Development of the relationship between mother and child during pregnancy and early postpartum period

This bachelor's thesis focuses on the formation of the mother-child relationship (bonding) during pregnancy and early postpartum period. The aim of the work is to explore the factors influencing this relationship and its significance for the child's further development. The literature review is divided into five chapters covering research and theoretical approaches in the field of bonding. The first chapter deals with the definition of the term bonding and its early research. The second chapter describes the formation of bonding during pregnancy and focuses on factors that influence bonding during this period, including factors such as hormonal changes and stress. The third chapter deals with the influence of childbirth on the bonding formation. The fourth chapter describes bonding formation in the early postpartum period and focuses on factors such as early contact and care for the newborn in relation to bonding. The final chapter focuses on the factors influencing bonding from the mother's perspective. The empirical part of the work presents a research proposal that focused on identifying different trajectories of bonding and analysing factors such as partner support and social support that influence the mothers` belonging to a particular trajectory. Keywords maternal bonding; mother-child..