So, you have survived 9 months of changes to your body, and the rocky road that birth can be, and what now? I still remember being in hospital and wondering if I was going to be able to decipher my baby’s cry or other attempts at communicating, I think I was underestimating the power of bonding and the role it plays in your newborn’s development.

3 ways your newborn baby is trying to communicate with you:

-  Eye contact, your baby will try to make eye contact with you, after a few weeks they will try to make noises when you have eye contact.

- Looks Interested and relaxed

- Crying

Bonding is the formation of a close relationship through frequent attention. The creation of this relationship between the newborn baby and the parents is essential to his/her well being and development. Bonding is a process that takes time, so be mindful of this and take your time to get to know your baby.

Part of the bonding process is through communication.

Now that you know what to look for when your newborn baby is trying to communicate, here are some tips for you to bond with your baby.

4 ways you or your partner can bond with your newborn baby

• Touch is an important part of bonding, if your baby is unsettled (providing you have fed and changed your baby and that they don’t have a medical condition), try undressing them and providing a gentle massage to their legs and body. Some babies don’t like to be unwrapped so keep them swaddled and massage their legs while they are swaddled.

• Use a baby carrier and carry them during the day, that way you will have your hands free to be able and do other activities.Babies tend to fall sleep very quickly this way.

• Talk to your baby, remember that for the best part of 9 months they have been hearing your voice.

• Sing songs to your baby, you might feel a bit awkward at first, but over time they get used to the repetitive tune and it’s a great way to settle them even when they get a bit older.

I hope these tips and tools help you with understanding your baby and make the road to parenting a bit less bumpy. Please note that I am not a health professional.

Fran Jorgensen is a family and newborn Lifestyle photographer. My aim is to record the beauty in the everyday moments that reflect the stage where you are at in your life.We offer natural family photography in  Melbourne. Family portraits are available on home or on location. 

Among the areas that we offer baby photography we include the following eastern suburbs: Hampton, Sandringham, Port Melbourne, South Melbourne, Chelsea, Mentone, Elwood, St kilda, Malvern East, Cheltenham, Camberwell among others.