Bonding With Your Baby Before Birth
Are you eager for your baby to arrive and anxious about all the changes ahead? You’re not alone! Most women and their partners have anxiety around a new baby. One of the easiest ways you can mitigate this anxiety is bonding with your baby before it’s born.
You don’t have to wait until your baby is born to bond with it, you can begin at the get-go, well before your due date! In fact, babies will start developing their senses fairly early on, so your efforts will be recognized.
Babies experience sound around week 18 of pregnancy. They can hear the sounds of your body, such as your heartbeat and your stomach. At week 26 of pregnancy, babies can hear noise inside and outside the womb and can be comforted by the mother’s voice. They will hear noise outside the womb at about half the volume we hear.
Babies’ retinas finish developing at 20 weeks, and only two weeks later, they can open their eyes and see light. Babies’ eyes continue to develop after they are born.
Along with other sensations, babies can also certain music or even vowel sounds from the mother’s language. At 26 weeks, babies can move in response to a hand rubbed on the mother’s stomach.
This explains why one of the most popular ways of bonding with your baby before birth is simply talking to it. Knowing the mother’s voice while in utero helps the baby recognize her and even strengthen the bond between the two after delivery.
There are a lot of other, unique ways to strengthen the bond between you and your baby before birth. Some of these incorporate your partner as well. It’s important, if applicable, that both parents take time to create a bond.
Here are 5 ways you can bond with your baby before it’s born:
1. Draw a picture of you and your baby
Because art-making requires the use of art materials, the client is invited to engage multiple senses: the kinesthetic, the sensory, the perceptual, and the symbolic. Language alone cannot fully communicate some of the emotions and experiences humans have. Drawing a picture of you and your baby can help you visualize your desires for motherhood and the bond you are creating with your child.
2. Guided imagery during pregnancy
Guided imagery is a great method to manage your stress. It is a very relaxing process that involves visualizing positive, peaceful imagery. If you are feeling especially anxious about childbirth or the life changes it invokes, it can help to take time to visualize the positive things you are hoping for in motherhood.
3. Body scan for mom and baby
A body scan is an effective method to achieve mindfulness. Its purpose is to tune in with your body and reconnect with your physical self, without judgement. Doing a body scan during pregnancy for you and your baby can help you reconnect to your physical being and alleviate some anxiety.
4. Partner and mother making art together
We’ve already discussed the benefits of art therapy, so now it’s time to discuss the importance of bonding with your partner before the baby is born. Bonding together can ensure that you have similar visions and goals in parenthood. This way, you can be a united front when the baby is born.
5. Collage about the journey through pregnancy
Following the same vein of visualization, creating a collage with images that resonate with you about the journey through pregnancy can help remind you of the positives of your experience and get excited about childbirth. For a bonus, you can create a collage as a vision board with your partner to define how you picture the next step of your lives.
Whether you are expecting your first child or are already a parent, we are here to support you and your family. We believe parenthood doesn’t have to be hard work all the time and we partner with you to bring enjoyment and peace back into your daily life. Our experienced and knowledgeable clinicians, many of whom are parents, seek to provide you with support, recommendations, and resources tailored to your family’s needs.
Whether you are expecting or are post-partum and feel you need support, please reach out to us. Our team of therapists is here to provide support and guidance. We look forward to connecting with you.
