The Intoxicating Aroma of a Newborn Baby's Head

 

The Intoxicating Aroma of a Newborn Baby's Head. 


Why does a newborn baby’s heads smell so good? 


Have you ever smelled the aroma of freshly baked cookies followed by an immense sense of gratification when you take your first bite? Or how about the toe tingling sensation you feel throughout your entire body after really good sex? This overwhelming sense of bliss is caused by activating certain centers of your brain responsible for emotions and pleasure. It turns out, the smell of a newborn baby’s head can also activate the same centers of the brain that are responsible for addictions and the perception of pleasure.


According to researchers at the University of Montreal, the scent of a newborn baby activates the neurological reward centers in a women’s brain and creates a rush of dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps control emotional responses, identify pleasure and enables humans to move towards rewards.


This may explain why many moms are literally addicted to their newborn babies. Before having one of my own, babies smelled primarily of spit up, dirty diapers, and nauseating baby powder. Sure, they were cute but I didn’t have a desire to snuggle with them. In fact, the only time I remember holding a newborn was two weeks before having my own.


The day I became a mother that all changed. The moment my daughter was placed on my chest I was flooded with her intoxicating scent. I took a big whiff, looked into her eyes and fell deeply in love. I felt an overwhelming sense of love and emotions that I had never experienced before. I was on a literal baby high as my body was flooded with dopamine. I wondered, “Is this what it feels like to be on drugs?”

 

“Love at first sniff”

 

Does this happen to all women? In an article published in Frontier Psychology, researchers at the University of Montreal conducted a study to find out how a newborn’s smell affects the brains of women.


The study consisted of 30 women, 15 of whom where 3 to 6 weeks postpartum and the other 15 had never had a child. The women were presented with shots of fresh air, newborn baby scent from an unfamiliar baby, and a third aroma while receiving an fMRI scan. The brain scan revealed activation of pleasure centers in the brains of the women while smelling the newborn baby scent. While all the woman showed activation, there was a statistically significant increase in activation and dopamine release in the new moms.


What does this all mean?  For me, it may explain why the unconditional motherly love “switch” was flipped the moment I held my daughter, why I can stare at her for hours, why I am such a big fan of sniffing her sweet smelling head while baby wearing, why I don’t get upset when my new outfit is covered in spit up, why I sing while changing diapers, and why I kiss her gently when she wake me up in the middle of the night.

You don’t need a scientific research study to prove that newborns stimulate a flood of emotions in their mothers. Just look at a new mom staring into her newborn’s eyes and holding her baby close. It is a bond like no other.


How do you feel? Share your comments below.


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