What is Bonding-Oriented Pregnancy Support?
Bonding-Orienteng Pregnancy Support (BOPS) is a preventative method that aims to establish a strong connection between mother and baby. It enables mothers to witness the baby’s development in utero and observe its early personality growth.
It strengthens the bond between mother and fetus, making pregnancy and childbirth less challenging.
As a result of Bonding-Oriented Pregnancy Support (BOPS), infants tend to have higher levels of self-esteem and easier access to their potential after birth. Additionally, expected outcomes include a significant reduction in preterm births, fewer obstetrical interventions and cesarean sections, a lower likelihood of birth trauma, and a decreased risk of postpartum depression for mothers. Furthermore, BOPS makes breastfeeding easily manageable from the start.
What is the history of the method?
Bonding-Oriented Pregnancy Support has its basis in the Bonding Analysis, which was developed in the 1980s by two Hungarian psychoanalysts, Dr. György Hidas and Dr. Jeno Raffai. In their work with psychotic adolescent, they found the evidence that the lack of self-awareness in young patients with mental health issues was closely linked to their mother's inability to bond.
The emotional and mental state of pregnant women has a great impact on the developing baby and its emotional and physical health. The bonding capacity of the mother is especially significant; healthy bonding creates healthy attachment in the baby.
"The ability to form attachments with others is considered a fundamental feature of an effectively functioning personality and mental health".
John Bowlby, father of Attachment Theory
Dr Rafffai and Dr Hidas incorporated findings from prenatal psychology and other scientific fields into their research and practice. They assisted hundreds of pregnant women over the years. They taught Bonding Analysis in training courses in Germany from 2004. Among Dr Raffai's students was Christa Balkenhol-Wright, who adapted the method so it can be successfully used by non-psychotherapeutic professionals like midwives, birth consultants, and bodyworkers. Christa has been teaching numerous practitioners Bonding-Oriented Pregnancy Support in Europe. She is actively promoting the method to healthcare professionals working with pregnancy and birth, as she believes this work needs to be spread widely and not limited to the psychotherapeutic office.
Benefits for the mother:
- Empowering the expectant mother to transform her journey through pregnancy,
childbirth, and breastfeeding into a positive and fulfilling one
- Enhancing the emotional bond between mother and baby
- A positive impact on breastfeeding
- Reduction of post-partum depression (less than 1% compared to an average rate of
19%)
- Significant reduction in the rate of Caesarean sections
- Significantly lower rate of premature birth, at only 0.2%, compared to the more typical
rates of 9.2% in most countries and even 12% in the USA
- The birthing experience tends to be relatively quicker and less intense, with a lower
chance of needing a PDA or medical interventions
- Helps pregnant women achieve psychological stability, alleviate fears, and develop
effective coping mechanisms for stress.
"The pregnant woman will change from still being her mother's child to becoming her
child's mother” Dr Raffai
Benefits for the baby:
- Babies whose mothers were supported with Bonding-Oriented Pregnancy Support or Bonding Analysis display reduced incidences of head deformities resulting from birth;
- If any deformity does occur, it tends to be less severe and resolves quickly without
much trouble
- Generally, BOPS babies do not undergo physical or emotional trauma
- Significant reduction in abdominal colics and crying spells
- Faster sleep throughout the night and greater balance and harmony within
themselves.
- Quicker progression of psychomotor development
- Stronger social skills right from the start
- Natural sense of empathy and social openness to other children and adults
- More efficient self-regulation
- A sense of self-assurance; baby eagerly delves into its surroundings and confidently
interacts with others
For whom is BOPS suitable and recommended?
- For every pregnant woman, regardless of any issues she may be facing, the
connection with her baby is paramount
- For every woman who has gone through a dramatic birth or experienced post-partum
depression following delivery
- For those who have experienced a miscarriage and are still struggling to process it
- For those struggling to conceive, regardless of the cause
- For pregnant women assisted with ART
- For new moms who have a lot of anxiety about giving birth
- For women who may have been initially expecting twins or multiples but experienced
the loss of one or more during the first trimester or later
- As a preparation for an upcoming Caesarean section
- For women who experienced violence and abuse
How the Bonding-Oriented Pregnancy Support sessions work?
- The best time to start BOPS is between the 12th and 17th week of pregnancy; it can
be later
- The initial consultation takes place, to find out if BOPS is suitable for you
- Pregnant women fill up detailed anamnesis (a short biography focused on the quality
of relationships and circumstances of pregnancy), which is the basis for all further
work
- Sessions with a BOPS practitioner are once a week in person, online or mix of both;
regularity conveys the baby trust and the reliance of the mother
- So-called ‘baby session’ last up to an hour
- During each session, the practitioner and expectant mother address any challenges
related to pregnancy and present life circumstances, and obstacles in bonding with
the baby, then establish deep two-way communication channels between mother and
baby in a deep state of relaxation and discuss the results of that communication
- At the late stage of pregnancy, there are special ‘birth preparation sessions’ focused
on the preparation of mother and baby for the upcoming physical separation and the
management of the birth process together
- At 4-6 weeks and six months after birth practitioner and new mother meet again to
discuss the birth process and the baby’s development thus far