Vanessa knew that her bond to Crash was strong. From the outside some might determine the reason for that was based on the recent losses in her life. She'd left the only city that she knew. She had lost her best friend and then her grandmother—the last family member that she had. And then she had lost the man she loved and his family that had begun to feel like her own family.
So it would only be natural for others to contribute her bond to Crash with all of the losses of her life. Except Vanessa had not loved Crash when he was born.
Giving birth was less like bringing forth a new life and more like losing a familiar friend.