The Importance of Motherhood for Early Maternal Bonding and Engagement

Maternal perceptions about the importance of motherhood have been found to impact a variety of maternal well-being outcomes, but the impact of the importance of motherhood for the early maternal bonding relationship and on caregiving behaviors has not been explored. Examining attitudinal factors associated with maternal-infant bonding or early caregiving behaviors is essential for the development of effective interventions.

Using a clinic-based, urban sample of predominately low-income and diverse pregnant women (N = 177), we used hierarchical linear regression analysis to examine whether perceptions of the importance of motherhood measured during the first trimester predicted maternal-fetal bonding measured during the second trimester, caregiving engagement at two months postpartum, and postpartum bonding measured at six months postpartum, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and prior outcomes.

Perceived importance of motherhood was positively and significantly associated with higher maternal-fetal bonding (b = 1.28, p < .01), greater daily infant engagement (b = 0.57, p < .05), and higher postpartum bonding (b = 0.94, p < .01). Adjusting for prior outcomes to model temporal pathways revealed that the impact of perceived importance of motherhood for early engagement was fully attenuated by maternal-fetal bonding but remained a significant predictor of postpartum bonding.

Perceiving motherhood as important promotes early maternal bonding and caregiving behaviors, which are critical for early infant development. Preconception or parenting education programs that strive to promote the importance of motherhood through mindfulness or maternal reflective functioning interventions should be considered.