Maternal Hormones Prepare Fetuses for Stress of Delivery


 

Publication Date: January 2007

Publisher: National Scientific Council on the Developing Child

Author(s):

Research Area: Population and demographics

Keywords: Obstetric care; Childbirth; Developmental neurobiology

Type: Brief

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

It was found that the hormone oxytocin, naturally produced by the mother just before birth to facilitate delivery, also protects the fetal brain from potential complications and well-known stressors that arise during birth, indicating that the maternal-fetal connection can have long-term impacts on health outcomes.