The objectiv of this study was to investigate the attachment that a mother feels her infant when the child is hospitalized in a newborn intensive care unit (NICU) The subjects in this study consisted of 55 mothers with infants in the NICU (NICUgroup) and 85 mothers who delivered an infant during normal labor (normal labor group) A questionnaire on maternal feeings. maternal consciousness and the Japanese version of the state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI) was distributed to mothers in the NICU group after they had seen their child in the NICU a few times and to mothers in the normal labor group five days after delivery. A statistical analysis of the survey results showed a normal level of trait anxiety and a high level of state anxiety in the NICU group, both significantly higher than in the normal labor group. Maternal consciousness was scored in terms of social awareness and personal fulfillment, no significant differences in either of the two categories were noted between the groups. Maternal feelings was assessed by evaluating feelings of closeness and avoidance, no significant differences in either of these two categories were found between the two groups. Correlations between individual factors, however, differed between the two groups. Mothers in the NICU group with higher anxiety scores also exhibited hibher levels of social awareness. while mothers with higher personal fulfillment scores had stronger feelings of closeness to their infant. In the normal labor group, however, mothers with higher personal fulfillment scores had stronger feelings of closeness to their infant as well as a higer level of social awareness. These differences in the attachment of mothers to their infants between the two groups suggest that appropriate counsellinng should be made available to mothers with infants who have been hospitalized in the NICU, to insure that child care (skin contact. hugging, soothing, changing diapers. etc) enhances their sense of fulfillment.