When do you start feeling attached?

[Leleophants]

I've always wanted children and love looking after other babies and happy to exhaust myself doing it, but now I'm actually pregnant I don't feel much at all and keep thinking how I'm not going to cope with the exhaustion and change in lifestyle.

Does this change?

Honestly? When I have up breastfeeding at 8 weeks. Before the birth, nothing really. After the birth just a sense of duty. I couldn't bond while bf. I hated it so much. Now, I'm very much in love and connected.

I didn’t feel like I had bonded during pregnancy at all. I am not sure if you can actually bond with a bump.
Straight after birth I felt like I had been handed a weird alien - still no particular feeling of bonding. It did develop after a few weeks of actually being with dc, though.

Yup, I remember the feeling of being handed an alien too. Thought it was just because I was a bit drugged up.

I was happy to be pregnant but I didn't feel bonded or anything. Overwhelming love once he was born.

Yeah not while pregnant. Felt protective over bump but not bonded as such. Didn’t get the surge of love thing either. First few months were almost just doing my duty. I’d say once he was 5 months or so, when he was out of newborn and a bit interesting.

6 months pregnant.

Handed this grey smelly screaming thing and instantly felt a rush of love.

everyone is different!!

p.s - i dislike other peoples children

I'm expecting no. 2 atm (next week) and I'm expecting to be much more bonded with this one when she arrives. I don't know why I believe this though and could be wrong.

2 weeks after birth.

6 weeks after birth

I did some hypnotherapy stuff.

Proper hippy meditation... it was great. The idea is it can help you give birth without pain relief but it really helped me connect with baby and chill out completely.

I felt excited for most of my 1st trimester which could be mistaken for a connection?

But when he started to move and hiccup, that's when I really felt a connection. When he responded to my hand being on my belly... that was the moment

It's different for everyone though. Try not to put pressure on yourself. It'll come when you'e both ready.

As soon as I knew I was pregnant. I think it's different for everyone though, and feeling it much later than this is perfectly normal.

Maybe 8 weeks post party I felt like I loved my baby. Since then it's kept growing inside me. He's now five months and I'd give my life for him!

Post partum not post party 😂😂

Never in either pregnancy. No rush of love at birth with either DD too. A couple of months post-partum for me.

Maybe 8 weeks post party
Whatever drugs you got at the birth, I want some

Hate other kids lol but as soon as I found out I was pregnant I loved him. He nearly died at birth and was in Nicu for a while. I remember being told he had one more night to pull through and I remember thinking I'll kill myself if he does cause I couldn't imagine going on without him

First child, the moment she was born. Second child, at 20 week scan. I think first time round it's very difficult to feel a bond during pregnancy unless you really put the work in. I can see how lots of visualisation etc might help. But the experience is all so new and strange that I think bonding usually comes after the baby is born. Second pregnancy it came more easily for me because it was no longer such a strange experience.

Probably a couple of weeks after she was born in honesty. I never really felt ‘love’ for my bump etc like I hear people talk about. I was pleased to be pregnant, but it all felt a bit abstract really. I wasn’t very well after she was born, so it was really once we got home and more settled that I started to feel bonded with her.

When i have my 12wk scan thats when i feel the strong bond ,i love being pregnant but its different for everyone & what people have been through.x

I’ve always loved talking to my bump and been protective but once they are born and handed to u I’ve felt crazy love like I’ve never felt before, then in the newborn stage I find it so precious and just stare at them so proud. I’m shocked people just saw it as a duty, that’s a shame, might have been hormones. I get when you are tired and feeding you might just feel like a machine but you will still feel a bond... hopefully