Belief and pregnancy

You might wonder what belief and pregnancy have to do with each other.

Well, bear with me and you’ll find out.

I recently read this post on the Autism Mom Journey blog. Autism Mom is pregnant with her 3^rd child and is due any time soon now (she might even be in labour right now). She is worried about how things will be and go once the new baby is here. Fortunately, she has very thoughtful friends who “have advised [her] to think positive thoughts for the baby, that it can feel the good energy coming from [her].” I can only say ‘yes, yes, yes’ to that.

This is actually an important point.

In his book The biology of belief, Bruce H. Lipton spent a full chapter talking about how the thoughts and beliefs of the parents are passed on to their children. Most of us know that we can transmit some of our fears of little crawlies, mice, water etc… to our children. Similarly, our positive outlooks on life are also passed on to our little cherubs while they grow up.

Now, Bruce Lipton goes one step further…

Based on various studies and researches, he goes on to explain how parents’ attitudes influence the development of the foetus. The premises are that the foetus receives not only nutrients but also hormones from the mother’s blood and reacts the same way to the hormones as the Mum.

For example, if the mum-to-be is under stress, she produces fight and flight hormones which will enter the bloodstream of the baby in the womb. The aim of the fight and flight hormones is to keep us safe. They prepare us for action when faced with a sudden danger, to either fight or run away if fighting is not an option. The hormones induce the following basic responses:

• increase of oxygen and energy-giving glucose to the brain and muscles

• suppression of some of the bodily processes not vital to the response (e.g. digestion).

And the response is the same for the Mum and the baby in the womb. This means the blood flow in the baby will also be redirected, thus altering the blood supply to other tissue and organs.

So, if the mum-to-be in our example is subject to repetitive stress, the foetus will also be subject to repetitive stress and this will have an impact on the development of his/her physiology.

It’s not new that stress should be avoided during pregnancy and this was an example to show you what effects it has on a developing foetus. This illustration can be extrapolated further. The mind doesn’t know the difference between something ‘real’ and something ‘perceived or built up in your mind’s eye’. Your thoughts and beliefs will also trigger responses in your body.

So, my prescription is for you to have happy and positive thoughts and empowering beliefs as they all contribute greatly to your well-being and the well-being of your developing child.

Before I conclude, I want to join Bruce Lipton in emphasising and insisting on one important point. The New Biology approach is in no way a sad return (God forbid!) to the old ways of thinking the mother was to blame for every ailment medicine couldn’t understand. Our thoughts, beliefs and states of mind are influenced by many factors and by the environment we evolve in. As Bruce Lipton states: ‘Mothers and fathers are in the conception and pregnancy business together, even though it is the mother who carries the child in her womb‘. What the people surrounding the mum do will affect her, up or down, and hence her developing baby.

If you’re interested in knowing more about conscious parenting, please read Bruce Lipton’s article here.

Let’s all keep our spirit up!

Love to all and special wishes to the amazing Autism Mom,

Karine

Permalink / Trackback URL:

http://www.karineharrison.com/2009/03/16/belief-and-pregnancy/