- We are sentient beings, conscious and aware from the beginning of life.
- Our abilities to communicate and to be impacted by communication with us in the prenatal and perinatal time are greater than traditionally thought.
- During our prenatal, birth and early infancy, we learn intensely and we are exquisitely sensitive to our environments and relationships. We form foundational blueprints for our life based on early experiences. This blueprint is the foundation for our growth physically, emotionally, mentally, relationally and spiritually.
- Our early experiences become part of our implicit memories reflected in our subconscious and in our autonomic functioning. These impact us below the level of our conscious awareness and directly shape our perceptions and conceptions of reality.
- Young babies already show us their established life patterns developed in-utero and during their births. The majority of babies born in the United States show signs of stress or traumatic imprinting.
- Many of the needs we have considered essential for healthy development during infancy and childhood are needs we have from the beginning of life: to be wanted, welcomed, safe, nourished, seen, heard, included, and communicated with as the sentient beings we are.
- Communicating with babies in the womb, during birth, during the newborn period and directly including them so they feel "we are doing this together", is one of the most powerful tools we have to help babies - especially when there are difficulties or medical interventions.
This article was written by Teresa Kirkpatrick Ramsey, BSN, LMT, CIMI
who referenced the following material: McCarty, W.A., (2004): "The call to reawaken and deepen our communication with babies: what babies are teaching us." International Doula, Vol.12, No.3, Sept., pp.8-13
