(Excerpt from Breastfeeding Made Simple)

“You may be surprised to know that regular touch is also critical to a baby’s very survival.  In his book Touching (1978), anthropologist Ashley Montagu notes, just as Dr. Bergman found in Africa, that even in developed countries, touch — or lack of touch — can make the difference between life and death.  Dr. Montagu reports that in the 1930s, a New York hospital decreased its infant mortality rate by providing scheduled carrying and cuddling time to the babies in its pediatric ward.  Just by adding some affectionate human touch to its medical care, the hospital’s infant mortality rate decreased from 30 percent to less than 10 percent.  Dr. Montague writes:

‘What the child requires if it is to prosper, it was found, is to be handled, and carried and caressed, and cuddled, and cooed to ….. It would seem that even in the absence of a great deal else, these are the reassuringly basic experiences the infant must enjoy if it is to survive in some semblance of health.’

So, you see, touch is far more than a nice “extra.” It is vital for your baby’s normal growth and development.  How wonderful that science confirms what your heart is already telling you.”