Secret Lessons: The Art and Science of Parenting from Conception through Infancy - Hardcover

In recent years, revolutionary discoveries in neuroscience and developmental psychology have transformed our understanding of infant development. We now know that starting from conception, the infant brain is wired by the environment. Everything that the infant experiences in his mother's womb and after birth leaves a permanent imprint on his brain. This book explains how even the most ordinary events, such as the words a mother speaks to her unborn son or the way a father holds his newborn daughter, evoke a cascade of biological changes -- not only in the brain but also in the immune system and throughout the body. Every experience, from her trip down the birth canal to an afternoon in the park, shapes the health and personality of the child. Whether we intend it or not, everything we say and do teaches the infant a secret lesson about herself and us, her parents. "Tomorrow's Baby" translates these scientific insights into practical advice for parents and parents-to-be. An internationally acknowledged expert in early human development, Dr. Thomas Verny draws on his knowledge of the latest scientific research to explain how, with planning and proper support, parents can create an ideal environment for their babies. Dr. Verny advocates "conscious parenting," which begins with the parent's or caregiver's informed acceptance of the enormous challenge of raising and nurturing a child. He offers a wealth of practical suggestions, from optimal prenatal communication to enhancing infants' empathic abilities, as well as advice for building language acquisition, enhancing intelligence, and developing other social skills. Now, for the first time, parents can learn how to helpactualize their child's full potential, beginning with conception.

Thomas R. Verny, M.D., is the world's leading expert on the effects of the prenatal and early post-natal environment on personality development. He is the author of the international bestseller The Secret Life of the Unborn Child (with John Kelly). He is a psychiatrist and founder of the Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology Association of North America (now known as the Association for Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health, or APPPAH). Dr. Verny is an adjunct professor of Prenatal and Perinatal Development at St. Mary's University, Minneapolis, Minnesota, and a senior faculty member at the Santa Barbara Graduate Institute in California. He lives in Toronto, Canada.