Anthropology & Human Nature

Smokers may be programmed in the womb

Scientists in Australia found that children of smoking mother 3x more likely to start smoking by 14 and
2x as likely afterwards compared to other children.
Heavy smokers have less success with invitro and suffer impotence.
Crying it out harms baby's brains
high levels of stress hormone cortisol develop in babies when no one answers their cries. Cortisol
described as "toxic to developing brains".
Unattended crying of 30mins or more could be damaging to babies. Babies not capable of learning to
stop crying because the mother wants to sleep.
In some adoptions, love doesn't conquer all
One child spent first 5 years in a prison orphanage and had a mother who drank while she was pregnant.

Nasal spray makes men more empathetic
Contains oxytocin which is a hormone that promotes social bonding, spurs parenting instincts, and helps
fall in love. Levels reach highs in women during pregnancy and lactation.

Epidurals: risks and concerns for mother and baby:
2/3 of women who had a vaginal birth were administered an epidural (block motor nerves). Spinals
reduce motor block.
Epidurals and spinals interfere with a woman's ultimate enjoyment of a labor experience and are
associated with compromising the safety of birth for mother and baby.
Epidurals effect some major hormones of labor and birth. They lower the production of
oxytocin(obliterate the maternal oxytocin peak) Adrenaline and norepinephrine released during
unmedicated labor.
slow labor because contractions inhibited.