The womb experience and mental health

The British epidemiologist Dr. David J. Barker introduced

the concept that the “the womb may be more important than the home.”

In his book "The first 1000 days, he explain his theory of"fetal origins ",

which suggests that lifetime health is a product of the first 1000 days.

His research concluded that baby's time in the womb can affect every aspect of life.

Research has proved that although we first meet the little one after birth, they start experiencing life while they are still in the womb. The brain and mental faculties are almost fully functional by the time they are born. The auditory sense develops in the first 20 weeks of gestation. As a result by the 25th week baby can hear sounds, distinguish familiar voices from strange voices and associate the tone to the speaker's mood and feelings. Research by Peter G Hepper confirms that the human fetus can respond to sound. You've probably wondered why the little baby seems to know mum and dad from the onset of life. This is because baby is familiar with their voices. From this we can clearly see that attachment begins in the womb. The relationship formed while the baby is still a foetus

have a lifelong bearing.

Studies have proven that the fetus is prepared to live in the outside world through the womb experiences. They listen for cues about their future environment and start adapting

accordingly. Most importantly is how mother's mood and emotional experiences affect the

developing baby. when observing the fetus via ultra sound developmental psychologists discovered that when the mother laughs the baby reacts by bouncing in the womb. Similarly

mother's voice has an effect, when mother speaks the fetus heart beat relaxes (calming effect).

Studies have shown that there is a strong link between the mother's mental health and development of the baby's emotional and mental well-being. The foetus may experience different feelings and moods whilst in the womb. This is also because hormones are passed to the baby through the mother's blood. Hence if mother is stressed, the stress hormone cortisol is passed to the foetus and in turn he suffers from pre-natal stress. Some key studies expose that children who experience prenatal stress develop irritable personality, sleep disorders, developmental disorders, cognitive, behavioral and social-emotional challenges. This reveals the importance of relieving the expecting mother's stress and anxiety. If the mother experiences prenatal depression they are likely to experience post-partum depression which affects parenting and has a bearing on child emotional health.

On the same note anxiety in pregnant women will be reflected in offspring exhibiting difficult temperaments, behavior and emotional problems,poor stress regulation and poor attention.

The baby to be also starts developing healthy habits and bad habits in the womb depending on mother's conduct. It is in the womb that the baby learns his first lessons on routine, he observes his mother's eating habits, sleeping habits and they become his habits too. Routine

is an important element in child development. Studies have shown that children who are acquainted to a regular routine are physically and mentally healthy. Diet during pregnancy plays an important role in the development of healthy offspring. If mother's diet is not

balanced the baby's health suffers. Deficiency of certain nutritional requirements may also affect the development processes. This has been reflected by studies focusing on the effects of poverty on child-well being. Children who faced poor diet exhibit low IQ, poor emotional health as well as physical deficits.

One interesting aspect of how the womb life affects after-life is fetal Alcohol syndrome.It is unquestionable that a large number of adults who are addicted to Alcohol first tasted alcohol in the womb. Early exposure to alcohol use has a bearing on later alcohol use. The Effects of Alcohol use during pregnancy include stunted growth,brain, kidney and heart damage ,developmental disorders,low IQ,learning disabilities,ADHD,Behavioral challenges

,Cognitive disabilities and many others.

Last but not least, it would be unfair to overlook the effects of the environment to the development of the baby. Importance of fresh clean air, avoiding polluted areas as this may affect the mental development , and result in developmental disorders. Regulation of noises, these affect the baby, increase heart rate and cause irritable babies. Conflict in the family is destructive to development. Parents who are often arguing and fighting do not promote

the mental well being of the baby.

Acknowledging that life begins in the womb will go a long way in creating healthy parenting behavior which in turn will build a healthy generation. Great attention should be paid to pregnancy behavior as it affects life after birth. One of my favorite authors commenting on

importance of Pre-natal influence says, "Yes, every mother may understand her duty. She may know that the character of her children will depend vastly more upon her habits before their birth and her personal efforts after their birth, than upon external advantages or

disadvantages."As one developmental Psychologist Jane Dipietro says " birth may be a

grand occasion but it is a trivial event in development." Life in the

womb matters.

Sources

Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel. What To Expect When You’re Expecting, 5th edition, WhatToExpect.com, Loud Noises During Pregnancy, March 2018.

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