HAPTONOMY

Bringing a baby into this world is one of the most profound and transformative experiences in a couple’s life. That is why they should gradually prepare themselves for this change and begin to build their family story around the baby.

From the moment the baby arrives in your womb, he or she is endowed with an affective and emotional awareness far greater than what you could imagine.

Haptonomy is a childbirth preparation method that invites the mother and father to use voice and touch to build a transcendent and conscious bond with their baby in the womb.

In this method, the partner or birth companion is intimately involved from the moment the adventure begins.

The objective of haptonomy to construct the sense of underlying security that is so essential for a smooth pregnancy and childbirth experience.

This method was developed mainly in France by Frans Veldman (1921–2010), a Dutch osteopath. Its basic principle is simple: the sensory organs and emotional awareness of the fetus develop very early in pregnancy. From conception, the baby is able to perceive and subsequently react to the touch and voice of his/her parents.

After years of experience and of supporting babies through haptonomy, I constantly see how fundamental it is for the baby’s parents to provide “affective confirmation” during pregnancy to ensure the baby’s proper development. This practice allows the baby and the parents to consciously build a story unique to them, based on a solid pillar of love.

Haptonomy sessions can start from the 13th week of pregnancy, even if you do not feel the baby moving yet.

These are individual sessions with the daddy or the birth companion (if possible) which last about 90 minutes.