Is the strength of the primal instinct beautiful or repugnant? Divergent views exist on this, although specialists are aware of the rationale behind some moms’ actions.
When your baby is born, you can never predict how you’ll feel. You may find yourself crying, laughing, or maybe doing both at once. However, what about licking your child? It’s true that some new mothers feel the want to lick their infants after birth, but it may sound weird. It’s a genuine act of love, in truth.
Brazilian photographer Ludy Siqueira specializes in documenting births. The most recent task she took on was considerably different from the others, and she recently accepted another one. The expectant mother walked for hours to hasten the labor because she did not want to give birth in bed. After that, she went to the shower, where she gave birth to her child. A second later, the new mother did something that caused controversy. The woman took the child in her arms and began to lick it on the body, thus wanting to remove the remains of ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ and other body ꜰʟᴜɪᴅs. Like an animal, she cleaned it in this way, even though the baby had been pre-rinsed with water.
When Ludy Siqueira published her client’s childbirth materials on the Web, many Internet users found her mother’s behavior ᴅɪsɢᴜsᴛɪɴɢ and inappropriate. Their opinion is contrary to the experts’ opinion about the situation. According to them, licking a baby after birth is a primal instinct that should not be avoided or ashamed of.
“There is a reason for this. On the one hand, all ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀᴍɪɴᴀɴᴛs that may prove ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀᴏᴜs to the offspring can be removed in this way: ᴅᴇᴀᴅ skin, ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ, ʙᴀᴄᴛᴇʀɪᴀ, ᴠɪʀᴜsᴇs, and the like. Another reason is the bond between mother and child. Their instincts tell them that they should be so,” Lee Dugatin, a naturalist, said.
Licking offspring after giving birth is a reflex that many mothers show. It is not only practical, but also an expression of care, love, and devotion. It is also a confirmation of the bond between a woman and a newborn baby, just like animals who cleanse their newborn babies in the same way.
That explains why skin-to-skin contact is so important in the immediate moments after birth, and done in conjunction with licking, it helps make your baby feel safe and secure.
We wonder what you think about licking your baby after its birth. Can you imagine doing something like this?
