Pre-birth and Early Days
Pre-birth and the Early Days is pivotal to child development. The first 1,001 are a critical period in terms of a child’s development, as they form relationships, develop language skills and develop cognitively, physically and emotionally at a faster rate than any other time in their lives.
Research has shown that our earliest relationship with our main caregivers (typically a parent) can have a profound effect on development in this period. This early emotional wellbeing is a key factor in determining resilience, mental health and to what extent individuals will make the most of life’s opportunities, including education, and how they will manage later relationships with partners and their own children.
We all hope our relationship with our baby or young child is filled with joy and is strong. However, lots of things can affect how you feel about your baby and yourself. Having a baby or young child can be difficult at the best of times. Sometimes, it can feel hard to cope with a baby’s feeding, sleeping or crying. Sometimes problems like depression in pregnancy, or after birth, a traumatic birth, mental health problems, events from the past or present, can affect how you feel about your baby, and you may feel worried about some of the feelings you have. All these problems can affect anyone. GM has a wide range of offers to ensure families and corers are fully supported during this period.
For more information on the pregnancy journey and support with getting to know your baby, please see the Your Baby and You resources linked below.
