The Benefits of Reading to Babies in the Womb

A Recorded 60 Minute Presentation with Q&A

Research has revealed that babies in the womb are listening – and remembering what they hear. The Cat in the Hat studies conducted in the 1980s are now famous for revealing that newborns like – and prefer – stories they heard while they were in utero! This research is presented as well as new research being done in NICUs with babies that are born too soon. We are learning how to communicate with these precious Little Ones while they are in utero and when born prematurely. Susan has written four fairy tales that are stories (metaphors) designed to be read by parents while they are pregnant and read to their babies following birth. The benefits of talking, singing and reading to the developing baby include building bonds, forming secure attachments, developing the baby’s brain, and improving the infant’s language skills. These practices assure the growing child that s/he is welcomed, safe and loved.

Susan Highsmith, PhD.

Susan Highsmith is an author, counselor and educator residing in Tucson, Arizona. She holds a PhD in Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology and is certified in EMDR, PSYCH-K, and EFT.

She instructs and mentors masters and doctoral candidates, lectures at universities and community colleges, and speaks at international congresses addressing consciousness in the womb and the long-lasting effects of our earliest experiences. She serves on the Association of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health (APPPAH) Advisory Board and is a mentor in the APPPAH Prenatal and Perinatal Education (PPNE) Program.

Susan has published an easy-to-read primer introducing prenatal and perinatal psychology to young audiences, The Renaissance of Birth: Changing the Language of Childbirth. In addition, she has written The First Fairy Tale, Books I, II, III, and IV—stories of conception, the awakening heart, the developing senses, and birth—all told as metaphors. These stories are intended to be read to babies in the womb and then again after the babies are born.

Inspired by the transitions of beloved friends and associates, Susan has written a book to read to those who are birthing into the next life – Sailing into the Light – published in 2022.

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