How to bond and communicate with your baby in the third trimester of pregnancy

The bond ( prenatal bondign ) that you establish with the baby at its birth is nothing more than the continuation of the relationship that you began to build in the early stages of pregnancy.

In the last trimester the baby is mature enough both physically and intellectually to send and receive signals to the mother and those around her.

At the beginning of the third trimester in the 28th week of pregnancy  , if the baby was born prematurely it would communicate with you without a doubt. Why then, shouldn’t she respond to stimulation while still in utero?

Touch and sound

Touches and sounds can be used to send “messages” to the baby and you can respond to his movements. By interacting with him in this way, you will strengthen your bond.

For example, if he is startled by a noise and jerks and kicks, you can calm him down by using your voice and patting his belly.

It is thought that communicating with the baby inside the mother’s belly can strengthen its intelligence and decrease the likelihood of the appearance of disorders such as ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder).

Playing music (especially classical music) to the child promotes brain development, probably because it stimulates the formation of more connections between neurons.  It has also been seen that the music that babies listen to repetitively in the womb when the mother is relaxing is familiar to them once they are born and can calm them down when they are agitated.

chemical messengers

If listening to music or reading aloud has a relaxing effect on the child, so as to slow down the heartbeat, being stressed or angry has the opposite effect.

If you are frightened, angry or anxious, your baby’s heartbeat will accelerate. For example, if you get angry, the child could start kicking because he reacts to those chemical “messages” you send him.

These chemical messages are nothing more than stress hormones.

Situations of anxiety and anger that resolve quickly are not harmful to the child. However, if these situations continue for a long time due to a condition of high stress that does not resolve, then this could affect the child’s ability to cope with emotional difficulties in the future.

Researchers have seen that women under severe emotional stress during pregnancy tend to have babies that are smaller at birth and more prone to crying and difficult to comfort.

How to stimulate the child and communicate with him

It is very important to “spend time” with the baby during pregnancy, giving him the right attention.

Talk to the baby

You can read a book or tell what you have done during the day or what you are doing at that moment. For example, you can explain how you are preparing his bedroom, how to prepare a dessert, etc. maybe the first few times it will seem like I’m talking to myself but then it becomes a pleasant routine.

Listen to music

If you like a particular relaxing music, listen to it often when you have some relaxation time. The combination of soothing music and the “happiness hormones” you release when you’re happy has a calming effect on the baby in your womb and will continue to have this effect once it’s born.

Kicks and touches

When the baby kicks (or a good kick depending on the intensity) respond by stroking the lower part of the belly where the baby should be head (if in cephalic position). Or lightly press where he is kicking and repeat the same thing if he kicks again.

Danza

The movements you make promote circulation and consequently the amount of oxygen that reaches the baby. The dance also favors the release of feel-good hormones which in turn will stimulate the production of happiness hormones by the child.

Also thanks to the music you dance the child will hear the sound and the rhythm.

Involve dad

The male voice has low frequencies and is more easily heard than the female one. Let’s not forget, however, that the child listens to the mother’s voice also through the vibrations that run through her body and therefore will recognize her voice better than all the others.

Daily viewing techniques

They are used to focus the mind on the child. We mentioned this when we covered   first trimester prenatal bonding .

Make yourself comfortable, lie down, place your hands on your belly and stroke it. Imagine what it will be like when you take him in your arms and visualize a wave of heat starting from your heart and reaching the baby. Talk to him, tell him how much you love him and how much you can’t wait to hug him.