Getting in touch with your baby in utero is what haptonomy offers to future parents. Aurélie Michon-Braconnier, midwife, tells you all about this method of preparing for parenthood.
What is haptonomy for?
Haptonomy, or the science of affectivity, was founded by Dutch physician Frans Veldman after World War II. In Greek, “haptein” means “to touch”, “to create a bond”, “to attach oneself to”, and “nomos” “” a law “. This approach therefore pays particular attention to relationship and support, by touching it specifically, by giving the other the conviction to be welcomed in safety, as he is, without owing anything in return. “Interned in concentration camps, it is by observing acts of brotherhood of compassion and assistance to the dying that this scientist developed a science of affective touch”,explains Aurélie Michon-Braconnier, midwife and haptotherapist. Work whose field of application has been extended to pregnancy with the development of a “method” making it possible to create parent-child contact in utero.
“During pregnancy, the only way to establish a psychoaffective bond with the baby is through touching the belly. In haptonomy, these are specific gestures that allow everyone, but all together – father, mother, baby – to feel good during these months of gestation “,notes our practitioner.
How is it practiced?
The haptonomy session is carried out with a person trained in this discipline (midwife, general practitioner …), in the presence only of the future parents. “I invite the dad (or accompanying him, whoever he is) to approach the future mother by a rocking, a caress … Feeling the loving presence of his companion helps the woman to relax physically and psychologically . This reciprocal trust creates a climate conducive to meeting the little being still in his mother’s womb. I teach them to spot where the baby is placed and how, with slight pressure, they can bring him to come and curl up. in their hands. One could relate this gesture to a dance of the hands more or less slow, more or less supported and more or less deep around this belly. Baby, if he is awake, will respond to this contact. a wonderful time for parents when they manage to establish this non-verbal communication with their child, ”emphasizes the haptotherapist.
What are the benefits of haptonomy?
Haptonomy strengthens the emotional security of the couple, who discover that they can support each other and share parenthood long before baby has come out! It is an excellent preparation for fatherhood which gives the spouse a real role before, but also during the birth. He is thus reinforced in his role of future dad, the woman knows she is supported in her pregnancy by her companion.
As for the baby, he feels welcomed and expected thanks to this bond established between them. “Haptonomy has an influence on the subsequent development of the newborn, because he acquires, very early, in utero, through these tactile encounters a basic security which will make him a little being confident, autonomous and communicating! I have often noticed that they are cheerful, amiable and always happy infants. They also know, from their first months of life, “express” or “make felt” their stress or discomfort much more easily than others. babies. Parents are therefore more receptive to their baby’s needs, “says our expert.
When to start haptonomy sessions?
It is best to start around the 4th month of pregnancy, when the mother begins to perceive the baby’s first movements. “Often, it is during this first session that the father feels him move for the first time. A very moving moment …” smiles the midwife. The session lasts one hour on average, with 5 to 7 sessions spaced approximately three weeks apart, with a variable price depending on the practitioner, generally between 55 and 75 € per session. Partial coverage by Social Security can be provided as part of the childbirth preparation sessions.
What the midwife thinks
Practiced with an expert, haptonomy is a great accompaniment to birth, parenthood and fatherhood. It helps to reassure anxious parents, to release the pressure, to give them confidence in their capacities and to live during the pregnancy a joyful and tender relationship with the baby. A welcome break in sometimes hectic lives and which can last after birth until the child’s first steps (how to carry a baby, what attitude to adopt in a crisis, how to guide him in his autonomy, etc.) in order to continue the support provided during pregnancy.
>> Where can I find a therapist? 300 practitioners are listed on the website of International Center for Research and Development of Haptonomy
Our expert: Aurélie Michon-Braconnier, midwife, haptotherapist, president of the order of midwives of Val-de-Marne.
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