Reduction of Feelings of Insecurity about Pregnancy and Enhancement of Maternal-Fetal Attachment Through Perception of Fetal Movement During Dohsa-hou Relaxation

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to examine effects of establishing maternal antenatal attachment to the fetus through Dohsa-hou-induced positive mind-body experience. Pregnant women (N = 4) underwent Dohsa-hou relaxation from 4 months of pregnancy to 2 weeks before birth. Each session took 60 minutes. Cognitive/affective responses to the fetal movements, image of the fetus as a human baby, emotional responses about becoming mother, and antenatal emotional attachment were assessed using the Maternal Antenatal Emotional Attachment Scale (MAEAS), and depressive states were assessed with the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). In all participants, after Dohsa-hou relaxation sessions, there was a reduction in feelings of maternal insecurity, such as depressive and anxious feelings about pregnancy. Reduction was also seen in negative emotional responses to a past experience of abuse in one of the women who had experienced maltreatment. Over the course of the pregnancy, the occurrence of fetal movements increased during Dohsa-hou relaxation. The participants' perception of fetal movements was associated with enhanced attachment to their fetuses, as shown by increased scores on the Maternal Antenatal Emotional Attachment Scale. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)