The Importance of Prenatal Bonding

By: Sandy Jamieson, 'BA (Hons)', member of APPPAH, author of  "Zaida Baby - My First Keepsake" www.zaidababy.com/myfirstkeepsake

Do you know what the most important sound to have in an unborn baby's environment is? By far, parents' voices are the top choice. This is how your baby learns about language. They can hear you talking to them. Medical research proves that an unborn baby is capable of responding to your voice. They are also capable of responding to love, and they are aware of how you feel about them. Creating a bond with your unborn baby is very important. It gives your baby a greater opportunity to be healthy and happy months before they are even born. Developing a prenatal bond will occur through conversations with your baby that contribute to feelings of love...and this translates into over-all well-being. When parents express love to their unborn baby, they are providing their baby with a warm, safe and nurturing place. This warm and safe place tells your unborn baby that they can trust you, and the world that awaits them.

Talking to your unborn baby will have a direct impact on the personality of your child. This is considered to be the time when your baby is at its peak...during construction in the womb. Thomas Verny, M.D., understands this importance:

If more pregnant women were to start communicating with their children it would represent a monumental beginning. Just imagine how you would feel alone in a room for six, seven or eight months without any emotional or intellectual stimulation. That is, more or less, the net effect of ignoring an unborn child. Obviously his emotional and intellectual needs are far more primitive than ours. The important point is that he has them. He has to feel loved and wanted just as urgently - perhaps even more urgently - than we do. He has to be talked to and thought of: otherwise his spirit and often his body, too, begin wilting. (Verny, M.D., Kelly, 1981).

Not everything a pregnant woman thinks, feels, or does will affect her child. Of course we are all only human and so there will almost definitely be times when a negative thought will cross our minds. As long as this is short term, your unborn baby will continue to thrive and grow. When it does get dangerous is when you become absorbed in your thoughts and separate from your baby. Your unborn baby needs love and attention and when he or she is able to get this from you, bonding will naturally occur. Through prenatal bonding you can impact the course of your baby's life, and that's an invaluable gift.

About the Author: Sandy Jamieson has a degree in Honours Sociology and a diploma in Early Childhood Education. She is also a member of the Association for pre- & perinatal psychology and health, and has taken a platform in the community to bring awareness to the public on the importance of prenatal bonding.

Her passion for prenatal bonding began during the creation of a keepsake baby book that focuses on positive pregnancy. "Zaida Baby - My First Keepsake" was created to change the lives for future generations of children. Zaida Baby, meaning 'lucky' or 'fortunate' baby is divided into 3 sections. One being a journal for mothers to outlet their thoughts during pregnancy, 2 being a way for parents to preserve memories from their child's first year, and 3, unlike any other keepsake book on the market includes a 95 page inspirational love letter so that parents can read this affirmation to their unborn baby and start parenting months before their baby is born. The love letter is mutually beneficial and will help parents to establish an emotional connection with their unborn baby. (Keep it on your coffee table or on your night stand so that you can read it to your unborn baby daily!) For more information, visit www.zaidababy.com/myfirstkeepsake.