On the Coast – Families Issue 95 I August/September 2018 | Page 40
Getting to
know your
baby
by Janet Rourke
F
rom the time you conceive,
your baby is getting to know
about your world, your
relationships and the world they
will be born into.
Many parents begin to have dreams and
thoughts very early on about what their
baby is going to look and be like, as well
as dreams and fantasies about what they
are going to be like as parents.
As the baby grows in the womb, it
begins to interact more with their world,
experiencing diet through changes in the
amniotic fluid, getting used to the daily
rhythms of the family. Your baby will be
affected by how you feel, because they
are impacted by your stress responses.
The process of choosing names,
selecting your antenatal care provider,
attending birth preparation classes all
consolidate that sense of reality that you
will have a baby soon.
While there are many medical ways
you can develop upon the connection
with your baby, such as listening to the
heartbeat, having ultrasounds etc., there
are also many ‘non-medical’ ways that
work really well and help strengthen
your trust in yourself and your baby.
These include:
Keeping a journal: recording those
special moments as part of your baby’s
story. You could even create a story
book that you could share with your
baby later. This book could include
things like how your first found out
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you were pregnant and how you
felt. Who you first shared the news
with and how they reacted. The time
you first felt your baby move, how it
felt? When did you first start getting
images of your baby? What did you
imagine your baby would look like,
sound like, smell like. When did you
have your first baby dream? How did
it feel? What were you doing in the
dream and what was your baby doing?
Writing poetry or drawing pictures
or creating a collage can also
be a wonderful way of building
connections as they help you explore
some of the more subtle emotions,
hopes and dreams you may have
about parenting.
Tracking your baby’s movements.
Once you are feeling bub’s movements
easily, paying attention to your baby’s
patterns of movement is a great way
of connecting. As your baby grows,
their patterns of movement settle into
a routine. One of the most reliable
ways of detecting deteriorating health
in your unborn baby is to notice
changes in the usual movement
pattern. If you have any concerns or
experience strong instincts about
things going on for your baby, you
should follow up with your health
care provider and discuss these
concerns with them. If the advice you
are getting feels instinctively wrong,
discuss this too.
Noticing your baby’s attempts to
interact with you – how do they
respond when you do certain things
such as rubbing your belly, talking,
playing particular music, eating
particular foods, talking to certain
people. It can be fun to guess and
comment with your baby on what you
think they are doing.
Creating special memories by doing
events such as taking serial
photographs of your pregnancy,
having belly painting or belly casting
completed, or special pregnancy
portraits done.
Marking milestones with celebrations
such as nurturing circles, baby
showers.
Planning for your birth and the 4th
trimester. Thinking about how you
want that very special time to be and
who you want around to provide
support.
Remember this is a really special time
and it is good to take those moments to
enjoy and celebrate all the changes that
are happening for you, your partner and
your baby.
Jan Rourke is a Registered Nurse, Midwife, Child and Family Health Nurse as well as a certified
counsellor and Hypnobirthing practitioner. Based on the Central Coast, with a background in perinatal
and infant mental health her focus is on promoting a positive experience of pregnancy, childbirth
and early parenting and securely attached infants. Ph 0407 733 484, facebook.com/4babyandyou;
www.4babyandyou.com.au