Parenting Begins Before Birth : Know How!

Your journey towards parenthood begins the moment you discover you’re pregnant. The nine months from conception to birth give you a chance to get emotionally prepared for the most important role in your life and to start bonding with the baby.

The following methods will help you strengthen your future relationship with the child by making a connection with it before the birth.

Learn to Relax

The best way to relax is to practice meditation with your hands resting on the belly while taking deep, calming breaths. This way, you will also relax the baby. So as you’re putting emphasis on bonding, the baby will be focused on your heartbeat, which will create an even stronger connection.

Basically, embrace all sorts of relaxation and get rid of harmful habits such as smoking during pregnancy or else. For instance, you can include prenatal yoga or some other type of gentle exercise into your routine.

Use Your Voice

Your baby’s hearing will develop between the 13th and the 16th week of pregnancy. That is when it will start hearing your heartbeat. Your voice will quickly become the primary vibration it knows, and the baby will find it soothing.

Talk to your baby in a gentle and loving tone. No matter how silly it may sound, have conversations with the child, call out people by their names, and describe actions and places. Of course, never miss a chance to say ‘I love you’. 

Read Out Loud

As we already mentioned, the sound of your voice has a soothing effect. So if you get into a habit of reading to the baby, you will not only nurture your relationship, but you’ll also help the child develop a love for books at a very young age.

Try to read a book out loud before bedtime to get the baby accustomed to this type of routine. But if you also happen to be a daytime reader, make sure you do it out loud as well.

Sing and Listen to Music

Whether you’re more interested in using a prenatal music belt or you just love playing your own music, it is an excellent opportunity for you and your baby to enjoy the vibrations together.

From children’s songs, classical music, or simply your all-time favourite tracks – all genres are more than welcome. You can even make up songs on the go. Whatever you do, the baby will enjoy the tunes, and it might even recognize some of them after the birth.

Rub Your Belly

Massage your belly regularly, especially while you’re talking or singing to the baby. One simple trick that will help you get into this routine – always talk to the baby while you rub olive oil or anything else that you use to prevent stretch marks.

If you connect the two activities, you are more likely to stay consistent with both of them. Moreover, if the baby responds to rubbing by kicking, make sure you gently nudge it back.

Call the Baby By Its Name

If you’ve already made a firm decision about the baby’s name, start using it daily. You can even include a nickname if you’ve come up with one. Call the baby by the name you’ve selected, and if possible, try to put in a song or a simple rhyme.

Be consistent with the practice, and before you know it, the baby might begin to turn its head to the sound of your voice. After a while, try to do it during an ultrasound. Sing a song with the baby’s name, or simply say it a few times and see whether you’ll get a response.

Prioritize Family Time

Obviously, you are the first person the baby is getting used to, but it is also important to acclimate the child to family time so it becomes familiar with the voices and sounds that will surround it after the birth. If you encourage the father and other family members to talk to your bump at least occasionally, it will be easier for the child to bond with the loved ones later on.

Once your baby comes into this world, you will find it natural to connect with it thanks to your inborn maternal instinct. However, bonding before birth is also incredibly important, and thanks to the tips and ideas listed above, you will find it easy to form a strong relationship with the baby during pregnancy.