Fertilization is the process which includes complex interactions between egg ( from female) and sperm (from male). In a normal case when a single ovum is fertilized by sperm cell of the male, there, life begins. By which means an offspring is the result of the combination of two cells, male and female. It involves biochemistry and binding and activation of molecular receptors on the sperm head and egg. If the egg is fertilized by a sperm containing an X chromosome, the fetus will be female (XX). If the egg is fertilized by a sperm containing a Y chromosome, the fetus will be male (XY). Inherited genes play a major role in determining intelligence and personality, but the right lifestyle choices can help ensure those genes are programmed in the womb. However, mom’s diet can also have a big impact on the developing fetus’ brain.
How to make your baby intelligent during pregnancy in natural methods?
Fetal brain development
During your pregnancy, the fetal brain goes through several stages of development. The first trimester is a time of exponential growth. During this time, it’s especially important to avoid chemicals and dangerous substances. During the first trimester, the nerve cells form but are not yet developed as a brain. Impulses begin to fire without pattern or direction. Sensory organs and nerves are not developed at this point, so the fetus does not feel pain. Healthy fats from natural foods are especially important since nearly 70% of the new tissues are fat based. During the second trimester, nerve functions start to synchronize and differentiate. The sensory organ begins development, as does the nerves. About the 5th month, the baby can now start to feel, although the sensations they feel are very limited and erratic. Those healthy fats provide faster development and healthier nerve connections. During the last trimester, the brain is forming learning abilities and beginning memories. This is a time where exposure to classical music and soothing sounds will affect the child’s disposition later in life.
What foods to eat to boost your baby’s IQ?
Eat more eggs: Eggs are a good source of choline, which might promote brain function and the development of memory in developing babies. Exciting news from animal research on choline, a substance plentiful in eggs, may have profound implications for developing babies. Nerve cells transform choline into acetylcholine, a chemical messenger involved in memory and lacking in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. When Swartzwelder gave pregnant rats a diet containing three times the usual amount of choline, their offspring did better on maze-learning and similar tests of spatial memory. They also had improved function in the brain region known as the hippocampus, which is vital for memory and learning. Conversely, offspring of rats lacking choline in their diet had fewer connections between nerve cells in the hippocampus and had trouble learning, due to the WebMD. Two eggs provide half the recommended daily amount of choline for pregnant women, and also come with added benefits: Eggs are a complete source of protein and contain an easily absorbed form of iron. Both protein and iron are thought to increase birth weight. Low birth weights are associated with lower IQ. Because some women may become choline-deficient during pregnancy and breastfeeding, the Institute of Medicine increased the recommended choline requirement during pregnancy.
Avoid alcohol consumption: Alcohol can pass through the placenta and intoxicates your baby. Drinking while pregnant leads to a baby with lower IQ, poor attention span, poor cognitive skills, poor memory, attention deficits, impulsive behavior and poor cause-effect reasoning, and motor function disabilities. If intoxication is much higher then it may even lead to permanent damages to brain and central nervous system. Heavy drinking during pregnancy leads to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), which is linked to fetal abnormalities, such as a smaller head with an underdeveloped brain, and permanent central nervous system damage.There is much evidence that alcohol can be very damaging, resulting in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, low birth weight, heart defects and miscarriage.
Avoid tobacco and smoking: Nicotine from smoke causes constriction of blood vessels, reducing blood flow and nutrition to the placenta. Researchers at Turku University Hospital in Finland found out that children exposed to prenatal smoking have more risk of developing psychiatric problems in childhood and young adulthood because prenatal nicotine exposure interferes with the development of fetal brain cells that are important for normal cognitive development. A research is Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, Denmark also suggests that smoking leads to the risk of the baby having a debilitating eye disorder called strabismus.
Foods rich in omega-3: Studies show that babies score higher on mental development tests when their mamas eat a lot of omega-3 during pregnancy. Oily fish, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, are a crucial brain food for your developing baby. In a 2007 study of almost 12,000 pregnant women, children born to mothers who ate less than two servings of fish per week scored lower on tests of intelligence, behavior, and development than children born to mothers who ate at least two serving of fish per week. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential and this is because they contribute to neuron production. Neurons are the nerves that send electrical impulses to the brain and messages to other body organs. You can get omega-3 from food sources such as salmon and various types of fish, eggs that have been fortified, ground flaxseed, walnuts, red meat, spinach, tofu, beans and iron enhanced cereals. However, Pregnant women should avoid large predatory fish like swordfish, which can contain high levels of mercury. Fish oil capsules are a good substitute for women who don’t like fresh fish.
Take a folic acid supplement: You are recommended to take a folic acid supplement if you wish to conceive a smart baby. Prenatal supplements with folic acid are essential. Take prenatal vitamins everyday. This helps ensure that you have a good nutritional balance of vitamin B12 and folic acid which help develop red blood cells as well as vitamin C which produces collagen and vitamin D which helps in bone formation. Folic acid is an important nutrient in brain cell formation. The Journal of American Medical Association recently published a study found that women who took folic acid 4 weeks before pregnancy and 8 weeks after pregnancy had 40% less chances of giving birth to autistic babies. Excellent sources of folic acid include green leafy vegetables such as spinach lentils and fortified breakfast cereals. You can take the vitamins with your meals and switch brands if they upset your stomach.
Iodine: Mom’s diet can have a big impact on the developing fetus’ brain. One of the most important micronutrients is Iodine. Deficiency during pregnancy, particularly the first 12 weeks, is linked to significantly lower IQ in children. Thyroid disease is another culprit that can sneak up unnoticed, says endocrinologist John Lazarus, MD. Babies born to women with low thyroid function are more likely to have low IQ. To determine whether thyroid replacement in similar women might help, his group at the University of Wales College of Medicine in Cardiff has started a seven-year clinical study. Seafood from contaminated waters may harbor brain toxins such as PCBs, methyl mercury, lead, cadmium, and pesticides. Warnings by authorities against eating local fish should be taken seriously by pregnant women, says Philippe Grandjean, MD, professor of environmental health at Boston University School of Public Health. The FDA says moms-to-be should avoid swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish, and other large ocean fish that tend to concentrate toxic chemicals. Especially during the first trimester, infections like German measles or toxoplasmosis, which is caused by a parasite that can be contracted through contact with infected cat feces, can wreak havoc on the embryonic brain. So pregnant women should stay away from sick children and avoid changing the litter box whenever possible.
What are the things to do to boost your baby’s brain development?
Reduce stress: There are many reasons to lower your stress levels as much as possible while getting pregnant. The amount of stress the expected mother may have during her pregnancy affects the development of the baby because stress produces a hormone called cortisol which affects the baby even though the enzyme produced by the placenta try to reduce the effect of cortisol. Stress has been linked to poor health for the mother, including high blood pressure during pregnancy, and these factors can sometimes result in premature birth or low birth weight in newborns. Higher stress during pregnancy, especially during the first trimester, may even cause congenital malfunction of the brain. To reduce stress, consider adding some physical activity such as walking or yoga, which increase the release of positive endorphins. If you can remove your stress, your baby will become naturally wise when it comes out and face the world. Emotional development and IQ of the baby can be disrupted due to the parental stress before birth.
Exercise properly: Stay active even though you are getting pregnant. Yoga and swimming are two of the best exercises for pregnant women. For years that we have known that yoga and swimming really provide a huge benefit for health. Swimming takes much of the pressure off your body, while providing quality resistance to keep muscles firm. Swimming also keeps you from sweating excessively or raising your core body temperature, which can be hazardous to your baby’s health. Yoga can help reduce many of the pain and waddling effects of pregnancy. Yoga provides muscle stimulating workouts, enhanced balance and coordination and peace. While exercising doesn’t provide real, tangible result right away, children of women who exercise are more likely to seek out sports and activity during their lives and be able to achieve the balance needed to keep good grade and activities at a high level.
Storytelling your baby: It is advisable for pregnant women to read out the facts loudly so that the baby can listen to it. All communication with a baby while in the womb is beneficial for acquiring language. Reading stories, in particular, is helpful in part because of the sound of the mother’s voice, which is often the most powerful because she is closer to the baby and the sound is amplified. Baby can easily hear the sound and language of which you are speaking. Just as when children first begin to learn to read outside of the womb, choosing books that utilize repetition, rhyming, and rhythm can help to stimulate cognitive development, pattern recognition, and language skills. It is really surprising to learn that, a baby can hear and understand the language spoken by his mother even when he is inside his mother’s womb. While encouraging the cognitive development of the baby, mothers are also able to create a bonding experience, and by choosing a relaxing and quiet place to read to the baby, mothers can help to reduce their own stress levels.
Playing music: Music, in the cognitive development of children, is utilized in educational programs throughout the world and is widely regarded as an important part in the development of babies’ brains. You should start playing music frequently. It is surprising to learn that; baby can easily hear the sound right from the time when he is in his mother’s womb. Considering that babies in the womb are able to hear a great deal from the external environment early in the gestational period, it is best to get started early. By week 18, the ear and brain are able to hear blood and the mother’s heartbeat. Although, any classical, jazz, or instrumental music works, too. Studies show that music enhances brain function, and stimulates many parts that are not stimulated in any other way. A study of musician’s brains shows in excess of 5 times as many interconnections in the brain than non-musicians. Cranking up the stereo volume could eventually damage the mother’s hearing, and transmitting sound directly to the unborn child through earphones could permanently damage the baby’s sensitive ears. Steele recommends that pregnant women also avoid prolonged exposure to high-intensity sounds, especially those of lower pitch than the human voice: “If it’s too loud for the mother then it’s probably too loud for the baby. Less obvious enemies can be equally deadly to the developing brain. One of these is lead from old paint and plumbing. Families living in older homes should have their air and water tested, Darvill says. But, the choice of an appropriate music is also important when your baby is in the womb. Soft and mild classic music are appropriate for the mother as well as the unborn baby. This also helps the baby in the womb to remain calm. This will help build a concentration in a baby staying inside the mother’s womb.
Why should making your baby intelligent during pregnancy in natural methods?
Every parent wish to have smart kids. It is important to boost your baby’s brain development during pregnancy. In addition, you also need to raise your children well after birth. This also helps to improve their brain development as they learn about thinking, playing and other activities…etc. we hope that all the above methods can help you get an intelligent baby.
Additional sources: newkidscenter.com, WebMD, developinghumainbrain.org.
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