For most of us, the parenting instinct kicks in as soon as a baby is born and there is a natural desire for a mother to hold her baby at the first opportunity.

Touch is central to our sense of well being, after all, and there is a strong urge to show love through cuddling and holding a baby as close to you as possible. There's also strong evidence that skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby, and dad and baby too, can help build that important emotional attachment - it is through touch that your baby will get to know you.

Cradling your baby in your lap, for instance, and gently stroking him or her is the most basic form of bonding between baby and parent. Nestling the newborn at your neck is another bonding touch that provides baby with a sense of security.

But while touch is at the heart of the child-mother relationship and every mum wants to cuddle her new born baby, for some this can be a difficult thing to do. A staggering one in eight babies is born premature or sick each year in the UK and will spend some time in a special care baby unit before they are allowed home. Though it may seem difficult at first, there are many ways in which parents can bond with their baby in special care, and this will help them feel more confident and prepared when the time comes for their baby to go home. Just sitting and talking to your baby can help. He or she will be familiar with your voice and it will help comfort you both. Once your baby is stable you will have the opportunity to help and cuddle your baby even if he or she is still attached to a monitor.

Over the past three years, Fairy has joined forces with BLISS - the premature baby charity, which works to ensure babies born premature and sick have the best possible start in life. By helping to fund research commissioned by BLISS, Fairy is committed to helping to improve the lives of premature or sick babies, and their families.

Whether you have a premature baby or not, every new mum wants to make sure they are doing everything they can to help. By washing your new baby's clothes in Fairy Non Bio you can be sure that they'll be soft and kind next to his or her delicate skin.