A great resource for expecting parents and brain development enthusiasts, Dr. Chong Chen’s newest book, “Psychology For Pregnancy“, is where you will discover which healthy baby steps need to be taken before, during and after the pregnancy period in order to ensure a newborn’s best physical and psychological start into this world.
Expanding from its premise, that parents’ physical and mental health influence the baby’s developing brain (an influence which may well persist even into early adulthood), the book is the first in a series aimed to educate and guide future parents on the subject of creating a healthy physical and psychological environment for their future baby.
And believe it or not, everything starts in the womb. A pregnancy’s full potential can be reached through a careful analysis and adjustment of the mother’s external and mental world.
Dr. Chong Chen, research scientist at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Japan, who has also undergone medical training and internship in gynecology, obstetrics and pediatrics, addresses the main influences and factors of a healthy pregnancy and provides science-based recommendations that future parents can implement in order to help the baby’s developing brain to reach its potential and reduce risks of less than desirable outcomes.
Read “Psychology for Pregnancy” and discover what makes for a nourishing environment for a rapidly developing fetus and how to achieve it, how the mother’s mental health and psychological well-being can influence the baby’s development and early childhood psychological states (stress, pregnancy anxiety, pregnancy blues, intense emotions such as anger, etc) and the way in which the father’s psychological health and interactions with the future mother impact the fetus’ development and the child’s early behaviors, emotions and personality traits.
Also, the book provides guidelines for basic psychological training to mentally prepare the future parents for the stages of pregnancy and the parenting processes and roles. In order to achieve this, Dr. Chong Chen uses the Process Model of Emotion proposed by James Gross, Daniel Goleman’s concept of Emotional Intelligence, elements of Positive Psychology, mindfulness and interpersonal strategies (partner support).
At the same time, the subject of physical fitness and training during pregnancy is also addressed and the role of music in emotion regulation.
The reader receives the outline of what a healthy pregnancy looks like from the baby’s brain development point of view, but everything is placed in a global environment framework, that includes both physically and mentally healthy and happy parents.
Another feature of the book is that it provides the opportunity of self-assessment regarding certain psychological traits through online tests provided by the author. I will mention here that although the tests can provide valuable information about one’s psychological characteristics, these tests, or any other self-assessment tools, are not substitutes for professional psychological testing. Dr. Chen also makes the recommendation of consulting a professional if the tests reveal information about contexts that would best benefit from such an approach.
I believe Dr. Chong Chen’s work is socially valuable, not only due to its content and immediate impact, but mainly because it promotes a lifestyle based on personal responsibility and engagement. We have the scientific data to better understand and even control significant parts of our lives. We can now update our knowledge, our attitudes and we can act accordingly, gradually changing the immediate world we live in and in time, contributing to the global social development and progress.
“Your Baby’s Developing Brain” Series by Dr. Chong Chen is a great resource to add to your knowledge about the way we function as humans and how to assist future tiny humans to reach their best physical and psychological potential. Start with “Psychology for Pregnancy” and be ready for the next two books. I know I’m already looking forward to book no. 3 being published, since it will address a really interesting concept, that of taegyo – educating babies in the womb, or antenatal education. Exciting, right?
The Kindle version of “Psychology for Pregnancy” is available starting August 8th, and you can order it here.
P.S. This is not a commercial endorsement deal. I get no commission from the sales of this book. The author invited me to read and honestly review his book for Psychology Corner.
Photo Sources: Copyright (C) Brain and Life Publishing. Used with author’s permission.