The Sweet And Wonderful Baby Smell, A Sensational Connection
Is there anything sweeter and more wonderful than the smell of a baby? Is there anything that softens us more and enhances our senses, such as feeling the fragrance of our little ones?
There are probably few things in this life that are so sensational and so unforgettable, besides revolutionizing our love and elevating us to maximum potency, as the smell of the baby.
No scent moves us so much and is as necessary to us as the scent of the baby, a scent that surrounds us and immerses us in an oasis of love, care and protection.
Like souls, the smell and taste of things remain equanimous for a long time, willing to remind us… over the ruins of everything else, taking without submitting, over their almost impalpable droplets, the immense edifice of memories.
Marcel Proust in Time Rediscovered
The baby’s scent is a heavenly tune
There are studies that show that baby scent has as much addictive potential for women as drugs for some people. This has its evolutionary meaning, as it strengthens the bond between mother and child.
But how is this accomplished? Let’s see some details of how this natural biological relationship so linked to maternal functions happens :
First, we must know that the nose is so essential for connecting with the emotional or limbic areas of our brain that these are called the rhinencephalon, or the olfactory brain.
The olfactory bulbs are directly linked to the amygdala, the brain center that governs the instinct, including the maternal one. Thus, our brain will release dopamine, a hormone directly related to the most pleasant sensations.
This means that the scent of our little ones will be associated with feelings of love and protection so intense that their sweetness will always be extremely intoxicating for us.
The baby smell is so wonderful that recent studies prove that the olfactory changes that happen during pregnancy and postpartum give the mother a more refined feeling. Thus, we can say that the mother becomes more prepared for her new role.
This phenomenon is essential for the creation of the mother-child bond in a neural way, which is essential for emotional behavior.
First, during pregnancy there is a great increase in olfactory sensitivity, but at the time of delivery there is a neural explosion that favors identification.
A brand to remember for a lifetime: the first strong link in the network of sensations that unites mothers and their children. In fact, after 24 hours a mother is able to distinguish her child’s scent from many others.
The scent of our children is a fundamental pillar for emotional communication
What is certain is that when a mother cradles, hugs or caresses her child, her hands, her arms and her chest, it is pure expression, direct and loving. Likewise, when the baby snuggles into its mother’s lap, they are both talking without saying a word.
This emotional communication with our babies through small gestures is one of the most beautiful sensations of this stage. No doubt this is remembered and evoked by the mother when the children begin to grow up.
It is interesting that we write these sensations and that, somehow, we register those little details that make us feel so comforted and so eager to love our children.
In this way, when they grow up, we will be able to evoke certain sensations, as well as draw up a map of love that allows us to tell our little one their story as faithfully as possible.
It’s a pity that we can’t keep the fragrance of babies in a vial, as it is without a doubt one of the most potent scents of our life, one of the sweetest, tender, pure and clean memories that we will always keep with us.
