Reproduction is a means of a species’ survival. Over time, having children has become viewed as a gift and a very special occasion that only happens a few times in one’s life, not just a means of survival. The idea of reproduction and what it means and does for society has become increasingly important. Everything an expectant mother eats, drinks, and puts into her body goes directly into her fetus’ bloodstream. The actions a mother takes during pregnancy sets the course of her baby’s entire life. This is the idea at the core of the science of fetal origins. The science of fetal origins is a recently developed science that focuses on the effects of all actions a mother takes during a pregnancy. Are certain foods more important to eat than …show more content…
Does stress during pregnancy affect the fetus? These are questions that scientists researching fetal origins are trying to answer. In recent years, fetal origins has gained much research momentum. The nutrition of the mother, the amount of sleep the mother receives, and the amount of stress and anxiety the mother has during pregnancy are all actions that a mother takes during pregnancy that will affect her baby’s life in years after birth. Ultimately, these actions taken by a mother during pregnancy have always played a role in what a baby’s life becomes, yet, today, the science of fetal origins addresses and hopes to answer the many questions of why and how a baby becomes the adult they do. An expectant mother’s nutrition and the types of foods she eats during pregnancy has been shown to influence the development of conditions and diseases later on in her child’s adult life. There are several hypotheses that have addressed this idea. First, in order to study …show more content…
Babies born to mothers who did not get enough sleep while pregnant were also at a greater risk of fetal growth restriction, which in some cases can be fatal (Micheli). To add another reason for moms to get enough sleep during pregnancy, low birth weights have been shown to be associated with the risk of developing sleep disorders in young adulthood. A study conducted using 158 young adults who were born at a low birth weight and 169 control young adults, it was found that sleep disorders, such as chronic snoring, was 2.2 times more likely to develop in adults who were born at low birth weights (Paavonen). Not getting enough sleep leads to the risk of low birth weight and low birth rate often leads to sleep problems for those offspring in adulthood. This shows how important it is for pregnant women to get the proper amount of sleep, seven hours, or even more if they