Mothers possess an innate instinct to respond to their newborn child’s cries. A study published in Psychoneuroendocrinology elaborated on the role of cortisol, a stress hormone, in determining mothers’ behaviour towards their children's cries. It revealed that high levels of cortisol in new mothers caused more intrusive parenting for their infants.
Intrusive parenting here means the mother is quick to step in and becomes overly controlling to reduce the discomfort. With this excessively controlling attitude, the infant’s gestures tend to be misinterpreted. So when a baby cries, the mother might immediately rush to feed them without considering other possible reasons for the crying.
ALSO READ: Should you work out while pregnant? Expert shares dos and don'ts Role of cortisol Cortisol is a stress hormone. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis produces it. And this is very vital to evoke the body’s stress response.
With the rise in the cortisol level, the individual’s emotional regulation changes to effectively respond to the stressful stimuli at hand. The researchers drew a correlation between cortisol levels and the maternal brain functions, related to emotional regulation and auditory responses. ALSO READ: From sleepless nights to self-love: 7 essential self-care habits for new mothers Response to the cries of infants The researchers conducted the study by observing the behaviours, cortisol levels and brain scans of 59 first-time mothers with infants aged 3 to 4 .