Why does mom smell

For mamas, that baby smell causes a surge of dopamine. This reaction is a reward response, something smilier to what happens when you get the food you've been craving or even a drug you've been craving. The same way a surge of dopamine cause by using drugs encourages people to engage in drug seeking behavior, the surge of dopamine cause by sniffing our babies encourages us to stay close to them. In an evolutionary sense, that amazing baby smell helps keep babies alive, and in a physiological sense, it can even help mothers relax.

According to Swedish-language research magazine forskning. The team had 30 women smell little hats previously worn by newborn babies. As the women inhaled the scent the researchers studies their brains with a magnetic camera, Sciencenordic reports.

Images were also gathered as the women experienced other smells. Within a few days, your baby knows your smell," Levenson tells Romper. Within a week, your baby will recognize you and develop feelings of attachment associated with your face. Which, you know, is objectively a little gross, but also incredibly sweet.

As one of the first people who nurtures them, it's no wonder that your smell seems to make your baby feel secure. One study published in the journal Breastfeeding Medicine found that even just the smell of their mother's breast milk had a calming effect on premature babies. Another study by researchers at Penn State College of Medicine found that for some babies, the smell of their mothers was too enticing to sleep in the same room , leading to less sleep for both babies and their parents.

Levenson notes that your baby will not only learn to recognize your scent, but will learn no matter how you feed them. He will nuzzle in the space between your chin and your chest to feel close to you," she says.

Parent tip Just like you love the scent of your baby, your newborn loves to smell you nearby, too. This article was originally published online in December Baby Why moms love that new baby smell To new mamas, their newborn really does seem good enough to eat.

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