INTRODUCTION
Introducing Prenatal Bonding (BA)
As a Child and Family Therapist with over 20 yrs experience, I have seen the effects of early trauma and the impact on the lives of vulnerable children. My belief is that early intervention is the key to healing, and ultimately reduces the impact of any adverse experiences in a child’s future. The introduction of Prenatal Bonding during the gestation period of a pregnancy, is an exciting new concept in early intervention, and in prenatal health for both mother, partner and the baby.
The field of Birth Psychology/Prenatal, Perinatal Psychology and Health is growing. Research now shows that the unborn is an active, feeling human being capable of emotions including love, sensitivity to a mother’s emotions, the ability to hear and respond to voices, sounds and mother’s emotional health such as stress, depression and even her trauma, past/present. (2) Research also shows the baby’s brain affected by the mother’s stress hormone (cortisol), can impact the neurodevelopment/nervous system, and ultimately negatively alter the developing brain of the child, and the child’s future emotional health. (1) “The most powerful effect is that Prenatal Bonding enables an inner dialogue with the unborn”.
Prenatal Bonding (BA) is a program first seen in Europe in the early 90’s and now growing within the Birth Psychology community in the U.S. Prenatal Bonding is “Early bonding between the mother, and unborn, uniting these two souls by creating “A Souls Cord”. During this gestation period, the mother becomes more aware of her developing baby, and with the help of the facilitator can have the opportunity to process her own history of trauma to avoid passing her past trauma to future generations. This process has been shown to provide a significant reduction in birth complications, postpartum depression, obstetric interventions, promotes longer and successful breastfeeding, and more. (3)
Monthly meetings begin at about 20 weeks of gestation, until birth. For more information, I can be reached by email, or by phone
Thank you,
Pamela Skiver LICSW
(503) 407-2070
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Infant Mental Health Graduate Certification,
Certified Prenatal Educator (PPNE), Birth Psychology/APPPAH .
(1) Transgenerational Consequences of Perinatal Experiences: Programing of Heatlh and Disease from Mother to Child and Subsequent Generations. Handbook of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology (2021)
(2) The Secret Life of the Unborn Child, Verny, Thomas MD (1981)
(3) Introduction to Prenatal Bonding (BA), Gerhard Schroth , Handbook of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology (2021)
QUESTIONS? - Please access Services at the top of the page.
HISTORY
In the early 1990’s, based upon an extensive research in Psychoanalysis and Pre-and Perinatal Psychology, and Medicine, Hungarian Psychologist and Psychoanalyst , Jenoe Raffai PhD, discovered a ground breaking strategy to support pregnant women from the early beginning of gestation until birth.
Dr. Gerhard Schroth, Psychiatrist, and psychoanalyst introduced the approach to America in 2009 at the APPPAH Congress. In the audience was a life-long clinician and pioneer, Michael Trout, Director of the The Infant-Parent Institute and later hosted the first training along with Dr. Schroth, to clinicians from the US. Prenatal Bonding BA is growing within the birth psychology community.