In her poem “Sometimes,” Mary Oliver gives us instructions for living: “Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” It is probably no coincidence that these are also instructions for how to build a strong relationship with your baby.
Babies and children grow and develop best when they experience the nurturing, affirming and meaningful back-and-forth interactions with their caregivers. The root of these precious moments of connection is simple: attention. When parents have the bandwidth to give an abundance of attention to their babies, families are more likely to grow in ways that promote children’s healthy development.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of things that make it painfully hard for parents and babies to connect. Many mothers must return to work before they’ve healed from childbirth. Parents scramble for infant care they cannot find or afford. Too many families lose income, or their jobs, if they prioritize taking time to attend to their newborns.
As a pediatrician and researcher at Hennepin Healthcare and Children’s HealthWatch, I often meet new parents who are trying to give their children the best start possible while navigating these emotionally difficult choices. But Minnesota’s new paid family and medical leave program (PFML) is a key initiative in the state’s ongoing work to improve child and maternal health.
PFML will launch Jan. 1 and represents the state’s commitment to helping all Minnesotan families and communities thrive.