Synopses & Reviews
How does a mother's tone of voice affect her unborn child? What kind of music, if any, should a child be exposed to in the womb? Can parents influence the predispositions of their child to traits like depression, or something as elusive as basic goodness? Thanks to revolutionary discoveries in neuroscience and developmental psychology in recent years, says Dr. Thomas Verny, we now know more about these questions than ever. In
Pre-Parenting, Dr. Verny translates this research into practical advice for parents and parents-to-be.
Pre-Parenting explains how even the most ordinary events can evoke a cascade of biological changes in a baby -- not only in the brain but also in the immune system and throughout the body. Every experience, from a baby's trip down the birth canal to the way she is held or spoken to, can shape her health and personality. An internationally recognized expert in early human development, Dr. Verny shows parents how to use this new information to create an ideal environment for their babies, enhance their babies' intelligence and social skills, and become better parents through "conscious parenting." Insightful and encouraging, Pre-Parenting is an invaluable guide for parents who want to help actualize their child's full potential, beginning with conception.
Review
Publishers Weekly Verny's...engrossing descriptions of the infant's internal world...will likely raise awareness of how parents' emotional lives affect their developing baby.
Synopsis
Over the past decade, revolutionary discoveries in neuroscience and developmental psychology have shattered long-held theories about early development, toppling some of our most vaunted traditions of parenting. Tomorrow's Baby translates these breakthroughs into practical guidelines for parents and parents-to-be.
Thomas R. Verny, M.D., demonstrates that starting from the moment of conception, children are affected by their environment. Even the most ordinary events -- the words a mother speaks to her unborn son, the baby's journey down the birth canal, the way a father cradles his newborn daughter -- evoke a cascade of biological changes in an infant's brain, immune system, and throughout the body, and each biological process leaves a psychological imprint. Verny illuminates the connections between biology and psychology and shows why this link is the key to creating the positive, nurturing environment every child needs. From optimizing prenatal communication to nurturing infants' empathetic abilities, to laying the foundation for language acquisition and enhancing intelligence and social skills, Tomorrow's Baby brings to light the many ways parents' behavior can influence the emotional and intellectual growth of their children right from the start.
Synopsis
How does a mother's tone of voice affect her unborn child? What kind of music, if any, should a child be exposed to in the womb? Can parents influence the predispositions of their child to traits like depression, or something as elusive as basic goodness? Thanks to revolutionary discoveries in neuroscience and developmental psychology in recent years, says Dr. Thomas Verny, we now know more about these questions than ever. In
Pre-Parenting, Dr. Verny translates this research into practical advice for parents and parents-to-be.
Pre-Parenting explains how even the most ordinary events can evoke a cascade of biological changes in a baby -- not only in the brain but also in the immune system and throughout the body. Every experience, from a baby's trip down the birth canal to the way she is held or spoken to, can shape her health and personality. An internationally recognized expert in early human development, Dr. Verny shows parents how to use this new information to create an ideal environment for their babies, enhance their babies' intelligence and social skills, and become better parents through "conscious parenting." Insightful and encouraging, Pre-Parenting is an invaluable guide for parents who want to help actualize their child's full potential, beginning with conception.
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. [295]-325) and index.
About the Author
Thomas R. Verny, M.D., is the world's leading expert on the effects of the prenatal and early postnatal environment on personality development. He is also the author of the international bestseller The Secret Life of the Unborn Child (with John Kelly). He is the founder of what is now known as the Association for Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health (APPPAH).
Table of Contents
ContentsIntroduction
1. Crossing the Amniotic Sea
2. The Dawn of Consciousness
3. Maternal Stressors and the Unborn
4. The Womb as Classroom
5. Birth and Personality
6. Sense and Sensibility of the Newborn
7. The Alchemy of Intimacy
8. Adoption and the Search for Identity
9. Experience As Architect of the Brain
10. The Mystery and Power of Early Memory
11. Depending on the Kindness of Strangers
12. When Things Go Wrong: Sad Children, Angry Children
13. Cultivating Basic Goodness: How to Enhance Empathy, Compassion, and Altruism
14. Conscious Parenting
Appendix: Roots of Personality Questionnaire and Key
Notes and References
Bibliography
Index