Children have an extremely plastic brain, which is why the emotional reactions activated by the cuddles received have a lasting effect on their development
The anthropologist Ashley Montagu said: “A human being can spend blind and deaf life or completely devoid of the senses of smell and taste, but cannot survive without the functions of the skin”. A hug of a few seconds is able to trigger a series of chemical reactions in our brain that translate into a waterfall of beneficial effects: gives a perception of well -being and security, decreases anxiety levels, strengthens the immune system, strengthens trust in others and self -esteem (especially in children).
Such a powerful effect through such a simple gesture
The touch is the first sense to develop in the maternal uterus. Already from the 7th week the first form of skin sensitivity is activated around the mouth area, while at the 15th it is extended to the whole body. Specifically, the skin originates from the Ectoderm, the outermost of the three germinative sheets from which the fetus will develop; It is interesting to note how it is the same cell base from which the nervous system will be born. The fact that we blush when we feel shame or pale after a great fright confirms the deep bond existing between the brain, home to emotions, and the most external part of the body, which is our interface with the world.
The emotional touch
The skin is the largest organ of the body. It is sprinkled, to a different extent, of a large number of sensory receptors that send the brain in information relating to the heat, cold, pressure, touch and pain. These are messages that travel quickly and allow us to react promptly, protecting us from the dangers. Recently, The researchers identified particular nerve fibers (c-tactipile fibers), which are activated only with a movement that oscillates between 1 and 10 centimeters per second: more or less the speed of the caresses. This type of information arrives in other areas of the brain, making us perceive a feeling of pleasantness and activating emotional responses that promote affiliatory behavior, fundamental at the beginning of life for the relationship between mother and child and then as adults for all social relationships.
The “good contact”, the affectionate gestures, are an essential need that accompanies us for the entire span of existence. There is, however, a temporal window, that of childhood, in which their importance is even bigger. In this period the brain is extremely plastic, that is, it is able to change structurally and functionally based on the experiences lived. This means that The way we take care of our small influence directly its development. For example, the practice of massage from the first months helps children not only to gradually perceive their body in its entirety, but also stimulates the growth of the various systems: circulatory, respiratory, digestive, nervous, immune, hormonal, lymphatic and vestibular, as well as positively affecting the relationship.
From the “cure” al “take care”
The benefits deriving from affectionate contact are even more important for premature children, forced to long periods of hospitalization in the neonatal intensive care units (TIN). Staying close to their little ones in these situations of strong physical and emotional stress brings significant changes of their vital parameters, including: weight gain, improvement of neuromotor development, heartbeat and blood oxygenation levels.
For some years now, innovative methods for the assistance of preterm infants who have put the active involvement of the family, which becomes an integral part of the care team, have been spreading, also in Italy. Are methods that derive from the concepts of the NIDCAP model (Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program), born in the USA in the 80s thanks to Dr. Heidelise Als, neuropsychologist and researcher. TIN opening 24 hours a day, reception courses, sweet touch, marsupium method (Kangaroo Mother Care), support for breastfeeding and assistance guided by careful observation of the newborn behavior are just some of the strengths of this approach.
So what to do?
An African proverb says that to grow a child it takes an entire village; This is to mean that parents have a physiological need to receive support, advice, indications, especially in the first months following the birth of their children. It was once the extended family to fulfill this task, today it is the company that tries to deal with it. However, despite the scientific evidence, the information received from educators, experts and various consultants are sometimes in contradiction between them, especially in terms of proximal treatments (keep the little ones in his arms for a long time, shared sleep, breastfeeding on request and prolonged …), thus creating confusion and disorientation.
Part of these uncertainties could be resolved by letting themselves be guided by one’s emotions and instincts, without necessarily chasing the “right thing”, among other things never absolute, and also recovering one’s critical ability. We also consider that looking for the proximity of their children, embracing them, pampering them, chasing them, is not a universal attitude, therefore not to adhere to this style does not affect and does not automatically question care skills. An introverted or rigorous character, educational choices oriented not to “spoil”, “low contact” cultures, for example create less opportunities for contiguity. In conclusion, The important thing is to try to live one’s parental role in a “sufficiently good” way: Strong of their own certainties and tolerant with their own fragility, remembering, as Montagu said, who learns to love not because they teach us, but for the very fact of being loved.
