Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology

Fruit of the Womb: Prenatal Food in Renaissance Italy

by Heather Ruiter

Presented at West Coast Culinary Symposium 2012

Renaissance physicians and midwives had many tools at their disposal; balms, tinctures, poultices, even rudimentary... more Renaissance physicians and midwives had many tools at their disposal; balms, tinctures, poultices, even rudimentary diagnostic testing and surgical procedures. However, most health maintenance was done by controlling diet.  Proper humoral balance, achieved through proper diet and preparation, was central to classic medical theory which became the basis for Renaissance dietary theory. There was a booming market across Europe for health manuals, reminiscent of today’s self-help, beauty, pregnancy and diet books.  This paper will examine some of the dietary recommendations for pregnant woman in one of these health manuals, Michele Savonarola’s Ad mulieres ferrarienses, and compare them with similar references in contemporary sources and modern medical research.

A case of intrauterine over-acceptance and the meaning of rejection

by Zephyros Kafkalides

Keywords: Autopsychognosia; intrauterine life; expulsion birth; LSD-25; Psilocybine; Ketamine Hydrochloride; The Unwanted fetus; The Welcome fetus; acceptance; over-acceptance; rejection

Fear, rejection and aggressiveness

by Zephyros Kafkalides

Int.J. Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Medicine Vol 11 (1999) No 1, 19-32

Fear in relation to rejection and aggressiveness within the context of Athanassios Kafkalides’ theory of... more Fear in relation to rejection and aggressiveness within the context of Athanassios Kafkalides’ theory of Autopsychognosia (deep psychotherapy with psychedelic drugs). Nature endowed all living (animate) systems with the capacity for fear in order to protect them from the dangers of the external environment. Without fear all living systems would have disappeared. However, a basic etiological factor in human behaviour is the inherent fear of the mortally dangerous external environment. In addition to this factor, there are various fear-producing experiences, which leave memory traces on the human body, (e.g. those of intra-uterine rejection, of expulsion-birth, and others). Fear creates: on the one hand a constant, subjective emotional need for protection, affection, love and acceptance by the external environment -on the other (as a rule, with few exceptions): aggressive- rejective behaviour of the isolated individual to his fellow humans and/or towards society as a whole.

Language and the newborn brain: Does prenatal language experience shape the neonate neural response to speech?

by Krista Byers-Heinlein

May, L., Byers-Heinlein, K., Gervain, J., & Werker, J.F., (2011). Frontiers in Language Science.

Previous research has shown that by the time of birth, the neonate brain responds specially to the native language... more Previous research has shown that by the time of birth, the neonate brain responds specially to the native language when compared to acoustically similar non-language stimuli. In the current study, we use Near Infrared Spectroscopy to ask how prenatal language experience might shape the brain response to language in newborn infants. To do so, we examine the neural response of neonates when listening to familiar versus unfamiliar language, as well as to non-linguistic backwards language. Twenty monolingual English-exposed neonates aged 0-3 days were tested. Each infant heard low-pass filtered sentences of forward English (familiar language), forward Tagalog (unfamiliar language), and backwards English and Tagalog. During exposure, neural activation was measured across twelve channels on each hemisphere. Our results indicate a bilateral effect of language familiarity on neonates’ brain response to language. Differential brain activation was seen when neonates listened to forward Tagalog (unfamiliar language) as compared to other types of language stimuli. We interpret these results as evidence that the pre-natal experience with the native language gained in utero influences how the newborn brain responds to language across brain regions sensitive to speech processing.

Men's involvement in antenatal screening: A qualitative pilot study using e-mail

by Sandi Dheensa

Co-authored with Dr Bob Williams and Prof Alison Metcalfe

Abstract
Objectives
this study aimed to explore and analyse men's involvement in antenatal genetic... more Abstract
Objectives
this study aimed to explore and analyse men's involvement in antenatal genetic screening and testing in England, and evaluate the use of e-mail communication as a method of health research with men.

Design
after receiving a favourable ethical opinion, a longitudinal qualitative pilot study was undertaken.

Participants
eight men, whose partners were pregnant, were recruited by purposive sampling.

Findings
findings indicated that the men experienced ambivalence, doubts and uncertainty about medically identified genetic risks, and also experienced an ‘emotional rollercoaster’, which was associated with their involvement in antenatal genetic screening and testing. Although connectedness with their partners and shared decision making were highly valued, men's involvement was mediated by their partners and health professionals, including midwives.

Conclusions and implications for practice
the implications of findings for medicalisation theory and future research are discussed. Using e-mail was a success in that the strong pilot data produced provides a stimulus for future research. In addition, implications for policy and practice are also considered, specifically the importance of addressing ambivalence and mediation if midwives are to communicate effectively when working with men and women regarding antenatal genetic screening and testing.

Definitions Matter: If Maternal–fetal Relationships Are Not Attachment, What Are They?

by Judi Walsh

Walsh, J. (2010). Definitions matter: If maternal-fetal relationships are not attachment, what are they? Archives of Women's Mental Health, 13(5), 449-451. DOI 10.1007/s00737-010-0152-8.