With the advent of epigenetics and advances in fetal medicine, medical practice now supports that the baby’s experience in utero and birth may have lasting effects on health and human development. Research shows how stress and trauma in the previous generations may impact the present and subsequent generations. We also know that the mother’s experience is transferred to the baby during pregnancy. This trauma-informed, evidence-based course presents how understanding the baby’s experience starting in utero, often called prenatal and perinatal somatic psychology, may improve outcomes on many levels: Prenatal care can become more of a wellness and mindfulness model; prenatal bonding improves birth, parenting, and health in children and parents; better pregnancies and births lead to better nervous system regulation so babies feed, sleep and connect with parents easier; the relationships of newborns with their families lay down patterns of health that create a strong foundation on every level: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.
