Prenatal Intersubjectivity in Indonesian Culture: Maternal–Fetal Soul Communication as an Embodied Practice among 30 Pregnant Women at Santo Borromeus Hospital, Bandung – Indonesia

Prenatal intersubjectivity—the inner connection, intuitive communication, and emotional resonance between mothers and fetuses—is an embodied process of sensemaking shaped by cultural frameworks, not a supernatural phenomenon. In a cultural-phenomenological study of 30 pregnant women in Bandung, Indonesia, bodily sensations such as fetal movements and physiological changes were interpreted as meaningful communication through religious values, beliefs about life-essence, family roles, and local pregnancy narratives. This interpretive process enriches maternal emotional well-being, strengthens psychological readiness for childbirth, and enhances prenatal attachment. The article proposes two theoretical models: the Prenatal Embodied Intersubjectivity Model (PEIM-Expanded) and the Cultural Intuitive Communication Pathway (CICP), explaining how body–emotion–meaning interconnections and cultural values facilitate maternal–fetal communication.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This study presents an in-depth analysis of prenatal intersubjectivity—namely the inner connection, intuitive communication, and emotional resonance between mothers and their fetuses—within the context of contemporary Indonesian sociocultural life. Using a cultural-phenomenological approach involving 30 pregnant women at Santo Borromeus Hospital in Bandung, the research explores how bodily sensations, emotions, intuition, cultural narratives, and spiritual or familial rituals shape mothers’ ways of perceiving and responding to the presence of the fetus. The study focuses particularly on how bodily sensations, especially fetal movements and physiological changes during pregnancy, are interpreted as meaningful forms of communication rather than merely biological reactions. The findings demonstrate that what is often described as “soul communication” is not a supernatural phenomenon, but an embodied process of sensemaking in which mothers link sensory and emotional experiences to the cultural frameworks they inhabit. Religious values, beliefs about the presence of life-essence or spirit, the role of extended family, and local narratives about pregnancy all play crucial roles in shaping maternal interpretations of bodily and fetal signals. This interpretive process generates experiences of prenatal intersubjectivity that enrich maternal emotional well-being, strengthen psychological readiness for childbirth, and enhance the quality of prenatal attachment. As a scientific contribution, this article proposes two new theoretical models: the Prenatal Embodied Intersubjectivity Model (PEIM-Expanded), which explains the dynamics of body–emotion–meaning interconnection in prenatal communication; and the Cultural Intuitive Communication Pathway (CICP), which illustrates how maternal intuition is facilitated and mediated by cultural values and spiritual practices. Together, these models provide a more comprehensive understanding of maternal–fetal communication as a complex and transformative cultural experience.