Most people think life begins at birth, but the truth is, it begins much earlier. Long before your baby takes their first breath, their nervous system is already active, sensing and responding to the world inside the womb. What happens during pregnancy doesn’t just impact physical growth, it deeply shapes emotional and psychological well-being.

The womb is not just a silent, passive space. It’s a dynamic, responsive environment where your baby begins to learn, feel, and form impressions. Every sound, touch, movement, and emotion felt by the mother is also felt, often more intensely, by the baby. By just eight weeks, your baby can feel touch on their cheeks. By sixteen weeks, they begin to hear sounds and respond to them. They are forming perceptions about the safety and rhythm of life before they are even born.

These early impressions, known as “prenatal imprints”, can leave lasting marks on the nervous system. As psychotherapist, Matthew Appleton explains, “We only experience stressful situations as traumatic if our coping threshold is overwhelmed.” The good news is your presence, intention, and attunement as a parent can raise the threshold and lay the foundation for lifelong resilience.

Birth, while natural, can be overwhelming to a baby’s nervous system, especially when medical intervention like induction, epidural, C-section, or separation to the NICU are involved. While these procedures are sometimes life-saving, they can disrupt the natural flow of labor and create imprints or stress patterns in the baby’s body. Trauma in the womb doesn’t always stem from a single major event; sometimes, repeated stress, maternal anxiety or depression, or even the sense of being unwanted can create patterns of tension in the developing nervous system.

Babies are deeply sensitive. If mother is having a stressful day, then baby is too. The Autonomic Nervous System, the body’s primary system for managing safety and survival, begins forming its patterns even in utero. It first develops the “freeze” response, then “fight-or-flight”, and finally the “rest-and-heal” state. Research has shown that babies who receive empathetic and informed care early in life are more likely to grow into secure, emotionally healthy adults.

HOW CAN CHIROPRACTIC HELP?

During pregnancy, the mother’s nervous system directly influences the baby’s development in the womb. Gentle and specific chiropractic adjustments can help regulate the mother’s stress response and support optimal nervous system balance. This not only enhances comfort during pregnancy but also promotes a more calm, connected internal environment for the baby to grow and thrive.

Gentle adjustments to support the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system, help shift out of survival modes like “fight-or-flight” or “freeze”. By working with the nervous system’s innate ability to heal and adapt, neurologically based chiropractic care nurtures resilience in both mom and baby, laying the foundation for secure attachment, emotional balance, and a thriving development journey.

Warren, Jay. “Pregnancy, Birth, and Infancy from the Baby’s Perspective.” ICPA, 16-17 Sept. 2023, Lecture.