Tuesday, January 22, 2008

When Does a Baby Arrive?

I was flipping channels during lunch today and came across the end of a documentary about babies. These scientists were studying a baby's sense of smell. They found that babies can recognize their parents' scents. They also found that a baby recognizes and "prefers" smells of food that his/her mother ingested frequently while in the womb. I had read about other studies that suggested this finding.
What caught my attention when I was flipping channels though was how your body knows it's time for labor to begin. Some of it has to do with the woman's hormone levels which I had read about. They also know now that when a baby's lungs are finished developing, the baby releases a protein. This protein, when it hits the uterine wall, sends a signal to start contractions. That's why most babies are born with their lungs fully developed. I thought that was interesting. It also made me a little more patient (just a little mind you ha!) waiting on Baby Nichols. Maybe his lungs are just finishing up their development.

3 comments:

Annie said...

These last two posts are super! I worked out double today, hoping my energy would help him move along for you. :) The lung revelation is interesting and amazing. God thought of everything (of course)!

**JJ** said...

okay okay.. i'll give him a break, just a little one, for making us wait wait wait!! but i still say he's just plum honory!!!

BTW---very interesting!!

Mom aka Kimberly said...

Interesting - didn't know that about the protein. It makes me a little more patient too! I love how God placed this little bit of knowledge for you to come across! love you