Carrie Contey, PhD
Prenatal and perinatal psychology expert
Austin, Texas
www.earlyparenting.com

More about Carrie Contey

 

Are babies aware during birth?

Evidence to support a new way of thinking about, relating to, and caring for babies before, during, and after birth is emerging through the field of prenatal and perinatal psychology.

Prenatal and perinatal psychology is a multidisciplinary field that looks at how our earliest experiences—conception, gestation, birth, and infancy—shape our lives. Our current understanding of babies through the lens of prenatal and perinatal psychology includes the following assumptions:

• Babies are conscious in the womb and during birth.
• Memory exists beyond the brain and maybe even the body.
• Babies are sentient (feeling) and sensitive beings who are capable of learning, remembering, and communicating before, during, and after birth.
• What happens to human beings from conception through the first three years of life has a profound influence on our lifelong beliefs as well as our physical, psychological, intellectual, social, and spiritual lives.

To learn more:
Association for Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health
www.birthpsychology.com

A film by Debby Takikawa about the consciousness of babies
www.whatbabieswant.com

Prenatal and perinatal psychology books and websites recommended by the Santa Barbara Graduate Institute
www.sbgi.edu/html/resources.html