Pregnancy - contact with your child in the stomach

During your pregnancy, you'll likely repeatedly encounter the deep desire to be close to your child right now. You long to cuddle and kiss it and look into its eyes. What will it look like? You're excited and look forward to your little one more with each passing week of pregnancy.

It's an incredible miracle—not to say, THE miracle of human existence: A new human being is created in the body of another. A blend of two people who have grown close physically and perhaps also spiritually... complete with all the characteristics that the new person brings with them, making them so unique.

As your pregnancy progresses, it may become increasingly clear to you how significant it is... you, with your body, represent life, create and give birth to life, and from within you emerge something new—something never before seen. This can truly fill you with awe and amazement. In such moments, you may sense something of this great secret that says: You are so, so important—and at the same time, a very small part of something much greater. What a wonderful paradox, one that you can philosophize about intensely with a friend over a cup of tea.

Feel deeper

Such thoughts are, among other things, ways you can get closer to your child. You're intensely engaged with the miracle of life, with your body, and how it's connected to your baby. You're constantly reminded of the amazing feat your body is accomplishing. Talk about it with your friends as much as you like! It's a particularly precious time, and it won't come again with this baby. You have every right in the world to talk exclusively about yourself, the child, and the pregnancy whenever you feel like it—especially with your first child, this will be met with understanding from those around you, and good friends will be more than willing to rejoice over every detail with you.

Another wonderful thought is that during pregnancy, you are more deeply connected to your baby than ever before or since! Even if you can't see it yet, it is an immediate part of you. It is nourished by you, and you form a perfect symbiosis. Even your partner will only feel a fraction of what you experience together with your child.

You don't miss a single kick or movement; you sense your child's sleep and wake times, exploring whether they're already developing a rhythm. Which foods might they react differently to? How do they move when you change position or stroke your belly? Your child is completely safe and secure with you. They experience closeness, oneness, and wholeness on that very deep level we often long for. Your child is experiencing this happiness right now—through you and with you.

Strengthen the inner connection

If you'd like, you can take a few minutes each day to connect deeply with your baby: Sit or lie down comfortably and tune in. Imagine that all the love and feelings you send to your child now are reaching deep within their heart and taking root. It's been proven that even during pregnancy, the foundation is laid for whether and how a little one will later feel at home, safe, and cared for in the world. You can convey just as much through your love now as if you were looking into their eyes and stroking their head.

When you feel the love for your child, you release love and bonding hormones, which also spread throughout your child's body. This is how your child receives your messages on both a biological and emotional level.

Involve the family

You can also bond with your baby by giving them a name. Don't worry, if you haven't found one yet, that's okay, and a nickname will do just as well! But if you already know what you want them to be called and call them by their name, this can have a profound effect on you. You'll become more aware every day that your little one is already here, separated from your five senses only by a thin layer of skin on your stomach. They've already entered the heart of family life and play a vital role.

Partners and siblings can also connect with the new family member by calling them by name. You can discuss together what to name them, or even ask the baby themselves—who knows, maybe you'll get an "answer"! If your baby starts moving and kicking in your tummy or keeps you awake, you can tell your family what they're doing and what you're experiencing with them. This way, everyone can celebrate together.

The common path

Another wonderful way is to keep imagining that you and your baby are preparing together to finally be able to touch and see each other. The birth connects you even before the birth. Both you and the baby are about to share an experience that is reserved only for the two of you, unique everywhere in the world, and will change you both forever. Big words, but that's how it is! Your bodies are already preparing for this day; in the later stages of pregnancy, your uterus is already going through practice phases called practice contractions. Your breasts are preparing for breastfeeding; you may already see a drop of colostrum. Your baby is diligently practicing life outside the womb with movement and growth.

You two already have a unique, intimate time together. Your attention to your child is already invaluable. You can take all the time in the world to focus and align yourself entirely with each other—both in terms of your physical and emotional needs.

If you would like to learn more about family and pregnancy, mindfulness, nutrition or sustainability, Check out more exciting blog articles on these topics here.