Mom's Mood Influences Baby's Sleep

We have known for a long time that children born to parents who don't sleep well are likely to have sleep problems¹. A new study is shedding more light on this issue, indicating that the fetal programming that takes places while in the womb may have a profound effect on a baby's sleep pattern².

Fetal programming occurs while the fetus is growing, based on nutritional and environmental influences. Researchers at the University of Michigan found that “Some children may start life with the sleep odds stacked against them…Babies whose mothers experienced depression any time before they became pregnant, or developed mood problems while they were pregnant, are much more prone to having chaotic sleep patterns in the first half-year of life than babies born to non-depressed moms.”

Poor mood in mom is unfortunately a common problem during pregnancy and is reflective of nutritional deficiencies that “program” the baby's nervous system to be too wired up (the flight or fight knob is set too high as a baseline), as if there is a “need” to be stressed. Everything should be done to help mothers prepare for pregnancy and maintain good health and a positive mood during pregnancy.

If your infant is not sleeping well, try some Coral Calcium powder (1/16-1/8 tsp) and a capsule of Pyc-50 (use ½ cap for infants). These are very easy to give to infants and can be mixed in whatever they are eating or drinking. If needed, they can be mixed in water and a dropper can be used to give while nursing. Nursing mothers can also eat a higher fat meal at night, which will help your baby sleep longer. Baby's have a tremendous opportunity to improve brain settings, but need helpful nutrition and a stable family environment to overcome fetal stress-related programming.