Neuroscience, Joy, and the Well-Infant Visit That Got Me Thinking

This essay is the narrative of a seemingly routine well-infant visit and the joyful bond that unites mother and infant and is at the forefront of early infant brain development. An incredible story unfolds. Through this short discourse, I hope to offer a glimmer of insight into the very meaning of being human while encouraging the family physician to foster the mother-infant bond. I explore emerging implications in child mental health, ADHD and ASD; how even during brief interactions of the well-infant and postpartum visits, family physicians can impact the mental development of their little patients in a meaningful way.