Chapter 22 - Prenatal bonding: the importance of connecting with body and baby

Abstract

For some women and families, pregnancy is a time of excitement and anticipation; however, for others, pregnancy can induce feelings of worry, anxiety, and stress. The human body is designed to respond to acute forms of stress biochemically, which allows for resolution or escape from a perceived threat. However, when a stressor is perceived as unrelenting, the system designed to manage stressors can become dysregulated, resulting in toxic systemic inflammation that is believed to contribute to many disease states. In pregnancy, this process can also affect the uterine environment and the developing baby, which may affect health and wellbeing across the baby’s lifespan. In contrast to the actions of a perceived stressor, love, connection, and attachment result in a health-promoting and anxiety-reducing neuroendocrinological cascade that not only assists in bonding but promotes wellbeing. In this chapter, we review the stress responses in humans and the effects of chronic stress and attachment in preconception, pregnancy, and the postnatal period and examine mindfulness and meditation in stress management during pregnancy.