A person’s entire life is divided into certain periods, each of which has its own characteristics. The perinatal period is considered one of the important periods of life. What time frame does it fit into, and what physiological and psychological changes does it involve? Let's find out from this article.

Perinatal is the period starting from the 22nd week of pregnancy. In addition, it includes the period of time immediately preceding childbirth, as well as the process of delivery itself and the period immediately following it.

The process of childbirth itself is divided into three stages: prenatal contractions, delivery, and removal of the placenta. All these stages, as well as the first week after a person is born, are called the perinatal period.

For your information. Many people often confuse the concepts of prenatal and perinatal, mistakenly believing that these concepts are identical. Unlike the perinatal period, which covers only part of the intrauterine development of the fetus and the first day of life of newborns, prenatal development begins from the moment of conception and ends after the birth of the child.

Timing and duration

This period of time is also called peripartum. The perinatal period begins with a full 22 weeks of pregnancy and ends a week (168 hours) after the birth of the child.

At the same time, the longest duration of the perinatal period is observed in cases where a woman carries a child to term (i.e., pregnancy lasts longer than 39 weeks).

Physiological processes

During the perinatal period, the fetus actively develops physically.

There are several stages of the perinatal period, distinguished by various physiological processes occurring in the body of a small person:

• antenatal period - 24-40 weeks;
• intranatal period - passage through the birth canal;
• postnatal (early neonatal period) - the first 168 hours of life.

Before all other senses, the fetus develops a sense of touch: already at the very beginning of pregnancy, it is able to sense tactile stimuli. Closer to the beginning of the perinatal period, the auditory and vestibular apparatuses are formed - the child begins to hear. After 28 weeks, the baby’s development is considered almost perfect - he feels the beating of the mother’s heart and distinguishes the shades of her voice. The fetal respiratory system is not yet sufficiently developed. Nevertheless, children born at this stage have a chance of survival, because modern medicine helps even premature babies take their first breath.

The 29th and 30th weeks of pregnancy are characterized by increased fetal activity. He is already moving his limbs, can stretch and even wrinkle his face. Alarmed by some circumstances, the baby in the womb expresses its anxiety with tremors, which the pregnant woman feels very clearly.

During this period, the baby’s body quickly grows stronger and accumulates muscle mass after 31 weeks. But at this time, not all the baby’s organs are sufficiently developed (the testicles of boys do not yet descend into the scrotum, and the labia of girls are not completely closed, the navel in infants of both sexes is located low). But a child born at this time already carries out the act of breathing independently.

Starting from the 32nd week, the fetus gradually takes the position necessary for birth - head down. At 33 and 34 weeks, the baby begins to prepare for its birth. At this time, the fetus already weighs about 2 or more kilograms. The fuzz on the head is thickening. Children born at this time are no longer considered premature.

At 35 weeks, the little person’s nails fully grow (interestingly, they can be so long that the baby often scratches himself with them while still in the mother’s womb).

The fetus at week 36 already has a fully formed baby’s face - full and smooth cheeks, lips actively sucking a finger, etc. At week 37, the baby continues to grow, gradually sinking lower and lower into the mother’s pelvis. The most intensive development is observed at 38-39 weeks of gestation. The weight of the fetus can reach 3 kg, it is quite ready for birth.

Over the course of a week, a born person still bears little resemblance to a classic baby doll. His face may be somewhat asymmetrical, flattened and reddish. On the first day of the baby's life, original feces, called meconium, begin to be excreted. A child of this age has pronounced sucking, grasping and other reflexes.

Child development during this period

While in the womb, the baby experiences a variety of emotions: anxiety, depression, joy, love or even hatred. Often the baby shares the mother’s mood at a certain moment.

The perinatal period of development is divided into several stages:

1. Intrauterine life. A child and a mother are one whole unit, connected not only by the umbilical cord, but also by common emotions. The baby receives not only nutrients and air, but also feels any experiences of the mother. The latter do not have the best effect on the condition of the baby (stress can increase the muscle tone of the fetus). It is this period that creates a certain basis for the formation of relationships between the child and the outside world.
2. The period from the onset of contractions to the opening of the birth canal. The child’s quiet stay is over; some force is squeezing him, depriving him of nutrients. Nevertheless, access to the new world is still closed for the child. During this period, the mother’s condition is very important: she should not panic, scream or be nervous. The calmer and more patient the woman in labor behaves, the easier it will be for the child to carry out the work of further passage through the birth canal.
3. The movement of the child along the birth canal and the birth itself. This stage is considered the most difficult during childbirth. All the forces of the baby’s body are mobilized and help him move towards the now clearly visible light. Birth does not mean the end of trials for the baby. All the realities of the modern world immediately fall upon the baby - the laws of gravity begin to act on him (after all, in his mother’s womb he was in a state of weightlessness). His consciousness awakens, and all perinatal memories become unconscious. It is the passage through the birth canal that is extremely important for the adaptation and development of the child as an individual. At this moment, various psychological mechanisms are launched. A person’s further ability to adapt to changes in life depends on the characteristics of the passage.
4. The first time after childbirth. Psychologists are sure that what a baby hears, feels and sees in the first moments of birth determines its future relationships with the outside world. It is necessary that at this moment the mother is nearby, as always for 9 months. Under no circumstances should the baby feel loneliness, otherwise he will unconsciously yearn for the lost bliss in his mother’s womb all his life. Skin contact, the mother's voice, the first drops of colostrum will calm the baby.

From the very first minutes, babies separated from their mother experience a feeling of fear, insecurity, confusion, and subsequently may be susceptible to depression, panic and distrust of the world.

Possible diseases

The most common diseases of the perinatal period are:

1. Birth injury. It represents damage to the fetus received directly during delivery. Such injuries may include soft tissue tears, fractures and dislocations, sprains, etc. The reasons for such conditions can be different - from the condition of the fetus to the dynamics of delivery. The speed and duration of labor, the correspondence of the size of the baby to the birth canal, premature birth and postmaturity - all these factors affect the condition of the born child.
2. Asphyxia. A condition associated with a lack of oxygen in the baby’s body, as well as the accumulation of carbon dioxide. Most often, the fetus suffers not so much from asphyxia (complete lack of oxygen), but from hypoxia (lack of oxygen in organs and tissues). The cause of this disease is considered to be maternal pathologies, congenital defects of the fetus, etc.
3. Hemolytic disease. Severe pathology of the neonatal period. Occurs due to incompatibility of the blood of mother and child according to Rhesus or group. Moreover, the forms of such a disease can be either viable or non-viable.
4. Infectious diseases of the fetus: pneumonia, toxoplasmosis, cytomegaly, sepsis, etc.

Most of these pathologies can complicate the course of pregnancy and provoke numerous malformations of the fetus.

Individual states

Certain conditions that require a careful medical approach are prematurity and postmaturity.

Prematurity is considered to be the birth of a child with a gestational age of less than 259 days. The number of premature infants includes infants weighing 500-2500 g and a body length of 25-45 cm. The main signs of prematurity: long vellus hair on the back, face and shoulders, soft bones, underdevelopment of nails and genitals, lack of ossification of the hips.

Post-term babies are typically born after 294 days of pregnancy. Such babies are distinguished by dry, flaky skin; ossification nuclei are noted in the femurs and other bones of the skeleton.

The importance of the perinatal period

The perinatal period is an extremely important time for a little person. While in the mother's womb, it develops rapidly and comprehensively. It is during the period before birth that the baby begins to distinguish between the mother’s different emotions, and an emotional connection is formed between them.

The process of birth, although it presents some stress and shock to the baby, is an integral part of the perinatal period. It is believed that the most acceptable option for the baby is natural childbirth through the birth canal. It is this method of birth that helps the child overcome a kind of first barrier. Psychologists are confident that natural birth helps a child become more purposeful and resilient. This aspect is no less important for the mother - natural childbirth forms a stronger neuro-emotional connection between her and her newborn baby.

The full life of a little person does not begin after his birth. Already from the 22nd week of pregnancy, the fetus in the mother’s womb can hear and touch. With each new week his skills improve, and by the time of his birth he is already a whole being, complete in all respects.

The perinatal period is the period immediately preceding childbirth, as well as the birth itself and the period immediately following it. In a normal pregnancy, birth occurs approximately 38 weeks after conception.

Typically, the process of childbirth is divided into three stages: prenatal contractions, childbirth itself, and expulsion of the placenta (placenta with umbilical cord). The first stage of labor is characterized by uterine contractions, which gradually become more frequent and powerful. The cervix opens, forming a free passage into the birth canal; the process lasts from 12 to 24 hours during the first birth and from 3 to 8 hours during subsequent ones. The second stage of labor, lasting from 10 to 50 minutes, consists of expulsion of the fetus: strong uterine contractions continue, but the mother experiences the urge to contract the abdominal muscles, as the baby is pushed down and out simultaneously with each contraction. The third stage is characterized by expulsion of the placenta (the placenta separates from the uterine wall and comes out) and usually lasts 10–15 minutes.

It should be noted that there are huge cultural differences in both pregnancy support and obstetric care practices.

On average, the weight of a full-term baby is 2.5–4.3 kg, and its height is from 48 to 56 cm. Boys are usually slightly taller and heavier than girls.

V. Apgar has developed a standard rating scale to quickly determine the health status of newborns (Table 3.6).

Table 3.6

Apgar score for assessing the condition of newborns

* In black newborns, the color of the mucous membrane, palms and soles is determined.

Source: [Craig, 2000, p. 186].

The assessment is carried out 1 minute after birth and repeated after 5 minutes. A score of seven or more indicates that the infant is in good physical condition. A result in the range between four and six points indicates that certain systems of the child’s body are not yet fully functioning and he requires special help in establishing breathing and other vital processes. If the score is below four points, the baby needs urgent medical attention and immediate connection to life support systems.

The problems of prematurity and low birth weight of the child are significant. Babies born more than 3 weeks before the completion of a full 38-week pregnancy are considered premature. Low birth weight babies weigh significantly less than they should, based on the timing of gestation. Sometimes prematurity and low birth weight are combined, but this is not necessary. A child can be carried for all nine months, but not have the required 2.5–2.8 kg of weight at birth; he is full-term, but low in weight. A child born after 7 months and weighing 1.2 kg (average weight for this period) is only premature. Of these two complications, prematurity is less dangerous for the child's mental development. In the first year of life, premature children often lag behind in development from their full-term peers, but by 2 or 3 years these differences are smoothed out, and most premature children subsequently develop normally [Kyle, 2002].

For low birth weight children, the prognosis is not so optimistic, especially if they weigh less than 1.5 kg at birth; such children, if they survive, usually lag behind in cognitive and motor development [Ibid]. If LBW babies weigh more than 1.5 kg, they have the best prospects, although they also face serious challenges. During the first year of life, they are more likely to die, contract infections, and show signs of brain damage. In the future, they may lag behind their peers in their development: they perform worse on intelligence tests, are more inattentive, perform worse at school, and demonstrate social immaturity [Burke, 2006].

For the normal development of children at risk (premature and low birth weight), a supportive environment is very important: high-quality medical care, attentive and caring parents, conditions that stimulate development. Special techniques for stimulating these babies include hanging hammocks and water mattresses for babies, which replace the gentle movements that would be felt by the baby if he was still in the womb; demonstration of an attractive toy; audio recording of a heartbeat, soft music or a mother's voice; massage; “kangaroo technique” (the premature baby hides between the mother’s breasts and peeks out of her clothes). The results of many studies show that these forms of exposure contribute to faster weight gain, streamlining of the sleep-wake cycle, and increased infant exploratory activity and motor development [Kyle, 2002].

An important problem is the child’s adaptation to labor and birth. Currently, there is growing interest in the problem of the influence of the prenatal and perinatal periods on mental and personal development. The first to pay attention to this problem were psychoanalysts. Otto Rank assigns a central role in the development of personality to birth trauma, considering birth as the deepest shock at the physiological and psychological levels [Rank, 2009]. The trauma of birth, according to O. Rank, is associated with the separation of the child from the mother, when the child loses “bliss,” the heavenly situation of intrauterine existence. It is this primary trauma that is the cause of all fear, traumatic experiences of all subsequent separations, as well as any neurotic states. O. Rank considers the entire period of childhood as a series of attempts to cope with the trauma of birth. The central human conflict, according to O. Rank, is the desire to return to the womb, to a serene, heavenly state, and at the same time, birth anxiety, fear of returning to the mother’s womb due to the fear of “expulsion from paradise.” All pleasure, from his point of view, ultimately tends to restore the primary intrauterine pleasure. Likewise, sexuality is a symbolic reunion with the mother, a recreation of intrauterine bliss. Birth trauma, according to O. Rank, is a psychological force that underlies human creativity, religious formations, art, and philosophical constructs, which ultimately are attempts to overcome birth trauma, a means of adaptation to it [Rank, 2009]. In his opinion, psychoanalysis should be recognized as the most successful attempt to overcome birth trauma [Ibid].

N. Foudor [Blum, 1996] believes that the experience of one’s own birth is so traumatic that nature took care of repressing it from children’s memory. The fear of death actually arises at birth, and birth trauma, the fear experienced during childbirth, is symbolically represented in dreams (for example, in visions such as crawling through narrow holes; growing into the ground; immersion in mud or sand; being crushed or squeezed; drowning; being sucked into a whirlpool , being dragged away by sharks, crocodiles, fear of being swallowed by wild animals or monsters; nightmares of being strangled or buried alive; phobias of mutilation or death). Complicated prenatal development or the birth process leads, according to N. Foudor, to the fact that some children are already born neurotic as a result of intrauterine trials.

Foudor proposes four principles of prenatal psychology [Ibid.]:

Childbirth is traumatic in almost every case;

Prolonged labor is accompanied by greater birth trauma and more serious mental complications;

The intensity of birth trauma is proportional to the damage that the child receives during childbirth and immediately after birth, and subsequently leads to more serious consequences;

Love and care for the child immediately after birth plays a decisive role in reducing the duration and intensity of traumatic consequences.

Some modern researchers argue that the baby’s psyche during, and even more so before, is too undeveloped for the process of birth to have any serious impact on the subsequent development of the child. But other scientists (for example, psychoanalysts) argue that the birth process is undoubtedly imprinted in the unconscious and, moreover, is accessible to mature consciousness [Grof, 1993; Marcher et al., 2003].

S. Grof, the founder of transpersonal psychology, suggests that mental life begins long before a person is born. The experience of the prenatal period and one's own birth is stored in a person at an unconscious level. It is carried by four so-called basic perinatal matrices, reflecting the four clinical stages of biological birth: intrauterine existence (the first perinatal matrix - “tranquil intrauterine life”); prenatal contractions, when the cervix is ​​still closed (the second perinatal matrix - “the experience of cosmic absorption”); advancement of the fetus along the birth canal (third perinatal matrix - “the struggle of death - rebirth”); the actual birth of the child (the fourth perinatal matrix is ​​the “experience of death and rebirth”). Grof explains many mental disorders (hypochondria, schizophrenic psychoses, depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, obsessive-compulsive neurosis, tics, stuttering, autonomic neuroses, etc.) by traumatic experiences experienced in the prenatal and perinatal periods by an unborn child. S. Grof created a version of rebirth therapy (hyperventilation technique, or holotropic therapy), emphasizing metaphorical and transpersonal aspects in order to overcome those problems associated with birth trauma.

A.V. Zakharov, based on his psychotherapeutic practice, believes that children who have undergone a traumatic birth experience experience an earlier and more intense manifestation of fears. He calls the fear of darkness, loneliness and closed space the perinatal triad of fears. You can get rid of them or weaken them in psychotherapy, which consists of the opportunity again, in a playful way, to safely go through the stages of “your own birth.”

L. Marcher, L. Ollars, P. Bernard also focus on the fact that birth trauma acts as one of the sources of psychological problems. Signs of the possible presence of problems associated with the birth process, from their point of view, are:

Intense feelings of confusion and inability to function in life: "not being able to get out" of a difficult situation or not being able to "get through it"; the feeling that you cannot use all your capabilities in a given situation, the feeling that you are “bogged down in circumstances”;

Spontaneous physical sensations in areas of the body associated with the birth process (pressure in the head, sacrum, heels, navel);

In a stressful situation, a person spontaneously assumes the fetal position;

The predominance of images of canals, tunnels, etc. in dreams and fantasies.

In these cases, as well as in situations where a person wants to fully work out the structures of his character, it is possible to carry out a rebirth using the Bodynamic method in order to create a new experience (imprint) of birth so that the patient relives this most important life milestone as it should have been . Rebirth solves two problems: 1) to come to an understanding of which factor turned out to be truly traumatic or psychologically significant at the birth of an individual; 2) create a new imprint (“imprint”) of birth, allowing the client to really feel what was so missing in his real birth experience [Marcher, 2003].

Is the birth experience really that traumatic for a child? There is no clear answer to this question among researchers. Childbirth is, of course, stressful, as evidenced, in particular, by the sharp surge of adrenaline necessary to mobilize all the strength the baby needs to push himself through the birth canal. Stress can also be aggravated by additional injuries, which can be caused by various complications or medical interventions. Severe contractions place intense pressure on the baby's head, regularly squeezing the placenta and umbilical cord, causing a temporary reduction in the baby's oxygen supply. However, healthy babies are well equipped to withstand these injuries. It is known that the strength of contractions causes the child to produce large amounts of stress hormones; a large amount of natural painkillers (beta-endorphins) circulates in his circulatory system, which allow him to successfully cope with a stressful situation. This adaptive response helps the baby withstand oxygen deprivation, prepares him for breathing movements by encouraging the lungs to absorb any remaining gases and dilates the bronchi, and stress hormones excite babies so that babies are born fully awake, ready to interact with the world [Burke , 2006].

For a child, birth is a stressful, shocking event, but most newborns have everything they need to cope with this process. The question of whether the experience of one's own birth can be imprinted in the mental structures of a newborn remains debatable.

Control questions

1. Give a brief description of the three periods of prenatal development and describe the main stages of each of them.

2. How does the environment influence prenatal development?

3. What are teratogens? Describe the consequences of their exposure during the prenatal period.

4. Briefly describe the three stages of labor.

5. Do medical obstetric technologies affect the mental development of the baby? If yes, then how?

6. What dangers accompany newborns who are born underweight or born prematurely?

7. Describe the features of the perinatal period and its influence on the mental development of the child (O. Rank, S. Grof, etc.).

8. What factors can stimulate the development of premature, low birth weight or birth trauma children?

Test tasks

Burke L. Child development. 6th ed. St. Petersburg: Peter, 2006. pp. 152–194.

Kyle R. Child psychology: secrets of the child’s psyche. SPb.: Prime-EVROZNAK, 2002. pp. 60–77.

Craig G. Developmental Psychology. St. Petersburg: Peter, 2000. pp. 152–198.

Grof S. Beyond the brain. M.: Publishing house of the Transpersonal Institute, 1993. pp. 111–153.

Human ontogenesis begins far before the birth of a child and is divided into two stages - perinatal, which lasts from conception to birth, and postnatal, starting from birth, covering childhood, growing up, adulthood itself and ending with the death of a person.

Perinatal development of a child normally lasts 265-280 days and is divided into phases such as germinal, embryonic and fetal.

Zygote - fertilized egg

Terminal (germinal) phase - lasts about 10-14 days. During this phase, fertilization occurs and the formation of a zygote, which, while moving along the fallopian tube in the uterus, is divided into two cells by mitosis, then four, etc., as a result.

About 3 out of 4 zygotes never grow into a child because they encounter a blockage in the fallopian tube or fail to attach to or implant in the uterus.

After 6-10 days, the blastocyst reaches the uterus and attaches to its surface, coming into contact with the mother’s blood supply and implantation occurs.

If at the moment of the first division of the zygote into two cells, they separate from each other and form independent zygotes, then in the future they are born - necessarily of the same sex, very similar in appearance, children whose genotype coincides by 90-95%, and their psychological characteristics will be very similar. If two eggs mature in a woman’s body at the same time and both are fertilized, then two autonomous zygotes are formed, which will subsequently lead to the birth of a woman whose genotype is only 60-65% the same, and therefore their psychological traits are not identical, but only partially coincide.

The zygote, and subsequently the blastocyst, is not sensitive to weak adverse effects and dies from the effects of too strong ones, so there cannot be any special pathology at this stage of the child’s development.

The embryonic phase lasts from the third to the eighth week of pregnancy. During this period, the formation of external tissues, which will subsequently protect, nourish and support the child, as well as the internal tissues of the blastocyst, where the embryo itself develops, occurs simultaneously. It goes through the main stages of phylogenesis at an extremely accelerated pace. By the end of the embryonic phase, all the child’s life systems are formed: the heart begins to beat at the end of the first month, the basic areas of the brain work, which control the first muscular contractions of the embryo, and sexual characteristics are formed between the seventh and eighth weeks.

Until the end of the embryonic phase, the embryo is not just a collection of undifferentiated cells, but an increasingly recognizable, unique human being that continues to develop.

By the end of this phase, the embryo even outwardly resembles a tiny copy of the adult.

During this phase, all hereditary, purely human characteristics are formed, so the embryo is very sensitive to adverse environmental influences.

The fetal phase unfolds from the third month until birth. Its main purpose is the further development and improvement of all life systems and functions and, accordingly, preparation for the birth and independent life of a child after it. The fetus begins to actively move, its digestive and excretory systems begin to work, at the end of the sixth month of pregnancy the child already has hearing and vision, sleep and wakefulness cycles are distinguished. At the seventh month, the child reaches the age of viability, i.e. turns out to be able to survive outside the womb, however, being born prematurely, it requires intensive medical support, since the lungs are not yet mature for independent functioning.

During this phase, the unborn child still continues to be sensitive to the adverse effects of the environment, as its congenital characteristics are formed.

The fetus is growing very intensively, the mother feels its movements and tremors. From 6 months of pregnancy, you can easily hear his heartbeat by pressing your ear to the mother’s belly.

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The baby in the womb is called a fetus and after the baby is born it is called a newborn for 4 weeks. Perinatal psychology (peri-around; natalis - relating to birth) is the science of mental life in the perinatal period, its influence on the formation of a person’s personality, as well as the connection between the fetus and newborn with the mother and the influence of the mental life of the mother on the child. Perinatal psychology is a new direction in psychology. As a science, it has existed for about 30 years and is developing rapidly in civilized countries. The World Association of Perinatal Psychology has been created, which has its branches in various cities and countries.

Perinatal psychology is based on two main statements: the presence of mental life in the fetus, as well as the presence of long-term memory in the fetus and newborn.

It is assumed that fetal long-term memory extends to events that occur during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. These events influence the formation of the subconscious and the formation of mental and behavioral reactions of an adult. Perinatal events have a particularly strong influence on a person’s behavior in critical situations (stress, divorce, work difficulties, accidents, etc.). In addition, the perinatal period influences a person’s attitude towards military service, war, sex, gambling, and is also responsible for a person’s craving for extreme sports, and in general for everything “edgy”.

The founder of the theoretical framework is considered to be S. Grof, who proposed the theory of “perinatal matrices”. Briefly, its main provisions are as follows: in humans, perinatal events are recorded in the form of clichés (stamps) - persistent functional structures that are basic for his mental and physical reactions and corresponding to the process of pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. They are called basic perinatal matrices. S. Grof identifies four main matrices.

Matrix of naivety (amniotic Universe).

The biological basis of this matrix is ​​the symbiotic union of the fetus with the maternal organism during its intrauterine existence. If there are no disturbances, such a life is close to ideal. However, various factors of a physical, chemical, biological and physiological nature can negatively affect this condition. In later stages, the situation may become less favorable also due to the size of the fetus, mechanical compression or poor functioning of the placenta. To form the matrix of naivety, the fetus must have a formed cerebral cortex. Thus, its formation is attributed to 22-24 weeks of pregnancy. Some authors assume the presence of cellular and wave memory, and, therefore, the matrix of naivety can begin to form immediately after conception and even before it.

This matrix forms a person’s life potential, his potential capabilities, and ability to adapt. Desired children, children of the desired sex, with a healthy pregnancy have a higher basic psychic potential, and this observation was made by humanity a long time ago.

The victim matrix.

It is formed from the moment of the onset of labor until the moment of complete or almost complete dilatation of the cervix, which approximately corresponds to the first stage of labor. The child experiences the pressure of contractions, some hypoxia, and the “exit” from the uterus is closed. In this case, the child partially regulates his own labor by releasing his own hormones into the mother’s bloodstream through the placenta. If the load on the child is too high and there is a danger of hypoxia, then he can somewhat slow down his birth in order to have time to adapt. From this point of view, stimulation of labor disrupts the natural process of interaction between mother and fetus, forming a pathological matrix of the victim. On the other hand, the mother’s fear of childbirth provokes the release of stress hormones by the mother, spasm of placental vessels and fetal hypoxia occur, which also forms the pathological matrix of the victim. Activation of this matrix under the influence of unfavorable factors throughout a person’s subsequent life can lead to the identification in memory of situations that threaten the survival or integrity of the person’s body. Possible experiences of being in a confined space, a feeling of being trapped, a hopeless situation with no end in sight, a feeling of guilt and inferiority, the meaninglessness and absurdity of human existence, unpleasant bodily manifestations (a feeling of oppression and pressure, heart failure, fever and chills, sweating, difficulty breath).

During a planned caesarean section this matrix cannot be formed, while during an emergency caesarean section it is formed.

3. Matrix of struggle.

She f is formed from the end of the opening period until the birth of the child, which P approximately corresponds to the 2nd stage of labor. It characterizes a person’s activity at moments in life when something depends on his active or expectant position. If the mother behaved correctly during the period of pushing, helped the child, if he felt that during the period of struggle he was not alone, then in later life his behavior will be adequate to the situation. During caesarean sections, either planned or emergency, the matrix does not appear to be formed, although this is considered controversial. Most likely, it corresponds to the moment the child is removed from the uterus during the operation.

4. Matrix of freedom.

This matrix begins to form from the moment of birth. Its formation ends either during the first seven days after birth or in the first month after birth. It is believed that this matrix can be revised throughout a person’s life, i.e. a person throughout his life reconsiders his attitude to freedom and his own capabilities, taking into account the circumstances of his birth. Researchers do not agree on the duration of the formation of the 4th matrix. If for some reason a child is separated from his mother after birth, then in adulthood he may regard freedom and independence as a burden and dream of returning to the matrix of innocence.

It is believed that full breastfeeding for up to a year, good care and love can compensate for negative perinatal matrices (for example, if there was a cesarean section, if the child was admitted to a children's hospital immediately after birth and was separated from the mother, etc.).

If the child can be influenced by the mother, then an important practical question arises about the possibility of his prenatal upbringing. Perinatal psychology claims that this is not only possible, but also necessary. For this purpose, there are prenatal education programs that emphasize the importance of a sufficient amount of positive emotions experienced by the mother. At all times, pregnant women were advised to look at the beautiful things around them (nature, sea), and not to get upset over trifles. It is very good if the expectant mother draws (even without knowing how to do this) and conveys her expectations, anxieties and dreams in the drawing. In addition, handicrafts have a great positive effect. Positive emotions also include the so-called “muscular joy” that a child experiences when his mother engages in physical education and sports, or during long walks.

Of course, all statements about matrices are largely a hypothesis, but this hypothesis received some confirmation in the study of patients who underwent cesarean section. The latter leads to the fact that a child born by caesarean section does not pass the 3rd and 4th matrices. This means that these matrices cannot manifest themselves in a subsequent life.

At the same time, it is known that experienced obstetricians have long been striving (in the absence of fetal suffering) during a cesarean section to restrain the rapid extraction of the newborn, because this, through the reticular formation, contributes to the inclusion of the respiratory system, more precisely, the first breath of the newborn.

Recently, new observations have appeared that expand the position on the role of perinatal matrices. There is an opinion, confirmed by psychotherapy, about the possibility of activating matrices as a mechanism of effort of natural evolutionarily developed methods of physiological protection and recovery of the body.

If we recognize that the fetus and newborn have the opportunity to record information about the perinatal period for life, then the question immediately arises about the ways of transmitting this information from the pregnant woman to the fetus and back. According to modern ideas, there are several main ways of such transmission. It is believed that the transfer of information can be carried out through the uteroplacental blood flow (hormones are transmitted through the placenta, the level of which is partially controlled by emotions). There is a hypothesis (wave path) that an egg in favorable conditions can accept not any sperm, but only one that matches it according to the characteristics of electromagnetic radiation, and the fertilized egg also notifies the mother’s body about its appearance at the wave level. Water can also be an energy-informational conductor, and the mother can transmit some information to the fetus simply through the fluid media of the body (waterway).

The first thing the fetus develops is the sense of touch. At approximately 7-12 weeks, the fetus can feel tactile stimuli. The auditory and vestibular apparatus of the fetus are formed by 22 weeks of pregnancy. While in the womb, children also hear. However, they are disturbed by the noise of the mother's intestines, uterine vessels, and heartbeat. Therefore, external sounds reach them poorly. But they hear their mother well, because... acoustic vibrations reach them through the mother’s body. It has been proven that children whose mothers sang during pregnancy have a better character, are easier to learn, are more capable of foreign languages, are more diligent, and premature babies who have good music playing in the incubator gain weight better. In addition, singing mothers give birth more easily, because Their breathing normalizes and they learn to regulate their exhalation. In utero, the child feels taste, because... from 18 weeks she drinks amniotic fluid, and its taste changes somewhat, depending on the mother’s food. When there is an abundance of sweet food, the waters are sweet. The sense of smell appears quite late, and some full-term newborns do not hear the smell of their mother’s milk for several days after birth, and children at the age of 10 days already distinguish their mother by smell.

The baby in the womb is called a fetus and after the baby is born it is called a newborn for 4 weeks. Perinatal psychology (peri-around; natalis - relating to birth) is the science of mental life in the perinatal period, its influence on the formation of a person’s personality, as well as the connection between the fetus and newborn with the mother and the influence of the mental life of the mother on the child. Perinatal psychology is a new direction in psychology. As a science, it has existed for about 30 years and is developing rapidly in civilized countries. The World Association of Perinatal Psychology has been created, which has its branches in various cities and countries.

Perinatal psychology is based on two main statements: the presence of mental life in the fetus, as well as the presence of long-term memory in the fetus and newborn.

It is assumed that fetal long-term memory extends to events that occur during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. These events influence the formation of the subconscious and the formation of mental and behavioral reactions of an adult. Perinatal events have a particularly strong influence on a person’s behavior in critical situations (stress, divorce, work difficulties, accidents, etc.). In addition, the perinatal period influences a person’s attitude towards military service, war, sex, gambling, and is also responsible for a person’s craving for extreme sports, and in general for everything “edgy”.

The founder of the theoretical framework is considered to be S. Grof, who proposed the theory of “perinatal matrices”. Briefly, its main provisions are as follows: in humans, perinatal events are recorded in the form of clichés (stamps) - persistent functional structures that are basic for his mental and physical reactions and corresponding to the process of pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. They are called basic perinatal matrices. S. Grof identifies four main matrices.

1. Matrix of naivety (amniotic Universe).

The biological basis of this matrix is ​​the symbiotic union of the fetus with the maternal organism during its intrauterine existence. If there are no disturbances, such a life is close to ideal. However, various factors of a physical, chemical, biological and physiological nature can negatively affect this condition. In later stages, the situation may become less favorable also due to the size of the fetus, mechanical compression or poor functioning of the placenta. To form the matrix of naivety, the fetus must have a formed cerebral cortex. Thus, its formation is attributed to 22-24 weeks of pregnancy. Some authors assume the presence of cellular and wave memory, and, therefore, the matrix of naivety can begin to form immediately after conception and even before it.

This matrix forms a person’s life potential, his potential capabilities, and ability to adapt. Desired children, children of the desired sex, with a healthy pregnancy have a higher basic psychic potential, and this observation was made by humanity a long time ago.

2. The victim matrix.

It is formed from the moment of the onset of labor until the moment of complete or almost complete dilatation of the cervix, which approximately corresponds to the first stage of labor. The child experiences the pressure of contractions, some hypoxia, and the “exit” from the uterus is closed. In this case, the child partially regulates his own labor by releasing his own hormones into the mother’s bloodstream through the placenta. If the load on the child is too high and there is a danger of hypoxia, then he can somewhat slow down his birth in order to have time to adapt. From this point of view, stimulation of labor disrupts the natural process of interaction between mother and fetus, forming a pathological matrix of the victim. On the other hand, the mother’s fear of childbirth provokes the release of stress hormones by the mother, spasm of placental vessels and fetal hypoxia occur, which also forms the pathological matrix of the victim. Activation of this matrix under the influence of unfavorable factors throughout a person’s subsequent life can lead to the identification in memory of situations that threaten the survival or integrity of the person’s body. Possible experiences of being in a confined space, a feeling of being trapped, a hopeless situation with no end in sight, a feeling of guilt and inferiority, the meaninglessness and absurdity of human existence, unpleasant bodily manifestations (a feeling of oppression and pressure, heart failure, fever and chills, sweating, difficulty breath).

During a planned caesarean section this matrix cannot be formed, while during an emergency caesarean section it is formed.

3. Matrix of struggle.

Onaf is formed from the end of the opening period until the birth of the child, which P approximately corresponds to the 2nd stage of labor. It characterizes a person’s activity at moments in life when something depends on his active or expectant position. If the mother behaved correctly during the period of pushing, helped the child, if he felt that during the period of struggle he was not alone, then in later life his behavior will be adequate to the situation. During caesarean sections, either planned or emergency, the matrix does not appear to be formed, although this is considered controversial. Most likely, it corresponds to the moment the child is removed from the uterus during the operation.

4. Matrix of freedom.

This matrix begins to form from the moment of birth. Its formation ends either during the first seven days after birth or in the first month after birth. It is believed that this matrix can be revised throughout a person’s life, i.e. a person throughout his life reconsiders his attitude to freedom and his own capabilities, taking into account the circumstances of his birth. Researchers do not agree on the duration of the formation of the 4th matrix. If for some reason a child is separated from his mother after birth, then in adulthood he may regard freedom and independence as a burden and dream of returning to the matrix of innocence.

It is believed that full breastfeeding for up to a year, good care and love can compensate for negative perinatal matrices (for example, if there was a cesarean section, if the child was admitted to a children's hospital immediately after birth and was separated from the mother, etc.).

If the child can be influenced by the mother, then an important practical question arises about the possibility of his prenatal upbringing. Perinatal psychology claims that this is not only possible, but also necessary. For this purpose, there are prenatal education programs that emphasize the importance of a sufficient amount of positive emotions experienced by the mother. At all times, pregnant women were advised to look at the beautiful things around them (nature, sea), and not to get upset over trifles. It is very good if the expectant mother draws (even without knowing how to do this) and conveys her expectations, anxieties and dreams in the drawing. In addition, handicrafts have a great positive effect. Positive emotions also include the so-called “muscular joy” that a child experiences when his mother engages in physical education and sports, or during long walks.

Of course, all statements about matrices are largely a hypothesis, but this hypothesis received some confirmation in the study of patients who underwent cesarean section. The latter leads to the fact that a child born by caesarean section does not pass the 3rd and 4th matrices. This means that these matrices cannot manifest themselves in a subsequent life.

At the same time, it is known that experienced obstetricians have long been striving (in the absence of fetal suffering) during a cesarean section to restrain the rapid extraction of the newborn, because this, through the reticular formation, contributes to the inclusion of the respiratory system, more precisely, the first breath of the newborn.

Recently, new observations have appeared that expand the position on the role of perinatal matrices. There is an opinion, confirmed by psychotherapy, about the possibility of activating matrices as a mechanism of effort of natural evolutionarily developed methods of physiological protection and recovery of the body.

If we recognize that the fetus and newborn have the opportunity to record information about the perinatal period for life, then the question immediately arises about the ways of transmitting this information from the pregnant woman to the fetus and back. According to modern ideas, there are several main ways of such transmission. It is believed that the transfer of information can be carried out through the uteroplacental blood flow (hormones are transmitted through the placenta, the level of which is partially controlled by emotions). There is a hypothesis (wave path) that an egg in favorable conditions can accept not any sperm, but only one that matches it according to the characteristics of electromagnetic radiation, and the fertilized egg also notifies the mother’s body about its appearance at the wave level. Water can also be an energy-informational conductor, and the mother can transmit some information to the fetus simply through the fluid media of the body (waterway).

The first thing the fetus develops is the sense of touch. At approximately 7-12 weeks, the fetus can feel tactile stimuli. The auditory and vestibular apparatus of the fetus are formed by 22 weeks of pregnancy. While in the womb, children also hear. However, they are disturbed by the noise of the mother's intestines, uterine vessels, and heartbeat. Therefore, external sounds reach them poorly. But they hear their mother well, because... acoustic vibrations reach them through the mother’s body. It has been proven that children whose mothers sang during pregnancy have a better character, are easier to learn, are more capable of foreign languages, are more diligent, and premature babies who have good music playing in the incubator gain weight better. In addition, singing mothers give birth more easily, because Their breathing normalizes and they learn to regulate their exhalation. In utero, the child feels taste, because... from 18 weeks she drinks amniotic fluid, and its taste changes somewhat, depending on the mother’s food. When there is an abundance of sweet food, the waters are sweet. The sense of smell appears quite late, and some full-term newborns do not hear the smell of their mother’s milk for several days after birth, and children at the age of 10 days already distinguish their mother by smell.

Birth crisis

The development of a child begins with the critical act of birth and the following critical age, called newbornhood. During childbirth, the baby is physically separated from the mother. Foreign scientists have proposed the theory of birth trauma. The birth of a child is a traumatic moment that affects the rest of life. From this point of view, birth is a shock, and the first cry is a cry of horror. Representatives of this theory attach great importance to the experiences that accompany the birth process. A newborn child, passing through the birth canal, may experience a number of experiences: fear, hopelessness, despair. These experiences can also manifest themselves in an adult, which can cause neurosis.

There are recommendations for mitigating birth trauma: maintain soft lighting, do not make noise, do not swear, do not rattle instruments, use soft music, and place the newborn on the mother's stomach for a while.

Domestic reflexologists expressed an opposite view on the mental life of a newborn: there cannot be any serious experiences in the life of a newborn, there is no mental life yet, the psyche of a newborn consists of only reflexes.

The modern approach to considering the mental life of a newborn calls into question both of the above concepts. A newborn already has mental life, but due to the immaturity of the nervous system, all sense organs have a fairly high threshold (low sensitivity).

A child is born with a certain set of reflexes, some of which provide physiological adaptation to the outside world and are preserved in the future, others are atavistic in nature. However, the reflexes of a newborn are not the basis of his mental development.

The neonatal period is considered a crisis period. This period of the child’s mental development was one of the last to be described as critical. The social situation of a newborn is specific and unique. It is determined by two important circumstances. On the one hand, this is the complete biological helplessness of the child. Without an adult, he is not able to satisfy a single vital need, and therefore the baby is the most social creature. On the other hand, with maximum dependence on adults, the child is still deprived of the basic means of communication in the form of human speech. This contradiction between maximum sociality and minimal means of communication lies the basis for the entire development of a child in infancy. The need to communicate with an adult develops during the newborn period under the influence of active appeals and influences from an adult. From the very beginning, the mother treats the child as a full-fledged person, endowing his actions and movements with a certain human meaning.

Basics neoplasm this period - the emergence of the child’s individual mental life. What is new in this period is that, firstly, life becomes an individual existence, separate from the maternal organism. The second point is that it becomes mental life, since, according to L.S. Vygotsky, only mental life can be part of the social life of the adults around the child. The child develops a neoplasm in the form revitalization complex , which includes the following reactions:

• general motor excitement when an adult approaches;
• the use of screaming and crying to attract people to oneself, that is, the emergence of an initiative to communicate;
• excessive vocalizations during communication with the mother;
• smile reaction.

The appearance of the revitalization complex serves as the boundary of the critical period of the newborn, and the timing of its appearance serves as the main criterion for assessing the adequacy of the child’s mental development. The revitalization complex appears earlier in those children whose mothers not only satisfy the vital needs of the child (feed on time, change diapers, etc.), but also communicate and play with him.

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