(They still haven’t got it right. They talk about the brain rather than the being but at least they are recognising the merits of love and communication, verbal and tactile.)
The researchers found that overall, premature babies were more likely to have a reduced response to touch than their full-term counterparts. The preemies who had more exposure to painful medical procedures were also more likely to have a reduced response to touch. But preemies who were exposed to what the researchers call “gentle touch” had a stronger response than the preemies who did not receive this contact — and the researchers found that this kind of touch could have positive and long-lasting effects on these babies.
“Our findings add to our understanding that more exposure to these types of supportive touch can actually impact how the brain processes touch, a sense necessary for learning and social-emotional connections,” lead study author Dr. Nathalie Maitre tells Reuters.
In a phone conversation with Babble, Dr. Maitre explains that what the researchers were looking at specifically was “intentional supportive touch,” meaning that the touch had to be from caregivers who were touching the babies as an act of nurturing (i.e., not just diapers changes, feeding, or for other various medical procedures). This included direct skin-to-skin contact.
Dr. Maitre says that “intentional supportive touch,” is “absolutely crucial to babies’ developing brains.” She explains to Babble that for infants, touch is the one of the first senses that develops, before hearing or sight, therefore making it the “building block in early infancy of communication.”
Dr. Maitre, who also happens to be the mom of two boys herself, explains that her study looked primarily at how the power of touch impacts premature babies, but that all babies benefit from it.
“Gentle touch, especially skin on skin, is just one of the most important things parents can do for their babies,” she tells Babble.
In other words: All you new moms and dads out there can breathe a giant sigh of relief — and ignore everything you’ve ever heard about “spoiling” a baby with attention and cuddles. There is just no way to hold a baby too much. Really and truly. No freaking way.