Final answer:
To promote mother-infant attachment, a nurse should first assess the infant's physical status to ensure the baby is stable and healthy for interactions. Additionally, evaluating the mother's readiness and ability to care for the infant is crucial as it affects the attachment process.
Step-by-step explanation:
The primary assessment a nurse should focus on when promoting mother-infant attachment is the infant's physical status. Before any bonding or attachment strategies are employed, it is essential to ensure the infant's physical well-being. This involves checking if the baby is stable and healthy enough for interaction. Additionally, assessing the mother’s ability to take care of her infant is crucial. This includes understanding her physical and emotional state, willingness, and readiness to interact with her baby. These factors significantly influence the attachment process.
Understanding newborn sensory abilities, reflexes, and milestones is important in explaining why physical health and readiness of the mother are critical in promoting attachment. For example, the baby's inherent reflexes like the Moro and grasping reflexes help maintain close physical contact, but if the baby is physically unwell, these reflexes may be compromised. Similarly, knowledge about the importance of comfort and security through Harry Harlow's studies, depicts that beyond the provision of nourishment, warmth and responsiveness from the caregiver are essential. This indicates the importance of the mother's physical and emotional ability to provide such an environment.
It's also beneficial to consider the development and milestones of the infant, as these could be indicators of the infant’s well-being and readiness to form attachments. By monitoring infant development milestones at various ages, such as two months, four months, six months, ten months, and one year, we can gauge normal progress and possibly the infant's capacity for interaction and attachment.