Gluckman - safer environments

The situation of analyzing the environment of the mother and the fetus is complicated in many situations, because the very women who may be in inadequate nutritional and social circumstances, may be the women who are also more exposed to certain environmental toxins, near to a waste dump, or living in inadequate situations near factories and so forth. It makes it very hard in an epidemiological sense to sort out the various factors involved. But common sense says that to the extent that we can provide an environment which is not exposed to extreme levels of anything; whether it’s too much sugar, or toxins, is not going to be good for you.  Equally, there are certain things we mustn’t be deficient in, certain micronutrients, adequate amounts of protein and so forth. So, the story is actually; comes down to, perhaps a rather unsatisfactory conclusion. Life in relationship to the fetus is meant to be boring, avoid extremes. Have a balance to your diet, a balance to your life, enjoy the pregnancy, insist that your partner helps you enjoy the pregnancy, and plan it if you can, and the outcome is more likely to be better. Breastfeed your baby, enjoy your baby, pay attention to your baby, wean the baby onto foods that are prudent, in terms of not being extreme in terms of sugar or salt content. Certainly not give them McDonald’s or Coca-Cola, and there’s a chance for a better outcome for your child. But I think at the end of the day, that’s the bottom line. It’s actually about, a pregnancy is a time to enjoy your situation, and to not believe that there’s some magical way of making a superbaby, or that everything you do is going to compromise your baby. But to realize that a balanced diet, a balanced lifestyle, is more likely to lead to a better outcome.