Top 5 Tips for Bonding with your Baby

Research has shown that babies in the womb can see, hear, feel, remember, taste and think before birth – and have the emotional and intuitive capabilities to sense their parent’s love. Here are a few of my favourite baby bonding methods – all commonly used in pregnancy yoga – which you could try for yourself at home.

1. Relaxation

Try to take some time each day to sit quietly, close your eyes and tell your baby how you feel. Even in the early days of your pregnancy, when you may feel you are only bonding with a concept, you can enjoy spending a few quiet moments in your baby’s company and begin to establish a connection which will continue after your baby is born.

2. Visualisation

When you are relaxing, try to visualise your baby to help with the bonding process. Try to imagine the shape of your baby’s head, your baby’s features, the feel of your baby’s soft, smooth skin, your baby’s delicate fingers, the curve of your baby’s spine, your baby’s tiny feet and each little toe. Take the time to visualise each of your baby’s features in detail so that you get to know your baby intimately.

3. Breathing

You can continue with exercise to
bond with your baby after birth, but
you can start well before the birth.

Have you ever wondered how a mother is magically able to calm her crying baby by simply holding her baby close to her? Your unborn baby actually has good hearing and will respond to familiar sounds and rhythms. If you practice slow, deep breathing regularly throughout your pregnancy, your baby will become familiar with the rhythm of your breath and be soothed by its gentle sound. This is one of the ways your baby can readily recognise you after birth – and your familiar breathing pattern will be very reassuring.

4. Sound

Your baby can also become very familiar with the sound of your voice as it will naturally hear it often during your pregnancy. The sonic vibrations created each time you use your voice can also prove very soothing for your baby. Try this little exercise: sit comfortably, close your eyes and place your hands on your bump. Next, think of a word which makes you feel good (e.g. a name, place or just a word that makes you feel happy) then pick the vowels from your word. Make the sounds of your vowels out loud (e.g. eeeeeeaaaaaaooooooo) and do this a few times, slowly. It may feel a little strange at first but if you repeat the exercise often, you may begin to feel your baby respond by kicking or moving about inside you. It can also be a fun exercise to do with names you are thinking of for your baby – perhaps your baby will even tell you which names it likes?!

5. Massage

Massaging your bump helps to introduce your baby to human touch and the world outside your womb. Often babies will respond to massage by kicking or changing positions inside you and of course, there is the added bonus that massaging the skin on your belly with wheatgerm oil might help to prevent stretch marks!