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Many parents do not begin to se the new baby as a person until he starts to move inside his mother's belly, or until after they see him during the ultrasound. Sometimes it hits them only after birth, soon after the mother's brief glimpse of the new one in the delivery room or from the father's expectant gazes at the nursery window, or even much later, when he starts to demand feedings and special positions.
Nobody knows exactly whether the baby himself becomes aware of being in the womb before delivery only after the body is completely formed or whether memory precedes this point of completion. We do know, however, that certain things in the environment affect this new being -- sounds and voices, vibrations, maternal emotions, and of course food and medications that may find their way into the baby from the mother's circulatory system.
More and more parents now begin to talk to their unborn children, beginning a new relationship that sees these babies as separate individuals with developing nervous systems, who may respond to voices outside as well as to music and rhythmic sounds. Once the parents know their babies' sex, they may call them by names chosen well before birth. This practice is to be encouraged, since a relationship established so early and supported by the baby's apparent response (pushing at the parent's hand placed gently on the abdominal wall, for example) can only grow closer and foster understanding and communication.
Some studies have been done to show that this practice of talking to the unborn including reading to them, playing music and specific sounds, and touching the mother's belly in certain ways, could improve intellectual performance later and also result in the newborn babies being more 'calm' and responsive to all sorts of stimuli. Certainly, parents who see their babies as people early on may start developing emotional bonds with them much earlier than others, and therefore become more patient and tolerant when these babies exhibit normal crying or 'demanding' behavior as infants.
Many cultures recognize that the mother's emotional state may affect the baby. Hence, a mother who is very nervous during the pregnancy, or who is depressed or irritable may find to her consternation that her baby may mimic those same states after he is born. People tease mothers about this, or elders may even blame them. The worst thing is, they even blame themselves for not paying attention to their reactions and emotional state during their pregnancy. But who is to say whether the mother is only predicting or living out the personality of her infant and not the the infants taking after the mother?
I have listed several interesting write-ups and websites that may help you form your own opinion about this idea.........
MUSICA- articles on the use of music for the preborn
LEARNING BEFORE BIRTH - a report
BIRTH PSYCHOLOGY- interesting articles on babies' minds and their bodies
LIGHT HEARTS - gives a different perspective on the issue of parents having children
Books on Infant Development and Thinking
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This page was last last updated on April 23, 2002
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