Fetal stimulation - It's never too early to bond
with your baby
by Deborah Torres Patel
Few authors have written on the topic of Fetal Stimulation.
There is still much research to be done and many discoveries to be made in this
very exciting area of child development.
When I was pregnant in 2003, I was fortunate enough to come across a few good books
that related to Fetal and Infant Stimulation. As a parent and educator, I am constantly
searching for ways to enrich children's lives and encourage accelerated, creative,
and fun learning. Fetal Stimulation aims to maximize your baby's learning potential.
In this article, I will share with you some simple stimulation tips that have worked
for me and have contributed to the powerful bond that my husband and I were able
to enjoy with our daughter even before birth.
These tips will help to stimulate your baby's senses. Thus promoting accelerated
growth, coordinated muscle movements, and increased concentration span that experts
like Dr. Susan Ludington-Hoe; Director of the Infant Stimulation Education Association
of America, say can raise a baby's I.Q. by as much as 15 points.
1. Getting In Touch
Dr. Van De Carr, a California obstetrician recommends getting in
"touch" with your baby by lightly stroking your abdomen from below and up to your
belly button. He suggests that you stroke your fetus and say, "Stroke, I'm stroking
you.", "Pat, I'm patting you."
Of course, you can apply as many variations to that theme as you wish. For example,
"I'm caressing you, rubbing you, touching you, kissing you (for daddy to do)"
If you apply touch after your baby kicks, you can teach her that her movement brings
a change in her environment. By the 28th week of your pregnancy, you can ask your
doctor to indicate your baby's position. Then stroke from her head to toes.
2. Music Listening
Researchers found that fetal heart rates raise 15 beats per minute
during the first 2 minutes of listening to music.
At around five months, the fetal brain and ears are wide open and music can excite
your unborn baby. In linguistic and musical terms, she is beginning to differentiate
between pitches, which are the first steps to acquire language.
Aim for five minutes of musical stimulation at least twice daily. Listen to the
types of music you love and choose music that makes you feel good. Of course, the
classical composers like Mozart, Vivaldi and Pachabel are always fine choices if
you don't know what to play.
Loud noise can be problematic for your baby. (Shouting adults, loud work sites,
public places, rock concerts, etc.) Do your best to avoid too much noise and places
with excessive vibration. (Construction sites or long bumpy bus rides)
3. Sing & Dance
"There is evidence to suggest that fetuses can hear, see, taste,
feel and experience movement throughout the last half of pregnancy, and that these
capabilities don't change dramatically at the moment of birth." - P.L. Graves "The
Functioning Fetus" (1980)
Sing, dance, move, and speak to your baby often. A fetus can feel the vibration
of her mother's voice and hears it at approximately 84 decibels inside the womb.
(Normal speech is 65 decibels.) Mummy's voice is heard above all other internal
womb sounds and is the only sound your baby can clearly distinguish. Your little
one will move to the rhythm of your speech and loving song and delight in the sway
of your body.
4. Talking to your Tummy
A fetus is most alert from 8pm to midnight. This is an ideal time
to apply stimulation. From as early as your 20th week of pregnancy, Dr. Ludington-Hoe
and SK Golant recommend making a recording of the mother & father's voices and
playing it with headphones near your tummy. Studies have shown that if this is done
daily, your baby will recognize both voices immediately after birth.
If you haven't decided a name of your child, you can make up a nickname for your
little one. Something as simple as "Baby, Baby," or "Precious" will do. Whatever
you choose, keep it consistent.
If you don't want to make a recording, you can have daddy speak to "Baby" by placing
his lips very close to where your child is in your belly. (For example, he could
say, "Hello Baby, Baby this is your Daddy. I love you and can't wait to meet you
face to face.")
5. Loving Communication
"If pregnant women were to start communicating with their children
it would represent a monumental beginning. Just imagine how you would feel alone
in a room for six, seven, or eight months without any emotional or intellectual
stimulation. He (your fetus) has to feel loved and wanted just as urgently -perhaps
even more urgently - than we do."- Thomas Verny M.D. (1981)
Expressing your love for your unborn baby will come naturally to you especially
in the latter stages of your pregnancy. However, it is never too early to begin
to communicate and bond with your child.
Most parents will agree that their children are the great loves of their lives.
Certainly the earlier we show our love and nurture the environment our babies live
in, the better.
It is a great honor and a privilege to witness the miraculous wonder of a child's
growth. If you don't know this already, you will soon find out that the love you
receive from your precious children will be beyond your wildest dreams and will
enliven your days for the rest of your life.
© Copyright 2004 Deborah Torres Patel. May not be reprinted without permission.
Email Deborah@ExpressingYOU.com
References & Recommended Reading:
1. Ludington-Hoe S, Golant SK. How to Have a Smarter Baby: The Infant Stimulation
Program for Enhancing Your Baby's Natural Development, Rawson, NY, 1985.
2. Campbell D. The Mozart Effect for Children: Awakening Your Child's Mind, Health,
and Creativity with Music, HarperCollins Publishers Inc., NY, 2000.
3. Verny T, Kelly J. The Secret Life of the Unborn Child: How you can prepare your
unborn baby for a happy, healthy life, Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.,
NY, 1981.