Tai Jiao: Nurture Early, the TCM Way

Today, prenatal education is known to involve stimulating the baby prenatally with sounds, movements, and smells to support the development of the baby’s senses. Advocates believe this form of prenatal education gives the baby an early learning advantage.  In fact, this kind of prenatal stimulations, in Mandarin termed as Tai Jiao （胎教）, has its origins in ancient China, with early records in ancient Chinese medical texts. Read on to find out about what Tai Jiao really means and what it actually encompasses, from TCM’s perspective.

“Prenatal education” is a term coined in modern times, but the concept of nurturing the unborn child, otherwise known as Tai Jiao has existed since ancient times. The earliest written records of Tai Jiao can be found dated back as early as the Han dynasty.  The famous imperial physician Chao Yuan Fang of Sui dynasty pointed out that Tai Jiao is in fact the interoception of external objects/stimuli, and he believed that the behaviour, the likes and dislikes of mothers and what they see and hear during pregnancy can have a subtle but significant effect on the unborn child. 

With the help of modern technology, it has been shown that the fetus is not unconscious while in the mother’s womb, but is aware of the changes happening around. Not only can it sense changes in the mother’s body and emotions, it is also receptive to external stimuli such as sound, light, touch and is already capable of memory creation from its experience of growing in the womb. Therefore, love, care and appropriate beneficial stimulations can all have a positive impact on the physical and mental development of the fetus. At the same time, such positive stimulants can stir up interest in the fetus towards the world that it is going to be born into. All these are the scientific basis for Tai Jiao, showing that not only is it important but also necessary.

In TCM, Tai Jiao has both broad and specific definitions. The broad definition of Tai Jiao is with regard to the physical, dietary and environmental aspects that mothers should take note of during pregnancy to provide conditions for good physical development of the fetus. The specific definition of Tai Jiao is with regard to the mental and moral aspects that mothers should observe and cultivate to maintain a healthy state of mind which can in turn promote intellectual development and inculcate good character in the fetus.

In general, Tai Jiao is beneficial for the healthy development of the fetus and its effects extend beyond its birth. Some of the general requirements and methods for Tai Jiao as laid down by ancient physicians for pregnant mothers include staying in a comfortable and peaceful environment, maintaining a sense of calm, listening to soothing music, reading literatures, taking scenic walks, talking to friends and families and stroking their bellies frequently. In addition, they should avoid extreme emotions and incessant thinking, visual obscenities, killings or frightening sights and stimulating loud music.

 

Below, we shall explore some methods and requirements of Tai Jiao as lay down by the ancient TCM experts.

1. Moral Cultivation

Pregnant mothers should spend more time and effort in cultivating good moral values and kindness in their thoughts and actions during pregnancy. In one famous Chinese gynaecology classic text Zhu Bing Yuan Hou Lun, it quotes that pregnant mothers should “sit without evil thoughts, stand without biased views, move not with crooked minds, watch no ugly sights and speak no unkind words”. As such, the unborn child will be positively affected by such immense righteousness and good from the mother that it can ultimately lead to the development of good character and temperament in the child.

This is because the psychological status of mothers directly affects that of the fetus and the behavior of mothers during pregnancy will affect the development of the child after he/she is born.  To have the mothers cultivate goodness during pregnancy will directly create a positive impact on the mind of the unborn child. Therefore, it is important for pregnant mothers to “do more good” and maintain a healthy and happy state of mind throughout the course of pregnancy.

2. Emotional stability

In another Chinese gynaecology classic text, it said “to practise Tai Jiao is to be peaceful”. What this means is that pregnant mothers should learn to control their emotions and avoid excessive worrying and thinking. Doing so can ensure the smooth circulation of qi and blood, which is beneficial to the growth and development of the fetus.

Modern medical researches have shown that fetal growth and development requires nutrients and oxygen that are supplied by the mother’s blood through the placenta. Emotional changes of pregnant mothers can in turn affect the hormonal secretion and chemical composition of the blood.

Positive emotions can result in an increase of chemical compounds that are beneficial to the growth and development of the fetus while negative emotions can increase harmful compounds that can result in damaging effects on the fetal nervous system and other biological tissues. Stress and anxiety of pregnant mothers can cause excessive secretion of adrenal hormones which may result in fetal malformations. According to clinical observations, emotions of pregnant mothers can also have a great influence on fetal activity. The calm and relax mood of mothers can lead to regular fetal activity while stress and anxiety can lead to fetal hyperactivity. This may in turn result in hyperactivity and short-temperedness in the child that is to be born.

3. Prenatal sensory and motor training

Pregnant mothers should carry out planned prenatal sensory and motor training for the unborn child during peak periods of its antenatal development.

In TCM, it is documented that the fetus can already perceive external stimuli from the third month of pregnancy onwards hence sensory and motor training should be carried out from then onwards. This is because “during this time, the fetus starts to take its form but is capable of changing in accordance to what is perceived.”

Modern medical studies have shown that the organs of the fetus start to take shape and that the skin has the ability to feel and perceive its surroundings at the end of the first month of pregnancy. In addition to carrying out the main bodily functions such as breathing and absorbing nutrients, the fetus can now perform actions such as kicking, turning, bending, squinting, swallowing etc. The auditory functions kick in at the fourth month of pregnancy, where the fetus begin to respond to sounds and vibrations such as that from the mother’s blood flow, heartbeats, peristalsis and even sounds outside of the mother’s body. Thus according to modern science, it is during this period that sensory and motor training should be carried out, which is consistent with the timing as prescribed by TCM.

1. Auditory sensory training

Speaking, reciting poetry, singing, playing melodious music to the fetus or engaging in soft conversations with people, taking scenic walks amidst the relaxing sounds of nature such as chirping birds, singing insects or trickling water are just some of the ways that can help to promote development of the fetal auditory and nervous systems.

Specifically speaking, prenatal music includes two kinds: one for the pregnant mother, another for the fetus. For mothers, they should listen to peaceful and melodious music pieces that are mainly made up of notes E and C as they can bring about the effect of relaxation. For the fetus, they should listen to lively and cheerful music that is mainly made up of note C.

When choosing music to be played to the fetus, it should be noted that the rhythm of the music should not be too fast and the volume should not be too high. Violent and loud music may cause hyperactivity of the fetus and may result in damage to their underdeveloped nervous systems. Also avoid high frequency music that is over 2000 Hz. The duration for playing music to the fetus should be limited to 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Visual sensory training

At the 24th week of pregnancy, the fetus has the ability to open its eyes. During this time, visual sensory training can be carried out to stimulate the fetus visual development, increase its visual scope and regulate its circadian cycle.

The visual sensory training is done by pointing a soft torchlight directly at the mother’s belly, turning it on and off for 30 seconds. This is repeated 3 times a day. When turning the light on and off, mothers can talk to the fetus, telling it what time it is.   

3. Stroking motor training

Frequent stroking of the belly by pregnant mothers can stimulate movement of the fetus within the womb which aids in the development of the fetus motor system and enhance the motor skills of the child after he/she is born.

The fetus will start to move within the womb after the seventh week of pregnancy and mothers can feel the fetus movements after the fourth month of pregnancy.  The fetus movements can include swallowing, sucking, clenching, kicking, turning etc. Stroking can bring about these fetal movements and serves as a form of “exercise” for the fetus in the womb.

Before doing the stroking motor training, mothers have to make sure that they have cleared their bladders and bowels. While lying face up and staying as relaxed as possible, use both palms to lightly stroke the belly for 5 minutes. Such stroking motor training can be done at about 8pm at night as the fetus usually sleeps in the day and wakes up in the evenings. In the process of doing so, attention has to be paid to the fetus reactions. If the fetus is moving slowly and gently, then the stroking can be carried on. If the fetus is moving rather vigorously, it is an indication that the fetus is uncomfortable with the stroking and it has to be stopped. 

TCM(Traditional Chin Med), TCM Wellness, Basics of TCMXiang Jun LimDr (TCM) Xiang Juntcm, prenatal, education, women's health, moral, pregnancy