The maternal instinct

The maternal instinct arises since the pregnancy has a biological origin and is determined instinctively because it is born in a natural way, during the delivery there are substances that develop the attachment between the mother and her baby, creating a bond that is strengthened by breastfeeding, that the newborn comes instinctively for being the only food necessary to survive during the first months of life.

Neither the mother nor he baby know what to do, their first interactions are the result of the natural instinct learned by all the generations that preceded him and that is encrypted in the DNA as a guarantee of survival of the species.

After these first interactions a strong emotional bond is formed where the mother is able to do everything possible to protect her child and keep him safe. For its part, the newborn develops an exclusive dependence on his mother, only she can meet their basic needs of food, heat and well-being, the instinct tells the baby that only with his mother will be safe and that is why he cries at no feel it close.

Not necessarily, it is a learned behavior from our ancestors and we carry it in the genes, depending on our experiences and circumstances it can be activated. Protection instinct flourishes when we begin to be able to care for others as we were cared for.

The maternal instinct is also present in the animal kingdom mammals, reptiles, mollusks and insects, are examples of what mothers are able to do to protect their young. Elephant females have the longest embrazo of the animal kingdom for a period of twenty-two months and breastfeed their offspring for three years in which they never stray from it.

Last December I was enjoying a guided tour of the Andean state of Mérida, in my country Venezuela. During our passage through the villages of the páramo, the bus driver and his wife decided to buy a puppy from Mucuchí, an autochthonous race from that town, they placed it inside a box while we traveled on the bus.

The next stop was Laguna Mucubají and taking advantage of the moment they took the dog to drink water from the river, at that moment a local bitch appeared, seeing the puppy was content, sniffed, licked and lay on the floor to nurse him. I tenderly take this picture to remember that moment, I was surprised by the fact that without being his mother this bitch would like to satisfy the nutritional need of this puppy.

The sad part of the story came when we got on the bus to start the trip back, to separate them the puppy cried disconsolately and the dog ran behind the bus, it was a very sad scene and I wished the dog had never left his hometown.