All Moms have a very unique and quite special relationship with their baby from the second their baby begins to take form. I know it can be difficult to imagine this but even as a tiny little zygote (a cell that is formed after the sperm meets the egg) the baby begins to experience life with their mom and is immediately attuned with what their mother experiences.
Why are they so attuned you ask? Essentially it is for long-term survival. They are learning from you how their body will need to function optimally in the world that awaits them.
Yes, it is hard to imagine this because it cannot be felt nor can it be seen with the naked eye. Regardless of your level of awareness it happens anyway. It is a very interesting phenomenon that most wouldn’t think of. This bond starts your relationship and journey in guiding your baby for the life that is ahead.
It has been realized that during pregnancy there is constant communication between a mother and her baby by way of molecular, sensory, and intuitive communication. I for one think this is really exciting and mind blowing because so much is happening every single second. That teeny tiny baby is like a sponge just soaking up as much information as it can throughout their entire development in the womb.
I will explain each type of communication and I assure you that you will be amazed.
Starting with molecular communication:
For those who are not familiar, a molecule is a group of atoms that are bound together and represent the smallest and most basic unit of a chemical compound that can take part in a chemical reaction. One molecule that you are most likely familiar with is protein. Protein molecules are made of hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon atoms.
The communication that takes place at the molecular level is what aids each cell’s adaptability. For example, the heart is the first organ to begin development and the cells that make up the heart “listen” to the molecular signals from the mom and use the nutrients available to them to build the heart. As they are building the heart the information they gained from the molecules and nutrients available allowed them to know how they need to build the heart to function. This communication takes place for every single structure that makes up the entire baby and will be the basis for how their body will function as adults.
To have a deeper understanding read Dr. Clint Gray’s guest blog he did for us when his study, Excess maternal salt or fructose intake programmes sex-specific stress-and fructose-sensitive hypertension in the offspring, was first published.
Lana and Dave Asprey, the authors of The Better Baby Book, said that they refer to this molecular communication as the basis for the baby’s subconscious. I can agree with their view because among the scientific community it has been known that the body will store emotions in various parts of the body. These emotions are in a sense stored within the cells. It has even been recently discovered that strong emotions of an experience from as far back as our grandparents, from both mom’s and dad’s side of the family, are stored in our genes. But I will save this mind blowing topic for another day.
Now, where were we…..oh yes! As for the mom, all the subtle and major changes that you felt or may be feeling have a ton to do with the communication your molecules and therefore cells are getting from your baby. How cool is that!
The sensory communication is the other form of communication the mom has with her baby from the moment of conception.
Your baby can feel the changes in your nervous system. More specifically they feel the changes that take place with your sympathetic nervous system, the fight-or-flight response in your body. This helps their body to be programmed to survive in a world where they need to be ready to take some kind of survival action and provide insight as to how often and the duration these experiences may be. This influences how hormones will be released and temperament.
Psychologist Anthony DeCasper found that at nineteen weeks of womb age the baby is sensitive to sound. At this point they can pick up sound patterns which allow them to recognize voices, music, stories, and dialect of language. The dialect of language also gets programmed in their brain for what their native tongue will be.
As for you mom, you may be noticing now or remember when you felt different types of kicks from your baby. You find yourself knowing if they are happy playful kicks or more disapproving kind of kicks. You actually understand what their body language means! Soon you will be able to interpret their different cries.
Janet DiPierto, a professor of developmental psychologist at Johns Hopkins University, found that every time your baby moves in the womb you get a sort of jolt to your nervous system and you don’t even know this the majority of the time. In fact, during the second half of pregnancy your baby moves approximately once per minute and you only feel about sixteen percent of this! But guess what? Your nervous system responds to every single movement that takes place once per minute. Janet Dipierto suspects that the baby is actually training you to respond to them for when they cry after birth!
I told you all of this was mind blowing!
The combination of the molecular and sensory communication give rise to the intuitive communication you and your baby have and the reason why you have the ability to “just know” when it comes to your little miracle. Keep in mind your baby has the same intuitiveness with you as well. This is partially why they are so responsive to your emotions after they are born. But remember they are also very responsive to your emotions throughout pregnancy.
This bond you and your baby have is one that no one else will or can ever experience. Yes, your spouse has similar bonds with the baby and they too are unique and special in their own way and in a way that only they can experience. However, in the spirit of this coming Mother’s Day I want you to realize how much your baby is already looking to your guidance and how much you two are communicating with one another. This is such an intimate type of communication, kinda like your own secret language!
I know when my mom talks about her pregnancy with my brothers and I she shares with me how much she remembers of our body language. And guess what? She says that certain movements we make as adults remind her of those we made as little fetuses. Another really cool thing that never subsided was her mother intuition. She still has a very strong intuition with all three of us, this has never gone away. It is such a beautiful relationship that takes place between a mom and her baby. It is so fascinating that it all started way back when a baby was a single cell. This deeper relationship will hold true all the way through adulthood.
Moms are such beautiful gifts!
And because I am a bit biased I would say my mom is the diamond amongst them all!
I love you so much mom. Thank you for my healthy start to life, the joy, and zest you have instilled into my being.
