Seeing Them Smile

Many of our study mothers gained a powerful sense of connection from seeing their baby's first smiles. And for fathers returning home from work to get a smile of greeting was often a reassuring experience of being recognized. Both mothers and fathers described these smiles as having magical powers that make all the difficulties of early parenthood much more manageable.

Smile Changes Everything

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It's really, really nice for me coming in from work, or anytime really. At the front door or open the bedroom door and she's there and yeah she's just got a really beaming smile and, it seems to me it's just a genuine, she's genuinely pleased to see me, and that, yeah, yeah, not afraid to say really it does, it melts me, absolutely melts me. I can have the worst day, like anyone can, at work, and come in and yeah, it all disappears into insignificance.

There is Light After a Long Night

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I am, absolutely loving being a mum. It is hard I'm finding, you know, the times in the night can be quite dark. But he's such a joy when you get this little smile, or that little um, when you start getting the little looks of, "Oh yay, it's mummy", it's just amazing!

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