Infant Mental Health

Recently I saw a very young mother with her baby. She did not make eye contact with me and did not answer any questions with more than a one word answer. Her father was also present during the procedure and answered all questions that were directed to her. The mother's baby was present for a follow up procedure after his birth. The mother was 16 years old and the family had come to the clinic with transportation provided by an inner city faith based group. I observed the mother to hold her baby with him facing away from her. I observed the baby to interact with others by maintaining eye contact, pulling his hand to his mouth and drinking from a bottle with no spilling or choking. While discussing today's results with his mother I noted she stroked his head repeatedly, pet him on the back but I did not observe her attempt to maintain eye contact or speak to her child. Additional concerns I had included the mother's twin sister had a baby who was 4 months older than this baby.