SNEHAL DESHPANDE enlightens us on how pre-conception, conception and pregnancy, and the first year of life affect our later psychology and physical well-being.
The field of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology seeks to illuminate how prenatal and birth experiences influence postnatal development, lifelong response patterns, and interpersonal relationships. It is an interdisciplinary study of the earliest periods of human development, including conception, pregnancy, experiences during and after birth, and experiences with family and caregivers during the first year of life.1
Birth is a continuation of life from the womb to this world. So when does learning begin? If we have been given an equal opportunity to reproduce and procreate, why are there deviations? Why has natural birth become unnatural today? Why do many men and women suffer from problems related to their reproductive systems and fertility?
What is reproductive health?
Reproductive health refers to the health of the female and male reproductive systems. Female disorders include early or late puberty, menstrual problems, infertility, reduced fertility, problems during pregnancy, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), uterine fibroids, and endometriosis. Male disorders include erectile dysfunction and low sperm count. Various studies conducted by NIEHS have pointed out that factors like lifestyle, environment, food, and exposure to chemicals have been the leading factors in reproductive system ailments.2
The reproductive journey is not linear. All aspects of a woman’s reproductive lifespan are interrelated, from childhood through to the later reproductive years. When a woman gives birth, this circular interaction is then transmitted to the next generation, which is then transmitted to the next generation. Fertility, fertility prevention, fertility assistance, and fertility preservation are all intertwined. Understanding this begs some very interesting questions regarding research into reproduction.3
PCOS is an infertility-causing endocrine and reproductive disorder prevalent in 5% to 13% of women of reproductive age. It represents 80% of anovulatory infertility cases, and is associated with clinical and metabolic disorders.4
Women with PCOS undergo a lot of stress, which in turn affects mental wellness and leads to anxiety and panic attacks. The vicious cycle of being in the state of fight or flight affects the Hypothalamus Pituitary Axis. Research shows that parents’ well-being and thinking lifestyle have a deep impact on their babies even before they are born. Dr. Thomas Verny has emphasized this in his book, The Secret Life of the Unborn Child: How You Can Prepare Your Baby for a Happy, Healthy Life.
The way parents respond to
situations
shapes the life of an unborn child.
The fetal and infant nervous system has vast sensory and learning capabilities, and a kind of memory that neuroscientists call implicit memory.5 The way parents respond to situations shapes the life of an unborn child. It is now known that stress can pass through generations, influencing the disease states in family members. The responsiveness of fetuses to the environmental conditions perceived by their mothers before birth allows them to optimize their genetic and physiological development as they adapt to the environmental forecast. The same life-enhancing epigenetic plasticity can also go awry and lead to an array of chronic diseases in life if an individual experiences adverse nutritional and environmental circumstances during fetal and neonatal periods of development (Bateson, et al, 2004).5
Parents and caregivers thus become genetic engineers shaping the future of their little ones.
What shapes us from conception until death is experience. Experience makes us. We experience the world through the sensory systems which serve as catalysts to the growing brain. The first five years are all about brain structuring. It is a construction house where the activity is from moment to moment. The sensory systems are gathering information from the womb onwards. Each system follows a timeline to maturity. The sculpting of human behavior and learning is affected by critical periods of development, which are characteristic of each sensory system. These critical periods provide a wide window of opportunity for each human being to develop adaptive responses.
Lack of favorable stimulation in these critical periods of development leads to delayed or altered development patterns. This explains why the children from orphanages often show more learning and developmental delays, and alterations in affect and regulation. The human brain depends on the shared interactions and engagements it has with other individuals for its survival. We create a social synapse around us that not only designs who we are, but is responsible for the kind of universe we live in.
If we have to create a new world, we need to make our present different. The babies who are yet to be born will need to be resilient and become enablers of joy peace, and happiness. The fabric of society as a whole has to change, and the responsibility for change rests on each one of us. Our thoughts and intentions go a long way to defining our actions. Perinatal and prenatal education has a deep and long-reaching impact toward forming a new world that breeds joy, peace, and happiness.
Interpersonal neurobiology, social neuroscience (Adolphs, 2003a), affective neuroscience (Panksepp, 1998), and sociophysiology (Gardner, 1997; Adler, 2002) are among the emerging fields attempting to bridge the gap between the biological and social sciences. They share the goal of understanding people within the context of the relationships into which they are born, develop, and live their lives.6
We create a social synapse
around us
that not only designs who we are,
but is responsible for the kind of
universe we live in.
Children survive and evolve only with the care and fostering relationships they develop with their caregivers and environment. When the environment is conducive, the neurons connect and form synapses,so enhanced learning occurs. The mirror neurons in the brain help babies to imitate what they are exposed to. Early childhood experiences thus shape our future and design our destiny. Caregivers, parents, teachers, and therapists therefore have a role to play in nurturing and providing the young ones with an environment based on engagement with nature and human beings.
The primary occupation of children is play, and the responsibility of the parents in the early years is to give them a holistic experience with natural play.
What a fetus experiences
in the primary period forms
the blueprint of core perceptions,
belief structures, and ways
of relating
with themselves and the world.
The 12 guiding principles of prenatal and perinatal psychology
These principles form a blueprint and an edifice for future generations to give birth, survive, connect, and evolve.7
They are:
1. Primary period – the primary period of development occurs from preconception through to the first year of postnatal life. This is a time when the core foundations are laid in every aspect of the being; physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and relational.
2. Forming the core blueprint – what a fetus experiences in the primary period forms the blueprint of core perceptions, belief structures, and ways of relating with themselves and the world. These are implicit and observable in newborns, and perhaps decisive toward either having a life enhancing or diminishing direction. Preparing for becoming parents is therefore an important part of the journey.
3. Continuum of development – human development is continuous from prenatal to postnatal life. Postnatal patterns build upon earlier prenatal and birth experiences. It is important that this period provides the mother a stress free and secure space and optimal attachment. In traditional cultures, the mother-to-be is often nurtured in the house of her parents once her pregnancy is confirmed.
4. Capacities and capabilities – babies are bundles of immense capacity and capability. They not only perceive but also communicate and learn based on integration of their sensory systems interwoven with their related experiences. Caregivers and parents can become aware of the 8 sensory systems and their impact on development.
5. Relationships – we exist and survive because of the connections we make. Babies experience what their mothers experience and feel. Relationships and accidental or incidental encounters provide building blocks for the quality of life of babies.
Babies experience what their mothers experience and feel.
6. Innate need – human beings have an innate need for security, belonging, nurturing, feeling wanted, and feeling loved. Supporting these sets the right environment for optimal development.
7. Communication – babies are continually connecting and seeking connections. Honoring the person within them and relating to their needs supports their wholeness.
8. Mother-baby interconnectedness – respecting and optimizing the bond between mother and baby, and the mother-baby interconnectedness during pregnancy, birth, and infancy is of highest priority.
9. Bonding – is a critical development process for the mother, baby, and father. It forms core patterns with lifelong implications. Best mother-baby interactions occur when the mother feels empowered and supported, and the natural birth process is allowed to unfold with minimal intervention, and no interruption between mother and baby connection and contact. Where possible, fathers also connect, and contact is vital.
10. Resolving and healing – past and current conflicts, and issues that affect the quality of life of the family members is of the highest priority. Doing so before the pregnancy is vital.
11. Underlying patterns – unresolved issues and less than optimal conditions during any of the phases often result in health issues, stress behaviors, difficulty in self-regulation and attachment learning, and other disorders over the lifespan of the newborn.
12. Professional support – may be sought whenever there are any diminishing patterns which are embedded below the level of the conscious mind, in implicit memory, the subconscious mind.
Best mother-baby
interactions occur
when the mother feels empowered and supported,
and the natural birth
process is allowed
to unfold with minimal intervention,
and no interruption between
mother and
baby connection and contact.
Theory and research from the fields of psychology, medicine, psychophysiology, epigenetics, and traumatology, among others, highlight the opportunity for parents-to-be and their practitioners to intentionally cultivate nurturing environments, both internal and external, during preconception, prenatal, and early parenting periods. They suggest that doing so will support lifelong multidimensional aspects of healthy development in children and adults, and may also benefit future generations.8
The principles of prenatal and perinatal psychology provide elements for every family to practice and adopt in order to raise happy healthy babies. Nurturing the mother to be in a positive environment where stress can be eliminated is the fundamental need of the hour. This can prevent the traces of trauma which children later have to deal with. Holistic well-being, family connection, deep regard, and respect for self, go a long way to establishing self-esteem and confidence in mothers and help them walk the way into motherhood.
After the birth, every effort should be put into the mother and child bonding well. The mother and the father should be educated in the use of touch, smell, and taste as important systems of connection. Optimal use of sensory systems blended with a foundation of love and harmony go a long way in defining a bright future for the little one.
To summarize, when babies are welcomed, loved, nurtured, and seen for the amazing, conscious, and aware beings they are from the beginning of life, their capacity to love, empathize, be in relationships, and live in joy grow as they grow. As a generation of such babies matures, we would see the ripple effect encompass greater learning capacity, emotional intelligence, creativity, the emergence of new leaders, and healthier families and communities. Our potential is unlimited. It is time for us to come together to infuse our culture and communities with the vision, resources, and commitment necessary to support each new person from the very beginning of their life. It is time for them to know they are vital to our community and worthy of this commitment.
References:
- Weinstein, A. D. &M. Shea, 2016. Prenatal development and parents’ lived experiences: How early events shape our psychophysiology and relationships. W.W. Norton & Company.
- Reproductive health in females and males. (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/materials/reproductive_health_in_females_and_maes_508.pdf.
- Barnhart, K. T., 2011. Epidemiology of male and female reproductive disorders and impact on fertility regulation and population growth. Fertility and Sterility, 95(7): 2200–2203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2011.03.044.
- Melo, A.S. et al., 2015. Treatment of infertility in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: Approach to clinical practice. Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil). Retrieved May 2, 2023, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26602525/.
- Lipton, B. H., 2016. The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter &Miracles. Hay House, Inc.
- Cozolino, L. J., 2014. The Neuroscience of Human Relationships: Attachment and the Developing Social Brain. W.W. Norton & Company.
- McCarty, W.A. and M. Glenn, 2008. Investing in human potential from the beginning of life: Keys to maximizing human capital. Journal of Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology & Health, 23 (2): 117-135.
- Nurturing human capital along the life course: Investing in early child development. (n.d.). Human Rights Documents Online. WHO. https://doi.org/10.1163/2210-7975_hrd-9841-3019.
Dr. Snehal Deshpande
