Do the Emotions of
an Expecting Mother Affect the Child?
Fr Varghese Parappuram
VC
The anxieties of
an expecting mother
Ancy came to me with an
unusual problem. Married a year ago, she was now three months pregnant.
A very peace-loving person, she always could deal with everyone in a loving
manner.
After marriage,however,
she could not accept the character or behaviour of her mother-in-law. She
tried to stifle her resentment and anger at her provocative remarks. But
the suppressed feelings eventually got the better of her and she felt her
blood boiling in her veins.
Ancy was a regular reader
of magazine articles. In one of them she came across the idea that the
negative feelings in the mind of a pregnant mother affect the unborn child.
Ancy wanted to know if this were true. That was the intent of her visit.
The child that leaped
for joy
The word of God testifies
that the feelings in the mind of the mother affect the child within her
womb. When Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, the child leaped within her
womb. "Behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe
in my womb leaped for joy"(Lk 1:44). While acknowledging the supernatural
element and the action of the Spirit, we can accept the natural and scientific
basis of this event. The joy welling up in the mind of the mother and overflowing
into the child in the womb, is natural and scientific.
Some scientific truths
When strong emotions like
fear or anger take hold of the mind of a person, his body undergoes several
changes. The rate of the heart- beat and of respiration increases. Blood
pressure rises. Trembling of the muscles, indigestion, insomnia begin to
harass the person. In short, every cell of the body experiences a change.
Those changes are caused by the hormone adrenal, secreted by the adrenal
glands situated close to the kidney. This hormone circulate into all parts
of the body through the blood in a moment.
When anger or fear or restlessness
fills the mind of the mother, adrenal hormone is produced and is circulated
through the mother's blood into the body of the foetus. Studies have proved
that changes similar to those effected in the mother are produced also
in the child. The children born of mothers, who during their pregnancy
have been victims of fear or sadness for a long time, are comparatively
lacking in energy or crippled in mind and body. On the contrary, the children
of happy, enthusiastic women, are comparatively more pleasant and dynamic.
Modern experiments
Today it is possible through
Ultra Sound Photography to get photographs of the foetus. From these photos
it is possible to see the foetus trying to turn in the direction the sounds
are made, with change occurr-ing in the pace of its heart beat. Studies
in this area have revealed that the unborn child can hear the sound of
a banging door, the mother's voice, the sound of music. Children of pregnant
mothers, who were constrained to live close to the Osaka airport in Japan
and were accustomed to the deafening noise of aeroplanes, could sleep soundly
in the midst of noise pollution that disturbed the sleep of other children.
For the information
of expecting mothers
It is clear in the light
of the above-mentioned scientific knowledge, that Ancy's anxieties are
not unfounded. Negative attitudes like extreme fear, anger, despair, hatred
or restlessness will affect the unborn child unfavourably. Pregnant women
should be, as far as possible, happy, secure, enthusiastic, peace-loving
and serene; they should also give and take a great deal of affection. Such
a condition will nourish the security of the child.
Above all, the pregnant
mother should be very prayerful and grateful to God for the gift of the
child . Just as the mother's ordinary emotions influence the foetus, the
devotion and piety of the mother affect the child. Samuel, the son of Hannah
who, though barren, miraculously received the gift of a child and was extremely
grateful to God, became a man of God. "...she called his name Samuel, for
she said, 'I have asked him of the Lord' " (1 Sam 1 :20). These words indicate
Hannah's gratitude to God.
Likewise, Elizabeth, who,
in her old age became pregnant, praised God. "Thus the Lord has done to
me in the day when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men"(Lk
1:25). With the result the child in the womb became strengthened in the
Spirit (cf Lk 1:80). John the Baptist became the precursor of Jesus and
dedicated himself to prepare the way for him (Cf Lk 3:4).
The family members have
a duty towards a pregnant mother. They should see that proper rest is provided
for their bodies. Perhaps, still more, are mental security, happiness and
serenity necessary. If the husband and in-laws faithfully adhere to these
principles, a new generation of happy, good and energetic children will
be assured.