Midwives’ Influence on Mother-Fetus Communication Research Paper

Introduction

The relationship between an unborn and the mother is highly depended on the ability of the mother to mentalise. On the other hand, mentalising is driven by a number of factors and these factors are based on the mother’s daily activities. For instance, her exposure to stressful situations and tiredness will affect her ability to develop the capacity to reflect on her own feelings (Cornelis & Coop 2014). The ability of a mother to reflect on her own feelings and behaviours, the level of care she gets from family and friends, her physical health, social-economic are some of the factors that influence mentalisation (Cornelis & Coop 2014).

Mentalisation

The evidence of communication between the mother and the unborn child is based on some researches that have found out that newborn babies prefer the voice of their mother. A one-hour old child will respond and turn towards their mother’s voice even when other women are present and talking. This clearly shows that the babies and their mothers were communication even before the baby was born. With regard to emotional regulation, the mother’s emotions are directly attached to her unborn child (Cornelis & Coop 2014). When a pregnant woman is exited and constantly happy, the child in her womb normally displays calmness.

The child kicks gently, and mothers can tell that their unborn babies are good moods by listening and paying attention to the child’s movements in the womb. Newly pregnant women experience more physical and emotional attachment with their unborn babies. Due to the first experience, they tend to develop heightened levels of love that helps them overlook the fears of giving birth. Research has proven that infants feel, hear, and experience, although not in the way that adults do. It has also been discovered that an unborn child begins to respond to light at the 16^th week of pregnancy (Cornelis & Coop 2014).

Child’s senses

By the fifth and the sixth month, the child’s sense of touch is developed (Cornelis & Coop 2014). Infants by the 24^th week are fully responsive to music, and they listen and recognize voices. Unborn babies are highly sensitive to their mother and father attitudes and feelings (Petry, Beardsall & Dunger 2014). It has been proven that the mother’s attitude towards her partner, the pregnancy, and the child has a direct influence on the child’s psychological development (Petry, Beardsall & Dunger 2014). This also affects the mother’s experience during birth.

Mother’s emotions

The mother’s behavioural patterns and feelings are the fundamental source of incentives that influences the fetus’ experiences in the womb. Communication between the two is mainly through the hormonal discharge in response to particular environmental conditions. Some of the environmental factors include the mother’s job experiences and environmental weather conditions (Petry, Beardsall & Dunger 2014). The mother’s neurohormones discharge increase when she is under stress and depression. This is the physical communication between the mother and the child.

However, there are other emotional forms of communication which are passed through love, ambivalence, and dreams form the mother to the fetus. The child’s psychological reactions are mainly influenced by the stimulation from the neurohormones released by the mother.

Conclusion

A child whose mother is constantly engaged in physical and emotional activities that are positive, the child’s intelligence is well developed. This enhances the child’s social skills and interactions (Petry, Beardsall & Dunger 2014). Therefore, early caregivers are very influential to a child’s intelligence development because they shape their knowledge scope. Children who are exposed to a variety of things at an early age are more intelligent, and they grasp thing easily compared to those who are not exposed.

References

Cornelis, H & Coop, D 2014, ‘Afference copy as a quantitative neurophysiologic model for consciousness’, Journal of integrative neuroscience, vol. 13, no. 02, pp. 363-402.

Petry, C. J, Beardsall, K & Dunger, D. B 2014, ‘The potential impact of the fetal genotype on maternal blood pressure during pregnancy,’ Journal of hypertension, vol. 32 no. 8, pp. 1553-1561.