this is more important once the first 3 needs have been fulfilled, it deals with our own self-worth and our emotional needs
5. Self-Actualization (a sense of independence, personal growth and self-fulfilment, with less regard to what others think of us)
As a new baby you are free from worry about what others think, however a baby has strong sense of love and companionship and needs to be close to a parent or mother figure, this is when early bonds and attachments are formed. If a new baby lacks attachment in the first few weeks of life it can affect his or her ability to form strong bonds or loving and close relationships in later life.
If you baby is pre-mature and you can not hold him or her try and put something that belongs to you next to them so they can at least smell you, this can help with the early bonding process which is so important.
I wish you all a very Happy Christmas, full of fun and good cheer and hope you all have a good nights’ sleep tonight.