Birth and Attachment Book Review

by Susan Pulvermacher, RMT RCST

I have been giving a complimentary copy of Myrna Martin’s booklet ‘Birth And Attachment’ to my clients who have babies ever since I first discovered it.  

The caveat is that after they are done with it, to please pass it on to someone that they think may find it useful or return it to me so I can give it to another family.   This book is small and therefore readable by busy parents and in my estimation contains the essentials about attachment.

As Myrna says, it’s a guidebook for ‘Co-creating secure attachment’, and she does that by being concise but complete. I like knowing that attachment parenting is not just some fad or someone’s opinion-there’s research that supports attachment for healthy development of the child.  Knowing it supports their child’s ability to regulate their emotions, cope with stress and form healthy relationships is important, but to understand that it also affects their ability to learn and affects the health of their body through regulating the heart, neuroendocrine and immune systems – this gives parents even more concrete reasons to learn about and practice this thing we call attachment.

Myrna talks about when attachment begins, and how it develops, specific to each developmental stage of the child from preconception to 18 months of age.  Importantly, for parents/caregivers, she includes an extensive list of tips that support secure attachment, which begins with Slow the Pace and includes Baby’s Body Language, Eye Contact, Touch, Motion, Watching for and Respecting Activation and Settling Cycles, Recognizing when babies and children are relating to their History, and lastly Recognizing when Parents and Infants or Preschoolers Need More Support.

Although this book is directed towards the new family, it contains information that benefits families of all ages and speaks to healing and optimizing attachment patterns, enriching the lives of all family members.