It’s not just about taking care of your health. Our expert, psychologist Daria Starovoitova, spoke about the nuances of prenatal education – that is, even before birth.
Psychologist, gestalt therapist, career coach
Recently, the concept of prenatal education has become fashionable. But in fact, many future perfectionist parents, trying not to miss anything from the very first days of pregnancy, achieve only one thing: fatigue from the child even before the moment of his birth. In fact, the entire list of what you can do for your baby before he is born is quite simple. And surprisingly pleasant – both for you and for him.
First, start dream… Everyone has their own motives for having a child: to create a better version of oneself, to fulfill one’s duty to nature and society, or to make the “clock stop ticking”. There is no need to think about which motivation is better: we are all very different, there are no perfect parents, and happy children are also with imperfect people. It is better to try to pay attention to all the good things that the baby will bring into your life: how can you watch his every step, see his growth, development and get incredible emotions from the fact that it is you who are involved in this miracle. Thank your child for coming to you. Thus, you will strengthen the emotional connection between you and be filled with love for your baby from the very first days of pregnancy. And everything that follows you will do already intuitively, which means, correctly.
Another “medicine” that would be worth prescribing to every woman during pregnancy is carte blanche for unlimited receipt pleasure… It is impossible to overdo it, and there are two reasons for this. The first is that while the baby is in the mother’s belly, they are, in fact, one whole. This means that the hormonal system responsible for the emotional state of the mother and child is also the same. The second reason is based on research by scientists who have proven that there is a direct relationship between the prevailing background of the baby’s mood after birth and the mood in which the mother was during pregnancy.
Therefore, if you want your baby to grow and develop with pleasure, take care to fill your life with the maximum amount of all kinds of “amenities”. This idea is supported by all prenatal schools. Let’s make a reservation: many want to impose their perception of the beauty of life – someone advises listening exclusively to classical music, someone – to spend more time in nature. But the formats for getting pleasure are as individual as the appearance, so a framework is hardly needed here. And if until now you have never been engaged in the study of things that bring pleasure to you, now has come an excellent reason to look and choose: for someone it is knitting, for another – a leisurely walk in the park, watching romantic comedies, warm hugs of a loved one, or even all at once.
Well, if we talk about developing methods for an unborn baby … prenatal (i.e. intrauterine) education definitely not needed. The fact is that a child acquires the ability to memorize information only at 26–27 weeks of pregnancy. Until that moment, attempts at such “education” will be simply useless, and you should not believe those who speculate on the opposite. The list of techniques here is also quite simple, and in general it is a matter of more intensive development of the brain and intellect through different sensations.
You can develop a baby before birth through …
…hearing
Sound stimulation is the most popular and important for the development of the baby. After the 26th week, the child needs to hear around him as many different sounds as possible: music, human speech, especially dialogues. Of course, he still cannot understand what they are saying to him, but he reacts in one way or another. At this time, the child develops sound preferences, and the range of sounds that can be sung in a voice will become comfortable for him: Mozart, Brahms and mother’s songs. Do not worry that you may not please the baby in something: he will respond to any discomfort with movement.
…taste
The taste of the amniotic fluid that the baby drinks directly depends on what the mother ate. And here there are also preferences: like any child, he likes everything sweet, but from the taste, for example, of garlic, he makes a displeased grimace. It is believed that starting from the third trimester of pregnancy, you can influence the child’s taste preferences, so if you want to instill a love for semolina, you will have to love it yourself.
…touch
Dutch doctors have developed a whole system of touching the belly of a pregnant woman – haptonomy, which means “the law of touch”. This is not only tapping and patting, but also teaching the baby basic counting. Someone will really find the idea incredibly entertaining, others may be frightened by the scale of the exercises. It is worth saying that the opinions of experts here also differ, it is best if you listen primarily to your feelings: if you just put your hands on your stomach, the baby will surely swim up for the warmth of mother’s palms and, perhaps, this alone will be enough.