🌀 Talk Description

In this session, we will explore the fundamental needs of the newborn and the delicate development of the motherbaby relationship in the first hours and days of life. Drawing on the wisdom of Dr Maria Montessori and the insights of Michel Odent, Karin Slabaugh will invite us to consider how birth and early adaptation shape Primal Health — the interplay of the hormonal, immune, and primal brain systems. Through this lens, we will reflect on what it means to create an environment of zero separation and zero interruption, where the newborn’s basic need for safety and serenity can unfold naturally, and where the silence of attendants allows mother and baby to reconnect and begin life together in peace.

👤 Speaker Bio

After many years working in childcare for infants and toddlers, Karin Slabaugh has specialised in the care of the newborn — a phase Maria Montessori called “The Spiritual Embryo.” An independent researcher into the history of Montessori’s birth-to-three work in Italy, she studied under Grazia Honegger Fresco, a direct student of Montessori herself. Karin later moved to Italy to offer a Montessori course for public healthcare midwives, gaining rare access to maternity wards. Today, she continues to study with early pioneers in newborn care, bridging Montessori principles and the wisdom of traditional birth support.

Website: montessori-for-life.org
Instagram: @montessori.for.life
YouTube: Prague Montessori Congress: Secure Relationship | Promotional Video for BNB 1