Pregnancy is a time when hormones not only rule a woman’s body, but also her mind. The way a woman perceives her pregnancy shapes up her emotions, and these emotions do get passed on to the baby in the womb, happy or sad. Experts on the subject say that a baby gets nurtured in the womb with not just food and oxygen, but also with positive or negative thoughts that the mother feels. Let’s see how.
How Do A Pregnant Woman’s Emotions Reach The Unborn Baby?
Evidence suggests that a pregnant woman’s emotions are connected to her unborn child through neuro-hormones. Because emotions are made up of hormones and other chemicals in the body, what a pregnant woman thinks gets transmitted to the baby. If a pregnant woman is stressed out, unhappy , sad or depressed, the body releases certain molecules and chemicals in the body that get passed on to the baby. A stressed mother would pass on the same emotion to the baby, which will activate the baby’s endocrine system and affect the brain development. A pregnant woman’s emotions have been found to impact the blood flow to the fetus, thus affecting the unborn child’s development.
Do Positive Thoughts Also Affect The Unborn Baby?
Surely, they do. When a pregnant woman is relaxed and happy, pleasure chemicals called endorphins and encephalins are released into the blood stream and get passed onto the baby. The baby ‘s nervous system works properly and the development happens peacefully. The baby also feels calm and relaxed, and grow peacefully.
Do My Emotions During Pregnancy Affect My Baby’s Personality?
Some researches show that how a baby develops after birth seems to have some forbearance on the chemical releases that she received as a fetus. Experts claim that a mother psychological state during pregnancy and after delivery affects the overall growth and personality. There is evidence that the emotions that get released in a woman’s blood during her pregnancy actually affect a baby and the way his personality takes shape. Many women who have had stressful pregnancies say that their babies are overly sensitive and emotional and are unable to deal with stress. Mothers who were depressed during pregnancy have babies who are also depressed after the birth. These babies are also slower to develop, and the converse also holds true. If a developing baby is infused with positive thoughts and a happiness, it sets the stage for a happy and a peaceful life ahead. Research has it that a mother’s emotional consistency is one of the most important factors in the overall development of a child. Just as a mother is able to listen to the baby in the womb subconsciously, likewise the baby is also able to listen and feel the mother. This communication system between the mother and the baby is the basis of the baby’s development, both physically and psychologically.
How Can I Ensure Optimum Psychological Development Of My Unborn Baby?
The first step is to lead a happy life, and not letting small setbacks get to you so much that you feel stressed or depressed. Think of your pregnancy as a life-changing, wonderful experience and bond with your baby in the womb. Some experts suggest imagery and visualization exercises which have the ability to alter one’s perceptions, and subconscious thoughts from negative to positive. Decades of research on the subject has concluded that visualization can affect a mother’s unborn child, by generating positive changes in mental and emotional aspects. Infact, visualization was, for centuries, the first line of defense for yogis and medicine men against diseases.
How Can I Use Visualization For My Unborn Baby’s Health?
If you are pregnant, imagery and visualization can help foster better genetic development in your baby. Choose a place that is free of interruptions and sit calmly and be at peace. Close your eyes and imagine a healthy baby, smiling at you, looking at you, bonding with you, cooing at you. Feel and hear as much as you like, imagine yourself with a healthy baby in a happy home. Counter all other thoughts with this one imagery. Practicing this on a regular basis will wire parts of your brain to respond and retrieve the happy emotions. There is no right or wrong to this day-dreaming, you can imagine anything that you would like the baby to be.
To offset any stress that life brings upon you, set some ‘baby bonding’ time aside everyday and thus create an emotional resilience between you and your baby. Babies who feel safe and secure can cope with their lives much better after being born.
