Who Do You Think You're Kidding? by Ashar Lina

Author:Ashar, Lina [Ashar, Lina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9788184003628
Publisher: Random House India
Published: 2012-11-16T00:00:00+00:00

The Early Years

I came out of the womb born to sing and dance. I have to follow my heart.

Jennifer Ellison

In the Mahabharata a pregnant Subhadra sat beside Arjun as he discussed the art of archery and war with Krishna. It is said that by hearing his father speak on the subject, Abhimanyu mastered the techniques of archery and war while still in the womb.

The story may be part of our mythology now, but it is not because of lack of scientific facts. Rick Gilmore, an associate professor of Psychology at Penn State, points to a well-known study conducted by Anthony DeCasper at the University of South Carolina. Gilmore says, ‘There’s ample evidence that foetuses are picking up information from the outside world. They’re especially receptive to sounds from the mother’s body and the external environment.’

According to Gilmore, that seems to prove the existence of pre-natal learning. ‘Mothers were instructed to read Dr Seuss out loud while they were pregnant,’ he explains. ‘When the babies were born, researchers tested to see if they recognized Dr Seuss against other stories, and their mother’s voice against other readers. In both cases, the infants were able to pick up on the vocal patterns they’d become familiar with in uterus.’

While we all agree that the first few years of the child are critical for his cognitive and physical development, it’s also essential that the pre-natal months are emotionally well spent. We might feel that the baby will not understand anything, after all it’s only a mass of cells, but the subconscious bank of the foetus begins to develop from the time of its inception. In Magical Beginnings, Enchanted Lives, Deepak Chopra explains what pregnancy research is indicating—‘When a pregnant mother is anxious, stressed, or in a fearful state, the stress hormones released into her bloodstream cross through the placenta to the baby.’

Negative thoughts are often the root cause of a fear-based stress response. Deepak Chopra states, ‘Stress activates the unborn child’s endocrine system and influences foetal brain development. Children born to mothers who had intensely stressful pregnancies are more likely to have behavioural problems later in life. But when you feel joyful, your body produces natural pleasure chemicals called endorphins and encephalin. Stress free, your baby’s nervous system works smoothly.’

Neeta, 25, became pregnant soon after her arranged marriage. She did not feel settled and was constantly in disagreements with her husband and her mother-in-law. Her parents lived in London. She was a stay-at-home mom. All the people she knew were her husband’s friends and relatives as she was yet to make her friends in her new surroundings. She felt isolated and scared. When her baby was finally born, she was even more terrified. He cried most of the time, especially if he was not being held.

This case study is important in the light of new scientific findings. Dr Bruce Lipton, a stem cell biologist and bestselling author of The Biology of Belief, has formulated the theory of epigenetics. In this he says, ‘The first eight

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.