INTELLIGENT PARENTING This covers a much overlooked part of pregnancy, viz parenting during pregnancy ... yes, parenting begins during pregnancy and you will find some interesting ideas here on getting a headstart with parenting.

Learning in the Womb

Smelling in the Womb

Even the olfactory system in the womb is functional from the second month onwards, and the baby can not only taste the food that you have eaten, but also smell it by its fragrance in the amniotic fluid. It is this amniotic fluid which is the medium to teach from the mother to the fetus.

After birth also, it has been shown that the baby likes or prefers the smell and taste that he has been exposed to.

After birth, feeding within the first half an hour is advocated for various reasons.

• The baby is the most active within the first half an hour of birth.
• It creates an immediate bond between the two souls of mother and child…an unconditional, unbreakable bond.
• The lactation cycle in the mother is activated after which feeding the child becomes very easy.
• The child can easily grasp the feeding mechanism and because of the familiar smell of the amniotic fluid prefers the unwashed breast (it has been shown that if the mother feeds the child within half an hour, the baby can actually trace and drag himself to the breast if left on the abdomen of the mother guided only by smell...FASCINATING AND TRUE.
• In pregnancy, you must consciously try to choose aromas around you that are soothing, balancing and nourishing. When you smell something in the midst of relaxing, the smell itself will evoke relaxing feelings within you.
• Keep a set of essential oils with you and use it as and when you need. The basic use of each essential oil is listed or you may ask in the store as per the needs, you can inhale the aroma and your baby too will benefit from it.