A mom’s hug lasts long after she lets go.
~Author Unknown
As the mother of two children, I certainly enjoy the attention I receive from my family on the annual holiday that highlights love and appreciation for mothers. So, I’d like to thank Anna Jarvis, the founder of Mother’s Day in the U.S. Though she never married or had children of her own, she is known as the Mother of Mother’s Day. She got the inspiration to celebrate mothers from her own mom’s wish to honor mothers, living and dead, and pay tribute to their contributions. When her mother died in 1905, Anna and her supporters wrote letters to people in positions of power, lobbying for years for the official declaration of a Mother’s Day holiday. By 1911, Mother’s Day was celebrated in almost every state in the Union, and on May 8, 1914 President Woodrow Wilson signed a Joint Resolution designating the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. Today Mother’s Day is celebrated in the US, UK, India, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, Mexico, Canada, China, Japan and Belgium.
There are many things I can think of that are special about mothers, but I’m absolutely fascinated by the life-enhancing properties of a mother’s touch. There have been numerous studies done over two decades showing that mothers and babies should be together, skin to skin (baby naked, not wrapped in a blanket) immediately after birth, as well as later. When that happens, babies become more relaxed, their temperature becomes more stable and more normal, and their heart and breathing rates stabilize. This skin to skin contact, sometimes called Kangaroo Mother Care, is best for both full-term and premature babies in every way. When separated from their mothers, babies’ vital signs show that they are in distress (breathing, heart rate, temperature, hormones, etc. become irregular), but when reunited with their mothers, babies’ vital signs normalize, and they begin to thrive.
A gentle, motherly touch means safety, security, and love. It’s built into us from birth…that need to be touched in a loving way. No wonder Bio-Touch is so effective at reducing our stress and making us feel cared for. It’s that loving touch we all hunger for!
Debra Schildhouse
Writer/Editor
