Pregnancy is a magical time for a mother. What you might not realize is that it is a magical time for the baby as well. All their senses are slowly developing, meaning that every day they become a little more aware of themselves, and well as their surroundings. As you grow in your journey of motherhood, ensure you try bonding with your baby during pregnancy. Read on for the many benefits you and your little one can experience!
There are many ways to bond with your little one in the womb.
Tips For Bonding With Your Baby During Pregnancy
Get A Glimpse During Ultrasounds
When you’re pregnant, you can feel your little one and their movements. But being able to see your baby during an ultrasound is a surreal if not an emotional experience. Many expectant parents have said that seeing their baby moving in ultrasounds adds a layer of realism to the pregnancy.
You can also take back a picture of your baby from the ultrasound. Though you won’t be able to see any distinct features, having this photo is a great way of bringing you closer to the reality of having a baby. Ultrasound pictures also help dads to bond with their unborn babies.
Seek Out New Experiences
Visit a botanical garden and smell different flowers. Try new types of food (consult your obstetrician first). Attend comedy shows, go on picnics, pick up a new hobby. Do everything that interests you, provided it’s allowed and won’t put a strain on you and the baby.
Remember that your baby is experiencing what you are experiencing in some form. Introducing them to the world that they are about to become a part of is a great way to go about bonding with your baby during pregnancy.
Let Them Hear Music
It’s no secret that babies love music; we’ve all been delighted with the many videos of babies reacting to music around them. This actually starts in the womb, since your baby can certainly hear sounds from outside. When bonding with your baby during pregnancy, play soft, melodious music. This can also have soothing effects on the mother as well.
Classical compositions, old Hindi songs, and mellow jazz are all great choices. But ensure you keep the volume low. Additionally, ensure you avoid music with too many shrill sounds. This might be harsh to the baby’s developing ears, and too many fast beats might end up raising the baby’s heart rate too much.
Meditate
While they are in the womb, the baby’s emotions and physiological responses are tied to the mother’s emotions. So, an emotionally calm and healthy mother will always manage to keep the baby calm as well. Meditating to calm your heartbeat will allow you to calm the baby, making it a great way for the both of you to find some peace.
Talk To Them
At 18 weeks of pregnancy, the baby will be able to hear voices, and 4-5 weeks after that they might even be able to recognize certain voices. What this means is that you can actually talk to your baby! It doesn’t matter what you say to them, it is just important that the baby hears your voice often. By the time the baby is born 4 months later, your voice will be one of the only sounds that they recognize.
Respond To The Baby
Mothers will usually start noticing the baby’s movement in the 16th week. This movement is known as ‘quickening’. By the third trimester, moms will feel distinct movements, and body parts like legs and elbows. When you feel the baby kicking, gently run your hand over or pat the area as a form of response. This is to make the baby aware of your presence. Sometimes, your baby may even respond to your taps!
Sing To Them
According to Carista Luminare-Rosen, author of Parenting Begins Before Conception, research exists on babies in the womb having an emotional and intuitive sense. Whether or not the research says it, singing to them is a wonderful way of bonding with your baby during pregnancy.
Listening to songs especially with voices they recognize can have a soothing effect on them. If you’re wondering what songs to sing, we’d recommend singing songs that are soothing to hear, like lullabies or nursery rhymes.
Do Your Favorite Hobby
Introduce your baby to your favorite hobby, yes, even while you’re still pregnant! When you do your favorite activity, you feel excited and happy. As we’ve stated before, the baby’s physiological responses are tied to yours. Basically, they feel what you feel.
So if you’re doing something that you enjoy, it is reasonable to assume that your baby is enjoying themselves too.
Getting your child to cuddle against your belly will help them bond with their unborn sibling.
Family Bonding With The Baby
For obvious reasons, bonding with your baby during pregnancy can come easier to moms than dads in several cases. However, there are several ways in which dad and siblings can bond with the baby as well! Dads and siblings can and should set some time apart every day to talk to the baby. The baby might end up recognizing their father’s voice after birth too.
Ask your partner to attend ultrasounds with you, to sing to the baby, and to rub your belly from time to time. If the baby has older siblings, then cuddle with them from time to time to strengthen their bond.
Why Is Prenatal Bonding Important?
Spending time bonding with your baby prenatally is said to create a stronger bond between mom and baby before birth. Some mothers can have difficulty bonding with their babies weeks or even months after the birth of the baby. Attempting to form a bond while the baby is yet to be born can help mothers and fathers bond with newborn babies quicker.
Conclusion
A bond between mother and child is one of the strongest interpersonal bonds that humans are capable of forming. If you invest time in strengthening this by bonding with your baby during pregnancy, you will make the experience of pregnancy and birth so much more rewarding. While you prepare yourselves for the arrival of your baby, check out the ImmunifyMe app that can help you with infant immunization schedules, telemedicine consultations and more.
FAQs On Bonding With Your Baby During Pregnancy
Can Unborn Babies Sense Their Father?
Fetuses have been known to respond to familiar voices and touches, and recognize those voices after they are born. So, if the father speaks to the baby regularly, and rubs the mom’s belly often, then it is possible that unborn babies might actually be able to sense and recognize their father.
Can Arguing During Pregnancy Harm The Baby?
Loud noises can actually damage the baby’s hearing, so parents should definitely avoid shouting at each other. More than that, arguing will lead to increased adrenaline, which will increase mom’s heart rate. Fetuses are impacted by a mom’s raised heart rate, and hence their heart rate increases too. This is not good for the fetus.
Do Babies Know When Someone Touches The Belly?
During later stages of the pregnancy, babies respond to people touching the belly. When the baby kicks, try patting that area lightly to see if the baby responds to that action. Parents will often make a game of this to play with their unborn baby.