You don’t have to wait until your baby is born to make contact with her - unborn babies as young as 12 weeks may be able to hear your voice.
Talk to your bump
From as early as 12 weeks, your baby may be able to hear your voice. It’s the easiest sound for her to detect, as it is transmitted through your body. Talk soothingly or even repeat nursery rhymes to your baby and see if you feel her kick in response. By the time she is born, she will already be familiar with the sound of your voice and will turn towards it when she hears it.
The sound of music
While there’s no scientific proof that playing music to your bump will increase your child’s intelligence, many women find that their unborn babies respond to music with increased movement. Sing to your baby or stretch your Walkman headphones across your bump and play her some tunes – classical music, in particular Bach and Mozart, is thought to be especially soothing.
Making contact through touch
From about 17 weeks you will start to feel your baby move, although you probably won’t feel actual kicks until about 20 weeks. Take the time to sit quietly and feel your baby’s movements – while you’re in the bath is a good time as you can also watch your bump move about. When your baby kicks, you may be able to set up a kind of dialogue with her. Press gently on the spot where you have just felt a kick to see if she responds with another one. As she gets bigger, you will probably be able to identify different parts of her body by feeling your bump. Try giving her a massage by stroking the area covering her head, back or bottom.
Create positive mental pictures
If you’re feeling overawed at the prospect of motherhood, visualization – creating positive mental pictures – can help you feel closer to your baby. Take up a relaxed position, close your eyes and imagine the baby at the centre of your body, being nurtured and protected by you. If the birth is imminent, then imagine yourself holding the baby and focus on the joyful feelings that this will bring.
Learning about your unborn baby
Read all you can about your baby’s development and how she is growing from week to week. It’s easier to relate to her as a person when you learn that she’s got eyes and ears, and fingers and toes. Get to know her pattern of movement throughout the day – some women find that their baby becomes particularly active when they lie down to sleep!
Get your partner involved
Get your partner to join in with the preparations for birth. Take him along to classes and shopping for baby things. He can even help out with breathing exercises! Encourage your partner to talk to your bump, so that the baby will also recognise his voice as soon as she’s born.
Say hello at the scan
Bring your partner along when you have your scan – you’ll be amazed how differently you’ll both feel once you’ve seen your baby wave to you on screen! When you attend your scan, ask the ultrasound operator to position the screen so that you can see it too and ask lots of questions about what the baby is doing. You could even consider asking your baby’s sex. Some people find that knowing whether they are going to have a boy or a girl can help them think about the baby as a real person. Sometimes they even choose his or her name and start using it straight away!
From as early as 12 weeks, your baby may be able to hear your voice. It’s the easiest sound for her to detect, as it is transmitted through your body. Talk soothingly or even repeat nursery rhymes to your baby and see if you feel her kick in response. By the time she is born, she will already be familiar with the sound of your voice and will turn towards it when she hears it.
The sound of music
While there’s no scientific proof that playing music to your bump will increase your child’s intelligence, many women find that their unborn babies respond to music with increased movement. Sing to your baby or stretch your Walkman headphones across your bump and play her some tunes – classical music, in particular Bach and Mozart, is thought to be especially soothing.
Making contact through touch
From about 17 weeks you will start to feel your baby move, although you probably won’t feel actual kicks until about 20 weeks. Take the time to sit quietly and feel your baby’s movements – while you’re in the bath is a good time as you can also watch your bump move about. When your baby kicks, you may be able to set up a kind of dialogue with her. Press gently on the spot where you have just felt a kick to see if she responds with another one. As she gets bigger, you will probably be able to identify different parts of her body by feeling your bump. Try giving her a massage by stroking the area covering her head, back or bottom.
Create positive mental pictures
If you’re feeling overawed at the prospect of motherhood, visualization – creating positive mental pictures – can help you feel closer to your baby. Take up a relaxed position, close your eyes and imagine the baby at the centre of your body, being nurtured and protected by you. If the birth is imminent, then imagine yourself holding the baby and focus on the joyful feelings that this will bring.
Learning about your unborn baby
Read all you can about your baby’s development and how she is growing from week to week. It’s easier to relate to her as a person when you learn that she’s got eyes and ears, and fingers and toes. Get to know her pattern of movement throughout the day – some women find that their baby becomes particularly active when they lie down to sleep!
Get your partner involved
Get your partner to join in with the preparations for birth. Take him along to classes and shopping for baby things. He can even help out with breathing exercises! Encourage your partner to talk to your bump, so that the baby will also recognise his voice as soon as she’s born.
Say hello at the scan
Bring your partner along when you have your scan – you’ll be amazed how differently you’ll both feel once you’ve seen your baby wave to you on screen! When you attend your scan, ask the ultrasound operator to position the screen so that you can see it too and ask lots of questions about what the baby is doing. You could even consider asking your baby’s sex. Some people find that knowing whether they are going to have a boy or a girl can help them think about the baby as a real person. Sometimes they even choose his or her name and start using it straight away!
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