Thomas Verny, Father of Prenatal Psychology
Prenatal psychology is an area of psychology that looks at the psychological changes that women go through from conception to postpartum. If you’re going to better understand your fears and anxieties during pregnancy then I think understanding prenatal psychology is pretty crucial.
The journey to motherhood is one of massive change for a woman and is often accompanied by fear, insecurity, and stress. There is so much that could go wrong: preterm birth, an especially traumatic birth, problems breastfeeding, problems bonding with the baby, miscarriage, problems conceiving… gosh the list goes on!
How prenatal psychology can help
“By the end of the second trimester, the unborn child is a sensing, feeling and sensible (and remembering) human being.” Thomas Verny
During our chat I put these questions to Thomas;
- What should a mother focus on during her pregnancy to improve the likelihood of a positive birth outcome?
- What can a mother do during pregnancy to nurture the baby?
- Can babies understand what their mothers are thinking when pregnant?
- Do babies pick up on the emotional journey of the mother during pregnancy?
- What are some causes of tokophobia [the extreme fear of pregnancy/birth]?
- Does the type of birth we have – vaginal unassisted, forceps, c-section etc – have any psychological impact on us?
As you can see from these questions, they have the potential to reveal some fascinating answers, and Thomas doesn’t disappoint. I was in heaven!
Thomas starts by sharing some key factors that pregnant women should focus on during pregnancy to improve the likelihood of a positive birth outcome. These include;
-
A desire for a child
-
Relationship with her partner
-
Relationship with one’s own mother
- Your own birth
Some people might be surprised at these because they are not things we tend to see in the typical birth prep lists alongside the more expected items like nutrition exercise or birth education. Thomas shares some interesting perspectives that are definite food for thought.
We chat about the importance of tuning into our babies and how best to do that and Thomas shares some ways that mamas-to-be can nurture baby during pregnancy. We also discuss fertility and how stress affects fertility.
How our birth type affects our thinking
The bit that I think you’ll love though is what he has to say about our birth type, and what kind of mental and emotional patterns they can lay in place. Things like;
Forceps birth – Pain in the neck is a common theme for them. At times of stress, they will likely have pain in the head or shoulders.
C-section birth – Common thoughts will include “I can’t make it on my own”, “If I’m in a tight place, people will come to my rescue”
Breech birth – They are the most hard headed of people “It’s my way or the highway”. They don’t want to conform.
So, as you can see, this really is a fascinating chat and one that I think could really shift your perspective of your pregnancy journey.
Let me know what you think in the comments!
Do breech babies have different personalities?
This is the part of my conversation with Thomas that people ask me about most. Thomas believes that the way we’re born leaves a mark on us. Birth is our entry into the world, and as he put it, “It’s the first big experience every one of us has,” so it “cannot but help to leave a mark behind.”
When we got to breech babies, he told me to check this out with you. Breech babies, he said, are “the most hard headed people” of all the ways of being born. “It’s sort of my way or the highway.” He described them as very definite about how they want things done, often unconventional, and sometimes difficult to work with.
His explanation goes back to the womb. Everyone else is coming head first, and this baby isn’t. In his words, “a lot of that has to do with the fact that they did not want to conform.” He was clear that this isn’t a conscious thought. It sits somewhere underneath, in “whatever precedes thought”.
This is Thomas’s view, drawn from his work in prenatal psychology, so I’d hold it lightly. Treat it as something to be curious about rather than a fixed rule. If you were born breech, does “my way or the highway” ring any bells? And if your baby is breech right now, please don’t read this as one more thing to worry about. Who your baby becomes will be shaped by far more than the way they arrive.
If you’re curious about how the womb and birth can leave their mark, I’ve written more about it in In-Utero & Birth Imprint Trauma.
About Thomas Verny
Thomas R. Verny is a psychiatrist, writer and academic. He has previously taught at Harvard University, University of Toronto, York University, Toronto and St. Mary’s University Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Dr. Verny’s books, professional publications and founding of the PPPANA, now APPPAH, and the Pre- and Perinatal Journal, have established him as one of the world’s leading authorities on the effect of the prenatal and early postnatal environment on personality development. He lectures and leads workshops on Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Psychotherapy through-out Canada, the United States, Europe, South America and Southeast Asia.
Thomas Verny’s Books
- The Secret Life of the Unborn Child
- Pre-parenting
- Cellular Consciousness
- Thousands of Mothers May Be Living With Undiagnosed PTSD After Childbirth - 16th October 2026
- What Happened to Birth? The Statistic That Sent Me Down a Rabbit Hole - 16th October 2026
- Induction and Birth Trauma: What a New Study Found - 12th October 2026
