One third of new mothers struggle to bond with their baby, research shows

The National Childbirth Trust wants to reassure new parents that it can often take time to bond with their new baby. Photograph: Sarah Lee for the Guardian

As many as a third of new mothers experience difficulty bonding with their baby, according to new research by the UK’s biggest parents’ charity.

A survey of 1,515 new parents by the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) also found that more than one in 10 new mothers said they were embarrassed to speak to health professionals about baby bonding issues.

Elizabeth Duff, the NCT’s senior policy advisor, said: “The bond a baby has with its parents acts as a template that shapes the child’s emotions and relationships later in life, so it’s a crucial process.

“Parents who don’t feel an instant connection with their new baby often experience strong feelings of guilt, shame and inadequacy.

“We hope our research reassures new parents that they are not alone if they don’t instantly bond with their baby and that this can often take time.”

Duff said GPs, midwives and other health professionals play an important role in baby bonding and must encourage new parents to speak up if there is a problem.

The survey, carried out by polling firm Survation, found that 32% of new mothers said they had experienced difficulties bonding with their baby. Twelve per cent said they would feel embarrassed talking to professionals about it.

The research was released to coincide with the UK’s first infant mental health awareness week, starting on Monday.

Experts say the process of early bonding between a parent and baby influences the baby’s response to stress, learning behaviours and social skills.

Parents experiencing difficulty forming an emotional connection to their newborn are encouraged to socialise with other new parents, embrace physical closeness and interact with the baby regularly by talking, reading or singing to him or her.

A report by the Sutton Trust charity in 2014 found overwhelming evidence that the bond between parent and child from birth to the age of three becomes even more crucial to a child’s development if the family is experiencing poverty and other disadvantages.

The study urged health services and children’s centres to quickly identify and offer support to parents who are failing to bond with their children in order to head off serious educational and social problems in later life.