Bonding can begin before birth. Babies’ brains develop very quickly during pregnancy – they can hear and feel things too.
Did you know that babies’ hearing starts developing from about sixteen weeks into pregnancy?
By 6 months of pregnancy, your baby can hear music and voices, recognise familiar voices, learn and remember

Babies recognise voices and can start to respond even while they’re still in the womb.
Feeling your baby move and kick in response to your voice and your touch makes those early conversations really rewarding
Making a connection with your baby helps you feel very close to them even before they are born.

Bump chats TOP TIPS

• Find regular quiet times when you can talk and sing to your baby
• Try ‘turn taking’: when you feel them kick, rub that spot. Wait for another kick and respond again
• Babies hear their mother’s heartbeat all the time, day and night. Try gently tapping or making a sound along with it
• Encourage partners, grandparents and any older siblings to get involved too
• You may notice your baby relaxes at the sound of familiar voices, and becomes calmer and quieter when you are talking to them. Notice how your baby responds
• If you’re not sure what to say, try reading a baby book aloud or sing nursery rhymes or talk about everyday things, your baby will just enjoy the sound of your voice
• Gently rocking and moving to music is a good way for your baby to develop good physical, movement skills and balance even before birth.

For more information or if you have concerns, talk to your midwife and Health Visitor
• Antenatal contact with their midwife at 16 weeks gestation and through pregnancy
• Antenatal Health Visitor contact between 29-36 weeks gestation