Pregnancy: To Love Someone You Do Not Yet Know

A pregnancy lasts nine months. Where the umbilical cord connects two hearts, two worlds in one, where something amazing but unknown takes place at the same time. Believe it or not, our emotions pass through the placenta and caress our baby.

It is interesting how families throughout pregnancy worry about buying a crib, clothes and making sure the mother eats well and healthy, but what if one experiences being stressed? … According to many researchers, we tend to neglect the mother’s emotional world, which affects fetal development.

Pregnancy is a mystery and a hope: it’s about loving someone whose face we do not yet know. It’s about imagining their laughter and the color of their hair while we put our hands on our stomachs and transfer our love.

Vivette Glover is a specialist in prenatal psychobiology at Imperial Collage London. She is a pioneer in what we call “emotional upbringing in the womb”. It is a theory that is very interesting and important. We want to share it with you.

The significance of our emotions during a pregnancy

Until recently, we believed that the mother’s emotional world does not affect fetal development. It was a mistake. Studies, such as those published in the journal New Parents Support, explain that the ” magic womb package” is very receptive to emotions, especially in the fourth month.

The media, society and the families themselves often put the beauty of pregnancy on a pedestal. But the importance of being able to connect the body and the emotions with the child is rarely learned. Although the emotions have an impact on its development.

When the emotions pass the placenta

Vivette Glover, who is also a specialist in Gestalt Therapy, points out the importance of taking care of the mother in a more comprehensive way. Ultrasound and blood tests are not enough. It is necessary to take care of their emotional state.

Dr. Glover has conducted a study with 14,000 pregnant women. Their level of stress and worries were measured. There was follow-up on them over the next 5 years to see how the children grew and developed.

It was found that mothers who suffered from high levels of stress during their pregnancy were twice as likely to have their children diagnosed with ADHD. When the mother is in a stressful situation, the hypothalamus triggers a hormone called CRH. As a result, the adrenal gland secretes cortisol.

The uterus acts as a filter. Cortisol, which is registered as a “toxin”, does not pass to the fetus. However, if the CRH level is too high, it ends up passing the uterus and going directly to the fetus. That puts it in “emergency preparedness”.

The emotional upbringing of children does not begin when they enter the world, but in the womb.

Emotional growth in the womb

You do not even know your child yet. Yet you see the world differently. You have turned your weaknesses into your strengths. We should note that their upbringing already starts from the womb – the place where they feel comfortable  but not completely isolated. The place where they are very receptive, not only to what is outside, but also to what is happening inside.

Therefore, it is important that every mother and every parent take these aspects into consideration:

• Rewording some concepts: you have probably heard it before: “the most important thing is the child, all the renunciation you have to do is worth it.” The child is important, but we must also take care of the body and the heart that gives life: the mother.

• All pregnant mothers are unique: there are women who did not expect to become pregnant, others who have become pregnant after being forced to have an abortion in the past. It is important to be aware of each case, that you are aware of the individual’s special circumstances, so that you can respond to them with integrity and a good support network.
• Slow down, prioritize yourself, surround yourself with positive stimuli: put yourself in a lower gear in your daily walk and focus on the present, strengthen the bond with your partner so you can create some great moments. Fill yourself with hope and meet the natural changes in your body.
• Try new types of therapy: today, many emotional education programs are offered to pregnant women. In addition, using mindfulness techniques, yoga or  massaging the stomach while you are calm and listening to music can be beneficial for both the mother and the fetus.