25/05/2026
The âfourth trimesterâ is the period immediately after birth, a few more months of intense nurturing to allow a baby to continue with their essential development from a place of security and safety.
A baby who has spent all their life growing peacefully in the womb, gently compressed by uterine walls at the end of the third trimester, will find the sensation being born, followed by freedom and open space in the outside world enormously different. Limbs that have been limited are suddenly free to stretch wide, darkness has turned to light, the muffled gentle rhythmic sounds of the motherâs body have been replaced by loud, unfamiliar noises or deep silence. Constant gentle motion has turned into complete stillness or sudden movements. No wonder that when babies are held close, rocked and soothed, contained in soft boundaries once more, that they settle; this feels right and familiar.
Secure attachment is the deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another across time and space; a âlasting psychological connectedness between human beingsâ (Bowlby/Ainsworth).