Parenting begins before the baby is born in terms of both health behaviours that are designed to protect and promote the wellbeing of the unborn baby, and also the developing relationship as indicated by parental mental representations about the baby. This paper examines recent research about the importance of the prebirth period in terms of the psychological wellbeing of the child including infant attachment security, and other emotional and behavioural outcomes in later childhood. 

Jane Barlow is Professor of Evidence-Based Intervention and Policy Evaluation in the Department of Public Health, and a Professorial Fellow of St Hilda's College. Prior to moving to Oxford University, she was Professor of Public Health at Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, and Director of Warwick Infant and Family Wellbeing Unit. She is president of the Association of Infant Mental Health, and a member of PreVAiL (Preventing Violence Across the Lifespan) research network. She has contributed to a number of NICE guidelines and co-chaired the development of the CYP IAPT curriculum 0 - 5 years. She is the editor-in chief for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMH), and co-chair of the Campbell Collaboration Social Welfare group. She is on the editorial board for the Cochrane Developmental, Psychosocial and Learning Disorders Group. Her main research interest is the role of early parenting in the aetiology of mental health problems, and in particular the evaluation of early interventions aimed at supporting the parent-infant relationship during pregnancy and the postnatal period. She also undertakes research on the effectiveness of interventions in the field of child protection. She is currently working with the NSPCC to develop a new prebirth pathway to support vulnerable pregnant women, and an intervention for families in which there is domestic abuse. She is also the lead investigator for the national evaluation of the A Better Start (ABS) programme. She is a collaborator with the International Preventing Violence across the Lifespan (PreVAiL) research network, and contributes to a range of national expert groups.