How environment shapes your baby’s brain?

Environment plays a critical role in shaping the mind of a child. When a mother carries her baby for nine months, she holds her world inside the womb. The thoughts a woman create can get carved into baby’s mind throughout the journey. And so, it is said that “a happy mother makes a happy family.” A child gets exposed to multiple environments post-birth, for example the home, the family, the school, the neighborhood, etc. A child learns and develops character, skills, good and bad habits from the surrounding. He/she adapts problem-solving attitude by watching and hearing from the parents or teachers. However, people lack the knowledge to create a proper environment for a mother. They don’t know how to protect her from abusive environment where she can spend her prenatal time and nurture her baby’s brain inside the womb.

You must have read articles explaining the impact of the environment on child development. But, here, we would like to share what type of environment you should create for the baby inside the womb. This will lead to appropriate brain development.

Do you know?

Environmental factors are important in deciding the outcome of the pregnancy. Unsuitable environment may result in –

• Congenital anomalies
• Risk of miscarriage
• Premature delivery
• Intrauterine growth restriction
• Still birth
• Menstrual disorders
• Infertility

Top 4 environmental exposures to avoid during pregnancy

There are hazardous chemicals – lead, mercury, environmental tobacco smoke, and some pesticides, products having chlorine, solvents, and other persistent organic pollutants that can harm men and women. Long-term exposure to such chemicals can make chemical changes to the body and result in reproductive issues.

Environment factors include –

1. Air pollution – More dust and carbon particles in the air may cause allergies to the mother.
2. Smoking – Even if the mother is just inhaling the smoke from the cigarette can negatively impact her baby’s mental development. It can even result in low birth weight infants.  
3. Stress – One must keep the mother away from any kind of stress. For this, you can enroll her in prenatal yoga sessions at Yogymummy.
4. Pesticides exposure – Fresh fruits and veggies coming home should be organic and pesticide free.
5. Frequent contact with chemicals – The mother should use herbal cosmetics and hygiene products to protect herself and the baby from harmful chemicals.

A fetus is protected inside the womb of a mother and can be guarded well with the right knowledge and preparation. It all begins before the time of conception.

Working women and men come in contact with several chemicals at their workplaces. Some of the chemicals may impact their reproduction. Ladies working on the farm can get exposed to pesticides and such experience can result in poor reproductive health, for instance, infertility. Working women in beauty salons and dry cleaners may experience miscarriage if long-term exposure to hazardous chemicals like lead.

If you are thinking about family planning, it is the right moment to create a better and healthy environment for fetus and the mother.

How to prevent exposure to chemicals and stress?

1. Use of cotton clothing – Avoid synthetic, polyester, and lycra-based clothing. If you want to live a quality life and expect the same for your baby, make this happen. Use pure cotton clothing that is skin-friendly, sustainable, and made in India.
2. Use of herbal soaps and shampoos – Today, there are several local brands available in the market, that sell herbal cosmetics and hygiene products. You can change your regular shampoo or soap with a natural range of products and contribute to the environment as well.
3. Covering face with a quality mask- One thing that coronavirus has done better for people is the habit of wearing a mask on their faces. However, there are quality masks available in the markets that do not only protect you from viruses but also certain pollutants roaming freely in the air. For instance, women working in the salon can easily cover their noses and mouth to avoid inhaling certain chemicals present in the products.
4. Avoid plastic and thermoplastic –   At workplaces, ordering food from outside is the worse thing one can do. That food gets served on plastic plates and releases toxins, which later get mixed in the food. This plastic resides in the body, creates diseases, and makes the body unfit for bearing a baby.
5. Avoid stress – Maternal stress may lead to birth defects, low birth, early onset preeclampsia, and premature delivery. It can be job stress, or stress related to family issues, fights with the spouse, etc. It is better to share her load and give her time for herself. Enroll her in the nearest yoga studio and let her practice meditation and yoga sequences to release stress from the body and prepare for conceiving.

Environmental factors do have a critical impact on maternal health. These factors contribute to placental issues like low birth weight, long-term effects on neuronal and behavioral development in adolescents, and intrauterine growth restrictions. A woman can start living a healthy lifestyle by including good nutrition, organic products, and right exercises before conceiving. This will create a better and healthy environment for a fetus, where it can grow without having any deformities.