Babies learn about flavors even before they are born. Can prenatal learning give rise to food preferences? Can it make some individuals more prone to consume alcohol?
In the last trimester, fetuses can hear music in the womb. And if they hear the same tune many times, they may learn to recognize it.
These references accompany the article, “Pregnancy stress hormones: How a natural rise in hormone levels may benefit babies and re-program mothers’ brains” Atkinson HC and Waddell BJ. 1995. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in rat pregnancy and lactation: circadian variation and interrelationship of plasma adrenocorticotropin and corticosterone. Endocrinology 136(2):512-20. Bardi M, French JA, Ramirez M, and Brent … Continue reading
Natural changes in stress hormones during pregnancy Prolonged, severe stress is bad for pregnancy. And stress hormones are to blame. When stress hormone levels run very high, women are less likely to conceive and more likely to miscarry (Sapolsky 2004; Nepomaschy et al 2006). Babies are more likely to be born prematurely and underweight. They … Continue reading